Yes, you can grow blueberries in your Los Angeles garden.
I've been growing blueberries for 5 years now (OK, 6 years, but the first plants died since I didn't know what I was doing:o((
My first blueberry harvest of 2010
There is nothing more delicious than freshly picked blueberries that you grow in your own garden. I grow my blueberries in recycled half barrels available at most big box home improvement stores.
Growing blueberries in my Los Angeles garden in half barrels. The net is to keep out the mocking birds who are blueberry gluttons.
This photo is from the Los Angeles Arboretum Garden Show and shows blueberries being grown in galvenized trash cans. Clever!
Blueberries are easy to grow if you follow these steps:
- Choose the right plants for your climate. I grow Southern Highbush variety blueberries in my Pasadena garden, which are suited for areas with warmer climates and less winter chilling hours like most of Southern California.
- Plant blueberries in acidic well drained soil. If you don't live in an area that has naturally acidic soil you may have better luck planting them in large containers filled with planting soil for acidic plants like azaleas & camellias. I use an organic mix from Armstrong Nursery.
- Make sure they get plenty of sun.
- Make sure they are watered regularly.
- Fertilize with organic fertilizer. I throw organic coffee grounds in the planters a couple times per week. That's the only fertilizer I use and it has worked great so far. Regular coffee grounds would probably work fine, too.
- Protect the plants from birds. One hungry bird can denude a loaded blueberry plant in an hour!
I have never had a need to spray my plants and haven't had any problems with insects or other pests (other than the birds and my neighbor's kids:o)
I have 3 blueberry plants that keep my husband and I in fresh blueberries for a few weeks each year. I was hoping to have enough blueberries to share with the neighbors this year, but a late frost knocked the buds off one of the plants, so my harvest has been cut by 1/3.
After this growning season, we are going to move the plants to a sunnier spot and maybe add another plant or two. After all, you can never have too many fresh blueberries to eat or share!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2010 RESA Professional Stager of the Year
Michelle Minch, owner of Moving Mountains Design, is one of the most successful home stagers in Los Angeles, CA.
Michelle measures her success by the speed in which her staged homes sell, often with multiple offers above listing price. She works with home sellers, listing agents and asset managers to prepare homes for sale.
Some of Moving Mountains Design's services include vacant home staging, occupied home staging, color consultations, corporate and executive relocations, move organization, redesign, and interior design. We also stage model homes, REOs,foreclosures and auction properties.
For more information about our home staging services, contact Los Angeles home stager, Michelle Minch (626)441-8975 or by email.
Click here to see our Los Angeles home staging portfolio
Click here to go to our Los Angeles home staging blog
Click here for more information about home staging in Los Angeles and how we can help sell your home faster and for the best price
