When I'm an old woman, my dogs shall behave while I pick blueberries

Tasha Tudor picking blueberries with her Corgis

When I purchased the Russian sage at 30% off from Stoney Creek I noticed their blueberry plants were also on sale.  Both Pete and I agreed we wanted more blueberry plants and I began wondering if I could plant them this late and have them established before the cold weather.

As I looked to my Wisconsin gardening books for answers I bumped into Tasha Tudor's Garden, one of my mother's gardening books that I had never really looked at.  As I paged through the book of beautiful pictures of Tudor's rural Vermont garden I was struck by the wide variety of plants she was able to grow in the harsh climate.  When I came across the photograph of her picking blueberries I was convinced I needed to get those blueberries. I had visions of quiet mornings of blueberry gathering with the dogs, but I was dressed a little differently than Tasha Tudor in my vision.

My dogs, unlike Tudor's Corgis, do not believe in patiently watching others; they like to participate.

Maddie Jo looking for berries

Madie Jo eating berries

I decided to get the blueberry plants now and worry about training the dogs about picking etiquette later. I bought five Northcountry blueberry plants and planted them on a little hill near a few pine trees.

Future site of Blueberry Hill

Northcountry Blueberries
photo from University of Minnesota

This variety comes from the University of Minnesota and is known for being hardy in colder climates. I planted two Northcountry plants last summer and both made it through the winter just fine. The bushes grow to be between 18 and 24 inches high and will be 30 to 40 inches in diameter. They are self-compatible which means they don't need another type of blueberry for pollination - bees are the main pollenizer. The literature recommends removing flowers during the first two years to encourage growth and plant strength. They need one application of acid-producing fertilizer a year, preferably ammonium sulfate.

In a few years Blueberry Hill
will be just like this.

The berries are produced on one-year-old wood. The branches need to be strong to hold the fruit. If you prune too much the wood is weakened and the crop is reduced. The bush should be kept open by cutting out weak, older stems. Blueberries will overproduce if all the flowers are left to develop. The weak branches that have a lot of flowers and few leaves should be removed. A good balance between berry production and growth of new shoots is key.

In a couple of years our plants should be producing medium sized berries with a mild sweet flavor. If the meantime, there are loads of wild blueberries to be picked if I can get them before the deer, birds and Weimaraners.

Tasha Tudor's Blueberry Coffee Cake

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sale

2 cups blueberries

Topping

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup pecans

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease and flour a 9 x 9 inch square baking pan.
3. In a mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and the shortening. Stir in the egg, and then the milk. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix quickly. Then carefully fold in the blueberries.
4. Spread the batter in the pan. Combine all of the topping ingredients and sprinkle over batter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

Blueberry picking is hard work!