Subject: Blueberries bushes as hedge

From: [email-masked] (Rick Spies)
Date: 15 Mar 1995 13:35:49 GMT

I am considering planting blueberry bushes along the back of my Western
Upstate NY suburban lot.  It's about 90 feet wide.

My intent is two-fold.  First, is to have a decorative hedge.  Second
is to have loads of luscious blueberries to eat.  In my mind, they are
equally weighted, though my wife is more interested in the decorative
aspect. <grin>

My intent is to use a rototiller and turn-up about a 2'x90' area about
12" deep, pulling out any rocks bigger than an inch or so, then till-in
loads of peat moss.  The soil is about 4-5" of topsoil then a clay
subsoil.  The area is the lowest part of my lot, so it tends to be just
a bit damp in the early spring and after summer thunderstorms.

I would like to put in two or three different varieties so I get
berries over a longer period of time (early/mid/late).  I'd expect to
plant them in an alternating pattern (E/M/L/E/M/L...) at about 30"-36"
intervals.  I am somewhat concerned about the appearance of 2 or 3
variety side-by-side in that they may never look reasonably uniform.

I've been eyeing several varieties from J.E. Miller's in Canandaigua,
NY.  They are only about 30 miles from my house and do a mail order
business too.  I'm particularly interested in varieties that can handle
our cold climate and need minimal care and minimal or no chemical
pesticides/fungicides, etc....  Yield is not very important to me.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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