Hi Ryan,
I bought a used Mist-a-Matic,which does fairly well.
Another way,is my copy of this guy’s setup.I used a clear plastic tub,which had a solid colored top.That was discarded and a wood frame,with greenhouse plastic scrap,was stapled to it.The water container is a kitty litter box.The main container can be deeper and that might be better.Holes were drilled in the bottom.
Here’s a thread and the video.
Hi Ryan,
I bought a used Mist-a-Matic,which does fairly well.
Another way,is my copy of this guy’s setup.I used a clear plastic tub,which had a solid colored top.That was discarded and a wood frame,with greenhouse plastic scrap,was stapled to it.The water container is a kitty litter box.The main container can be deeper and that might be better.Holes were drilled in the bottom.
Here’s a thread and the video.
This post was meant for disc4tw in a PM and was inadvertently placed here also.Please excuse.
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@Drew51 was giving me some advice on the best berry varieties to try and pointed me to this thread.
I’ve been trying to find places in CA or places that ship to CA for this variety and for SpringHigh and so far am finding nothing that seems real/reasonable.
If anyone has any advice on where to get these in CA, I’d really appreciate it.
The varieties seem amazing @fruitnut !!
This is what I have right now:
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One of our locals really wants to grow Sweet crisp. He has tons of space. Can someone recommend a reliable vendor for Sweet crisp ?
Berriesunlimited.com has the biggest plants so far. Even though they say 12cm, the blueberries I’ve bought from them ended up being about 1-2 ft tall and all seemingly at least 2-3 year plants. Everyone else has sent me saplings.
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I ordered it from Sow Exotic. I’ve been warned it’s small, but it’s also not that expensive. And, I like supporting places that don’t use plastic pots.
I grew Rabbiteye blueberries for about six years (Brightwell, Powderblue, Ochlokonee, Baldwin, Centurion and Tifblue). However, after trying Northern Highbush blueberries, I removed every single Rabbiteye and replaced them with Northern Highbushes (Duke, Spartan, Blueray, Bluecrop, Toro, Patriot, and Darrow).
I used this chart from Oregon Sate to know the order of ripening:
Here in North GA, the date is accelerated by about one month (That is, they ripen approximately one month sooner than the chart).
One of the best sources of information for every type (Rabbiteyes, Southern Highbush, and Northern Highbush Blueberry Cultivars):
And, another good source but mainly for Rabbiteyes:
Here’s my reasoning for removing every Rabbiteye.
1.) The mid and late season ripening Rabbiteyes still bloomed too early and the late frosts “burned” the blooms and therefore affected the overall resulting fruit quality. Whereas, the Northern Highbush bloom later but ripen earlier.
2.) The best tasting Rabbiteye (in my opinion) was Powderblue, yet at best they were just good. Whereas, the N.H. specifically Spartan and Blueray taste amazing - (seriously, wow! - Very Delicious). And, Spartan and Blueray are much larger.
3.) The texture of the Rabbiteyes is gritty/seedy - Especially, Baldwin.
4.) Because they are much later ripening, the Rabbiteyes are impacted by the very high later summer heat and every pest.
The only upside that I did notice, about the Rabbiteyes, is that they are strong healthy plants that can take more “abuse” than the Northern Highbushes.
For example, my favorite N.H. is Spartan, but it is very vulnerable to “wet feet”. I planted mine in raised beds and 100gallon cloth pots to resolve this issue. Note: it is also easier to maintain PH (4.5-5.0) in pots.
I will try to add photos this growing season to do a fruit size and color comparison.
Lastly, for anyone looking for a great nursery that sells N.H and S.H, I highly recommend One Green World.
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I haven’t tried the northern highbush. They take way too much chilling for my conditions.
I grow or have grown some of the Northern Highbush mentioned and presently Legacy.To me,Legacy’s is good,not great,with Blueray and Spartan surpassing it,especially the latter.
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Thanks, for the information on Legacy. It really helps to have a comparison to ones that I have and know. So, I’m glad knowing that it is not better than Spartan and Blueray.
I tried growing it, but when Legacy bloomed earlier than my rabbiteyes (about 7 days earlier), I immediately gave them away to a friend in a warmer zone.
Northern Highbush are the best in my experience here.
Spartan and Blueray are my best tasting.
Spartan (#1 flavor) but is vulnerable to “wet feet”.
Blueray (close second in terms of flavor) and it is my second best grower. However, it is my top choice if considering all aspects - flavor, disease resistance, firmness, texture, and overall performance.
Toro is on the softer side compared to the rest, but the flavor is very good (probably third in line in terms of flavor).
Bluecrop, is my healthiest grower but the flavor is just okay. I keep for cross-pollination.
Patriot is more tart compared to the rest, but I enjoy it still. (Wait till berries are fully ripe to mellow the acidity.)
(Duke and Darrow are too young to judge just yet).
Taste is subjective and Arlen Draper,the developer of many varieties,said he really liked Legacy.So,only my opinion.
Duke is/was the most popular retail planted Blueberry and my first.I didn’t see the reason for the appeal.
Darrow may be the only one,that I could probably identify by taste.Very unique and good flavor.
I grew my fav Blueray and pollinated it with Bluecrop (meh taste) 40 years ago. Is there a better tasting sub for Bluecrop that doesn’t have Spartan’s problems?
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Toro is a very good choice for cross-pollination with Blueray. Their respective bloom time mostly overlap.
If planting several, I would still keep one or two Bluecrop because they grow so well.
I make morning fruits&greens mixed smoothies year round for breakfast.
So, I freeze the mediocre flavored ones and focus on fresh eating the better flavored ones. When in mixed smoothies, I can’t tell the difference.
Also, I would recommend trying one or two Spartans despite the ‘wet feet’ issue since they bloom with the mids while ripening with the earlys. This way you have an extended grow schedule.
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