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Yes, but what about raising the bed?
The time to plant blueberries here is any time in the next month, although a little later is probably okay, too.
It doesn't need to be much higher, or I suppose it might be simpler to just try to dig deeper through the rocks and clay. I'll try that again first.
It sounds like you are in the inland south, judging by planting time and clay soils, probably not much different than the ones I have here in eastern TN. You won't need to do a lot of mounding to make for improved drainage but it will help with making the soil easier for the blueberries to set root.
There's a NC extension publication that has pretty helpful information on how to go about adding the amendments and judging drainage requirements that might be more specifically helpful to you: Growing Blueberries in the Home Garden
Thanks. I didn't realize I don't have my location on my posts. We're in the Pacific Northwest. I've grown blueberries successfully in Southern California and in North Carolina. If I'd stop moving, I could just keep enjoying what I've already done. My question was more about the best way to increase the depth.
In NC I planted rabbiteyes (tifblue, powder blue, climax, and premier) and southern highbush (O'Neil and Legacy). All the rabbiteyes thrived and were very productive, but tifblue and powder blue were my favorites. O'Neil produced good berries, but because the plant takes longer to grow, and because they were ready before the rabbiteyes, the birds usually got them before I did. Legacy barely grew in the four years I had it. I also planted some bushes ("trees," they called them in NC) of an unknown variety that produced later in the season and had small berries.
Here I will plant northern highbush (probably spartan, patriot, bluecrop, lateblue, and maybe another). But first, I have some digging to do. If I need to mound, a few inches should do it.
The mounds that are already in the yard have some sort of fabric under the rocks that cover them. I assumed it was to keep weeds down, but maybe that fabric is keeping the dirt on the mound. I don't think that will work with blueberries because of the shallow roots. (And I'm not "mulching" with rocks.)
Do you think the mound would wash away because of the rain in the PNW? I apologize, but I live on the opposite side of the country, so I'm a little confused. I've had luck over here, even with rainy weather, by simply putting a couple of inches of bark mulch on top of the dirt.
The topsoil compacted a bit, but the mulch seemed to do a pretty good job of keeping it in place.
Thanks. I didn't realize I don't have my location on my posts. We're in the Pacific Northwest. I've grown blueberries successfully in Southern California and in North Carolina. If I'd stop moving, I could just keep enjoying what I've already done. My question was more about the best way to increase the depth.
In NC I planted rabbiteyes (tifblue, powder blue, climax, and premier) and southern highbush (O'Neil and Legacy). All the rabbiteyes thrived and were very productive, but tifblue and powder blue were my favorites. O'Neil produced good berries, but because the plant takes longer to grow, and because they were ready before the rabbiteyes, the birds usually got them before I did. Legacy barely grew in the four years I had it. I also planted some bushes ("trees," they called them in NC) of an unknown variety that produced later in the season and had small berries.
Here I will plant northern highbush (probably spartan, patriot, bluecrop, lateblue, and maybe another). But first, I have some digging to do. If I need to mound, a few inches should do it.
The mounds that are already in the yard have some sort of fabric under the rocks that cover them. I assumed it was to keep weeds down, but maybe that fabric is keeping the dirt on the mound. I don't think that will work with blueberries because of the shallow roots. (And I'm not "mulching" with rocks.)
OK that means you have had the experience and know what to look for in blueberry plants and what survives different conditions. It was a guess based on your soil description and timing.
Sometimes people will put down landscape fabric and then mound dirt on top for growing under the mistaken idea that it will keep weeds away and that the water will drain away perfectly when neither is quite true. I don't know enough about the soil conditions where you live to be able to give more exact advice. You may be on the rainy side of of the mountains or the dry which will also make a difference in what is workable and what you might have to do to keep moisture and nutrients available to the roots. It might be a good idea to get some help at the local extension office as to what your actual soil type is and what the recommendations are locally. Sometimes clay soils, rocky soils and other combined problem soils can be amended with compost, humus, mushroom compost and manure to make them workable and easier on the roots of what we plant and sometimes the soil is not just workable and mounding is a necessity. At the moment I am at a loss for reasons you would want to use landscape fabric to keep the soil in place but there may just be one.
In either case if you stay with mounding, compost or more finely shredded mulches will actually bind better and wash away less. I have much of my gardens on slopes and have almost no runoff from a fine sized mulch.
At the moment I am at a loss for reasons you would want to use landscape fabric to keep the soil in place but there may just be one.
In either case if you stay with mounding, compost or more finely shredded mulches will actually bind better and wash away less. I have much of my gardens on slopes and have almost no runoff from a fine sized mulch.
I've never used landscape fabric and don't want to, but whoever lived here before sure liked it. Thanks for the information about the mulch.
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