Our farm has one of the oldest plantings of highbush blueberries in the state of Oregon. The bushes are between 25 and 30 years old and were planted by the previous owners of the property, the Parsons family. The Parsons propagated all the plants themselves and planted out over 17 acres. When we took over the farm in late 2011, there were a total of three varieties -- Berkeley, Earliblue and Bluecrop. Unfortunately, the farm had been neglected for a few years and the blueberry fields were completely overrun with invasive Himalayan blackberries and all manner of other weeds. In addition, the Berkeley plants were not doing well due to the wetter spring weather we've been experiencing in the past few years. They were particularly susceptible to the mummy berry fungus which resulted in over 90% of the crop being destroyed!
During 2012 and early 2013, we decided to remove all the Berkeley plants. We now have approximately 9 acres of blueberries under cultivation with about 3 acres of Earliblue and 6 acres of Bluecrop. The berries are mouth-watering, owing in part to our avoidance of chemical pesticides and fertilizers since early 2011. We have been working hard to restore the health of the plants and the soil by adding Biodynamic preparations and mulching. Hand-removal of blackberries takes a huge amount of time and effort but we are hoping that over a two to three year period, we will be able to get things under control. In addition, we continue to perform pretty drastic restoration pruning on a multi-year cycle.
We choose not to over-water the bushes in the summer because we favor flavor over weight. The berries are delectable -- we invite you to come and try them yourself!
During 2012 and early 2013, we decided to remove all the Berkeley plants. We now have approximately 9 acres of blueberries under cultivation with about 3 acres of Earliblue and 6 acres of Bluecrop. The berries are mouth-watering, owing in part to our avoidance of chemical pesticides and fertilizers since early 2011. We have been working hard to restore the health of the plants and the soil by adding Biodynamic preparations and mulching. Hand-removal of blackberries takes a huge amount of time and effort but we are hoping that over a two to three year period, we will be able to get things under control. In addition, we continue to perform pretty drastic restoration pruning on a multi-year cycle.
We choose not to over-water the bushes in the summer because we favor flavor over weight. The berries are delectable -- we invite you to come and try them yourself!
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