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During the growing season, the raised beds in my backyard typically hold an array of tomatoes, zucchini, basil, parsley, chives, garlic, sage, peas, golden beets, rainbow chard, peppers and at least one new-to-me edible.
I always include at least one plant I never grew before so that I can answer your questions about it first-hand, and also because I like trying new things. One year, it was corn. Another, huckleberries. Sometimes, the plant makes it into my annual repertoire, as rainbow chard and golden beets did years ago.
Last year, the new introductions were dwarf blueberries, two of which share a large container on my deck. Midnight Cascade and Sapphire Cascade blueberries are actually intended for hanging baskets, if you can imagine that. They grow just 18-24 inches tall.
Typically, blueberries take 3-6 years to bear fruit, so I can’t tell you anything about the fruit, but the plants grew very well last year and are strong and healthy now. Both thrive in zones 5-9.
Regardless of whether you’d like to grow blueberries in the ground or in a pot, the rules are the same:
Plant in either fall or spring in a spot sheltered from strong wind. Lowbush blueberries, reputably the tastiest, are low-growing spreading plants; highbush blueberries are upright and can be grown as hedges that reach 6 feet tall. Half-high varieties are hybrids that grow 3 to 4 feet. And the aforementioned varieties work great in tight spaces or pots. All require full sun and plenty of air circulation, so be careful not to crowd plants. Blueberries require a lot of water.
Along with cranberries and huckleberries, blueberries have the lowest pH requirements of any edibles, thriving only when the soil’s reading is between 4.0 and 5.2. Because of this, they shouldn’t be planted near house foundations, walkways or walls, which may leach lime into the soil, raising the pH to unacceptable levels.
Most blueberry varieties are self-pollinating, but planting two or three different types will result in bigger berries and a larger crop. That’s why I’m growing my Sapphire and Midnight Cascades together.
Don’t prune your blueberry plants at all during the first 5 years. Starting in year six, remove old growth and thin as needed in late winter or early spring to allow air to circulate and sunlight to reach the center of the plant.
Don’t apply nitrogen fertilizer during the first year. During spring of the second year, use 4 ounces of ammonium sulfate or calcium sulfate sulphur around each plant. After that, apply a general fertilizer labeled for acid-loving plants once a year, immediately after flowering.
📬 Ask Jessica
DEAR JESSICA: Is there a reputable company that sprays to deter deer on my property? They ate my hosta and tomato plants last year, and now I see five at once. Any advice would be much appreciated. — Lynda Romano, New York
DEAR LYNDA: Largely because of a lack of predators and a rise of residential developments in former natural habitats, the deer population in suburban and even some urban areas has been growing. Texas, Alabama, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Minnesota, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York and Wisconsin are all currently struggling with populations at or above a million. Even Maui is experiencing problems, with $1 million in annual damage reported to the island’s watersheds, crops and cattle forage.
Some odor- and taste-based repellents on the market work well to protect plants but must be reapplied every 3-4 weeks throughout the season and more often during rainy periods. I suspect the services you are seeking use similar products.
I have no personal experience with any companies that provide those services, so I cannot recommend one. Still, I can tell you that it’s best to alternate products so the deer don’t become accustomed to one because they’ll start ignoring it. If you hire a company to treat your garden, ensure they do this.
There are no guarantees, of course. Individual deer may respond better to certain products than to others.
Planting deer-resistent plants is another avenue, but unfortunately, those don’t include tomatoes or hostas.
Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a deer-proof plant because a starving deer — just like a starving Jessica — will eat just about anything, regardless of its preferences, so planting unsavory plants is the best you can do. Those include American holly (Ilex opaca), Bee Balm (Monarda), Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia), Catmint (Nepeta), Daffodil (Narcissus), Foxglove (Digitalis), Marigold (Tagetes), Pachysandra, Petunia, Sunflower (Helianthus) and Yucca (Yucca filamentosa).
For severe problems, installing a barrier may be the only effective solution. Since hungry deer will jump a 6-foot fence, you’ll need to install either a single 8-foot fence, a 6-foot fence that’s slanted outward at a 45-degree angle, or two 4-foot fences at least 3 feet tall about 4 feet apart; deer won’t be able to leap over both.
Good luck!
💡 If you do one thing this week…
Spend your tax refund at the nursery (kidding — well, not really. Do as you see fit. I won’t judge).
Also, scratch about a half-cup of Epsom salts into the soil around each rose bush to increase blooming.
👏 Sunday shoutout
Reader Linda Bravacos shot this stunning photo of a cherry tree at the former home of Congressman Thomas Stalker Butler in West Chester, Penn. It was part of the same shipment of cherry trees gifted to the city of Washington, DC, by Japan in 1912.
“I look forward to seeing these trees bloom every year, and this has been a particularly good year,” Bravacos writes. “Mother Nature gave them a chance to show off their full glory.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Japan’s gift of 3,020 cherry trees — and how some have been able to live way past their expected lifespan, you can read my recent AP column about the trees here.
📷 Send in your photo, and you could be featured next!
📰This week in my Associated Press gardening column
I write a weekly gardening column for the AP, so you might have seen my byline in your local paper (or news website) — wherever in the world you happen to be. In case you miss it, though, I’ll post the most recent here every week.
This week, I wrote about planting a wildflower meadow at home. They’re low-maintenance and drought-tolerant, provide food for birds, wildlife, pollinators and other insects, and they’re pretty!
Before that, I wrote about five free apps and phone features to help you identify plants, flowers, weeds, insects and diseases. I hope I didn’t write myself out of a job…
A week prior, cherry blossom trees in Washington, DC, and before that, the do’s and don’ts of spring cleanup, Bradford pear woes, and much more.
You can read all my AP gardening columns here.
📚📺🎵 📚📺🎵 📚📺🎵 📚📺🎵
Random things I enjoyed this week
I caught the Andrew Bird concert at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on Wednesday night, which was worth staying up way past my bedtime and the 3-hour roundtrip drive.
I watched both seasons of This Way Up on AppleTV this week and am really looking forward to the release of the third. Irish actress Aisling Bea is hilarious and entertaining as Aine, who I’d make friends with in a heartbeat if she weren’t fictional.
I’m also deeply invested in the fourth season of Succession on HBO, although the third episode hit me pretty hard.
This newsletter is member-supported
I’m a freelance writer who juggles various gigs to piece together a living. I spend hours every week writing The Weekly Dirt, answering your questions and sharing advice to help you achieve the garden of your dreams, so this, too, needs to be part of my livelihood. If you work for a paycheck, I’m sure you’ll agree.
I considered putting it behind a paywall and charging a subscription fee, but although I am reserving that as a last resort, I’d rather not go that route because I understand that not everyone can afford even a nominal fee, and I genuinely love helping people garden better.
When I discovered the Buy Me a Coffee platform, it seemed like the perfect solution: A voluntary, tip-as-you-go sort of system that keeps the newsletter free for everyone but provides the option to place the cost of a cup of coffee in my virtual tip jar every week — or as often as you are able and feel comfortable.
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This week’s newsletter was made possible by the generous support of Walter. Thank you so much!
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📧 How’m I doing?
I welcome your comments and suggestions, so please send them along — as well as any topics you’d like to see covered and questions you’d like answered in the Ask Jessica section.
How to grow blueberries
I love the update on how to plant blueberries, much great information. 🤗🤗🤗