Blueberries in So. Calif coastal

 My nursery (Armstrong) advertises 2 blueberry varieties that (I
assume) can be grown in this mild Mediterranean climate:   Sunshine
and Bountiful Blue.  $29.99 for 2 gal.  Some advertised to bear next
summer.

I am a card-carrying blueberry freak, so my interest was piqued.
However, it's asking a lot to wait 'n' years for berries that might
not be to my taste.

It has taken decades for mild-weather varieties to emerge upon the
scene.  What's available at Trader Joe and  Co-Op is generally from
Oregon or Vancouver -- neither of which is exactly mild weather.

So, throwing myself on the mercy of this NG:  Does anyone have a clue
how these two varieties taste?

TIA

Persephone

 On 11/13/10 12:58 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:

Blueberries are now an important commercial crop in Ventura County, most
of which has a mild-winter climate.  You might inquire at the county's
agricultural commissioner
<http://portal.countyofventura.org/portal/page/portal/AgCommissioner>  to
find out when they are in season and which certified farmers markets
have them.

--
David E. Ross
Climate:  California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at <http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary>

 

 I live 1 mile from the pinelands.

http://www.pineypower.com/blueberries.htm

--
Bill  S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/

 
'Sunshine Blue' is probably the most popular blueberry variety we
carry at the nursery. In addition to being a smallish, compact plant,
it is evergreen and produces prodigious crops even at an early age.
Good for container culture.  Do the berries taste as good as those
grown for commercial purposes? That's pretty much a subjective
evaluation but they ARE tasty.

FWIW, any of the Southern highbush or rabbit-eye varieities should do
well in SoCal. They tend to have lower chill requirements than other
cultivars and do well in warmer, milder winter climates.
http://www.fallcreeknursery.com/Nursery/VarietyChart/SouthernHighbush.htm

The hardest part of growing blueberries in SoCal is not the weather
but soil conditions. A tendency towards alkaline soils and irrigation
water poses challenges for successful growing of acid lovers like
blueberries. You will need to amend soils carefully to achieve proper
growing conditions or grow in containers.

 On Sun, 14 Nov 2010 10:06:50 -0800 (PST), gardengal


gardenhttp://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplements/-  Hide
quoted text -

Actually the most difficult thing about growing blueberries are birds.