Filed under: July 2012
Blueberry bushes without bird protection
July 1, 2012
When setting up your small farmstead, you will make some mistakes. Do not fret over them, instead, learn from them. Here is a picture of our blueberry plantings. You will see that there is no provision for bird protection…it’s in the plan, but has not been executed yet.
I bought three large high bush blueberry plants from an old friend. The bushes had been neglected for a while. I dug them up, brought them home and planted them in a well made bed. I thought it would take a while before they produced, if they even survived the transplanting.
Next, we planted three new blueberry bushes from one gallon containers in the same bed. Again, I thought it would be a while before the young bushes produced any fruit. I was wrong on all counts. The old bushes thrived in the amended soil of the raised bed. The young plants took off with awesome vigor. Now they are loaded with fruit… much to the delight of the robins!
I plan to build a pergola to drape bird netting upon to protect our crop when needed. The season is in full swing. The support has not been built and I can’t find bird netting anywhere locally.
The good news is the bushes are doing great. We should have enough fruit for our needs for many years… as soon as I overcome the bird problem. I knew they would enjoy the fruit as much as us, I am just too slow in my plan execution.
This is an example of what not to do. The other thing that comes to mind is to not ever get animals before buildings, and especially fences are in place for them. I have violated this main rule too and just like now, even though I knew better… I am paying for it!
I did discover that old “cds” and aluminum pie tins, hanging from this thread, help to deter the birds..at least a little bit 😮
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