Blueberries In Existing Orchard

Blueberries are among those plants that do not easily blend into a mixed orchard like ours. Their soil needs are quite different from most fruit trees. While apples plums pears and many others thrive in slightly acidic soil blueberries prefer a far more acidic environment. In some cases they perform best at a pH as low as 4.5 to 5. This difference alone makes them challenging companions in a diverse food forest.

Growing blueberries in containers is often suggested as a solution. In theory it works. In practice it demands large volumes of suitable growing medium. In my orchard fertile soil is limited. Much of the land is heavy clay and in places little more than rock. Filling large planters with purchased soil did not feel sensible or sustainable. Also, growing in containers requires a strict watering schedule which is hard to ensure in a place like ours.

Instead I chose to work with the land itself. I dug large planting pits in a sunny part of the orchard where the surrounding fruit trees are still young. Most of these trees are apples and plums planted about two years ago. To contain the contrasting soil of blueberries, I lined the sides of these pits with old untreated wooden boards. The result is a kind of buried ‘partial’ planter. The base is left open to allow natural drainage while the sides slow down soil mixing during the early years, while the boards hold up. Later these boards themselves will become part of the soil.

The blueberry plants that I bought, were in small pots. I reused the excavated soil from the planting hole and amended it lightly with pine needles and a small quantity of gypsum. To this I mixed the soil from the pots in which these plants had arrived. No fertilisers of any kind were added. Blueberries are sensitive plants and excessive feeding (especially chemical based) often does more harm than good, especially immediately after planting. Each cuboidal pit was roughly one foot deep and about two feet in length and breadth. The wooden planks were thin old boards with no chemical treatment so that they can slowly decompose without contaminating the soil.

Blueberries will remain much shorter than the surrounding fruit trees. I have often read that they make good neighbours but poor roommates. They can grow near other trees but struggle when forced to share the same soil conditions. These hidden in ground planters offer a degree of separation at least in the initial years. As the orchard matures the deeper roots of the apples and plums will draw minerals from wider and lower soil zones while the blueberries continue to feed closer to the surface within their acidic pocket.

Blueberries lack the commonly found root hairs as in various other plants, and so are quite finicky about the nutrients being available in close vicinity. I plan to focus on good mulch upto their drip lines, with occasional addition of sulphur and magnesium. (Though care will be required since sulphur can kill my precious fungal networks in the soil). Old folks who have been growing Blueberries for decades now also recommend tossing in a few rusted nails. The idea is to make iron available in case the soil is not acidic enough or iron is lacking.

To complete the system I plan to spread strawberries around the blueberry beds. Tomorrow, I have been invited to a lunch at one of my neighbours (Yes, I do visit people at times), so, day after tomorrow, I plan to transplant some strawberries from another patch to this area, and mulch a bit more with pine needles. Strawberries also enjoy slightly acidic soil and make an excellent living ground cover. They protect the soil reduce evaporation and add another productive layer to the food forest. Over time this small guild should settle into a balanced relationship each plant occupying its own niche without forcing compromise on the others.

Growing blueberries in an orchard like this is not the easiest path. But thoughtful design patience and a willingness to adapt make it possible to honour the needs of each plant while still moving towards a resilient and diverse landscape. I will write more about blueberries once I see how they turn out. Keeping my fingers crossed till then.

Click here for all related posts – Browse my blog on slow and sustainable living !