blueberries

I had in my mind that our fruit bed would last forever. Five years on and I was wrong.

Since our Ontario holiday in 2006, we have been trying to grow blueberries and planted two bushes - but they failed to thrive. Little growth and no fruit tells its own story.

After five years, our summer raspberries too were looking tired. So, with the allotment looking tidy, it was time to sort the fruit bed.

Yesterday we dug out the blueberries and forked over the ground to remove perennial weeds. Couch grass, in particular, had taken a hold. Then we dug out the raspberries and saved some strong young stems for replanting.

The blueberries have come home and we'll try them in ericaeous compost in containers on the patio. They like acid conditions and my drip watering system should keep them moist throughout the summer.

I will hand paint a sign sayng 'Do not peck the berries' to the hens.