Blueberries are awesome! I love blueberries and I eat them every day! How about you? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. Blueberries are loaded with healthy nutrients and antioxidants.
They contain high amounts of many beneficial compounds for helping to fight against cancer. And, some experts think that the most important thing is that they contain anthocyanin antioxidants – which help to give foods blue, purple and red colors. The many anthocyanin compounds in blueberries include: malvidins, delphinidins, pelargonidins, cyanidins, and peonidins. If you want to get the most nutrients out of blueberries, you should always go organic. Some foods show small differences in nutritional profiles when comparing organic vs. non-organic items. But, this is not the case with blueberries.
This is why you should always go with organic berries. Besides the anthocyanin antioxidants, blueberries also contain: caffeic acids, ferulic acids, coumaric acids, hydroxybenzoic acids, gallic acids, procatchuic acids, kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin and other phytonutrients.
Blueberries can provide the following health benefits:
- Blueberries are loaded with healthy nutrients, but low in calories;
- Contain extremely powerful antioxidant properties;
- Blueberries can protect you from DNA damage, slow down the aging process and protect you from cancer;
- Protect cholesterol from being damaged;
- Blueberries will also help you regulate your high blood pressure;
- Protect from cardiovascular diseases;
- Boost your brain function and memory;
- Blueberries can lower the risk of diabetes;
- Treat urinary tract infections
- Relieve muscle damage caused by arduous
Planting Spot and Soil Conditions
First of all, you should know that the best planting seasons for blueberry bushes are fall and spring. Also, the choice of spot and soil is of crucial importance for growing blueberries. Well yes, and make sure you plant your blueberry bush in a sunny area and provide an appropriate drainage. The soil should be well worked and without any weed. Moreover, you should provide enough water and the pH level should be between 4 and 5.
Planting Process
Here’s what you need to do – first of all, you should know that the best diameter for planting blueberries is 2.5 feet since they need enough space, and the preferable depth should be 1 foot. It’s very simple – just make a hole and take out half of the soil, add an equal amount of peat moss, but moisten it previously. And, at the end, mix the content well. And, you need to remember these 2 things:
If you are planting more than one bush, make sure they are separated by at least 2 feet, or make sure that each bush has 6 feet space around it. But, place them 8-10 feet apart if you plant them in a row.
If you are using baby bushes make sure that you pull them out very carefully and rough up the cortical layer of its root. Then, add ½ inch planting soil, thicken it around the root, and add the rest. Also, note that it is very important to water the plant frequently.
Mulching
Here’s what you need to do – moist the shallow roots of blueberry bushes. The best choice for this purpose is sawdust, rind mulch, acid tripe, or grass clippings. So, you should add 2 – 4 inch layer of any of these and make sure that the material is organic. Repeat the procedure once a year (cedar and redwood tree sawdust should not be used for this purpose).
Pruning
You can prune the blueberry plants once a year (in late winter before their growth begins). This is very important for you to remember – you need to trim any existing flowers on the bush. This process will help your blueberry plant to be healthy and strong and will provide enough strength to the bush to bear the fruits. And, what is most important, the fruits will become bigger.
In order to provide proper pruning, make sure that you eliminate any growths from the lowest part of the bush, remove dead woods, trim discolored and small branches, and remove half of the wood. You should always use blood meal or cottonseed for fertilization and avoid manures because they can damage the blueberry bush.
Harvest and Storage
First of all, you should know that the blueberries harvesting period is around July – August. But, do not hurry to pick them right after they become blue, but wait for a few days to ripen fully. Also, do not pick all the fruits at the same time since all berries do not ripen at the same time.
Eat the blueberries fresh, or store them. And, we all know that the best way to have blueberries all winter long is to freeze and store them in the fridge. We really hope you enjoy this article and don’t forget to share it with your friends and family. Thank You and have a good day.
