In midsummer, blueberries from your own garden are not only suitable as a sweet fruit treat for in between meals, but also as a vitamin-rich and natural ingredient for jams, cakes and juices.

The special aroma of forest blueberries

The forest blueberries, which are mostly found in sparse moor forests and on low mountain slopes in this country, attract walkers from around the beginning of July with their dark blue colored berries. These are a bit more aromatic than the cultivated blueberries that are usually offered in the trade, but not quite as large and juicy as these. Due to the natural coloring, blueberries collected in the forest can be used perfectly for the natural coloring of the following foods:

  • jam
  • ice cream
  • cake batter

However, forest blueberries are only suitable to a limited extent for cultivation in your own garden, and they only yield a few berries per plant.

Cultivated blueberries as a high-yield alternative to forest blueberries

Botanically, the cultivated blueberries grown from North American original varieties are only slightly related to the forest blueberries native to this country. They also differed in the size of the fruit and the white flesh inside. Nevertheless, they are an attractive alternative to wild-picked blueberries and are also enjoying growing popularity in many private gardens. In the meantime there are usually up to 30 different varieties in specialist shops, which have different ripening times and gradations in fruit size and colour. What they all have in common, however, is the fact that fully ripe and still unripe blueberries are usually hanging on a branch at the same time. If, despite this natural extension of the harvest time, there are too many fruits for fresh consumption, they can easily be preserved by freezing or boiling.

The best varieties for growing in the garden

The varieties that are particularly popular on blueberry plantations and in private gardens include:

  • Bluecrop
  • pilot
  • Duke
  • Hardyblue
  • Darrow

In addition, there are also varieties such as Vaccinium Earlyblue, which develop their juicy fruits particularly early. The Northland blueberry variety is particularly suitable for cultivation in pots on the balcony or terrace.

tips and tricks

Easily extend the harvest time of your blueberries in the garden by mixing up early, mid-early and late-ripening varieties.

WK

Category:

Vegetable garden