After the success I had with my blueberries last year, I was hoping for similar results again this year. Unfortunately, the late frosts in May dashed any hopes of a bumper harvest. One of the bushes has no developing berries at all, and the other has only a few. As you can see, the blossom has completely shrivelled and died. All I can do is put it down to experience and remember next year to cover the bushes with fleece if a late frost is forcast again. I thought it was going to be the same with the strawberries as many of the flowers had a telltale black mark in the middle of them which is knows as black eye. These flowers will not set fruit, but luckily, the plants have produced many more flowers and it looks like I will get a bumper harvest from the strawberries at least.
I was thrilled to be given the Beautiful Blogger award by Scented Sweetpeas this week. Thank you very much, it's always good to know that people enjoy reading my blog. This is the second time this award has been given to me so I will spare you all reading another ten things about me. As it's always so difficult to choose a few of the many blogs I read to pass the award on to, I will nominate you all. If you would like to accept the award the rules are to display the award on your blog, list ten things about yourself, pass the award on to other blogs which you feel deserve it and leave a comment on their blog to let them know that you have given them the award.There hasn't been much gardening done here this week because of the weather. I was hoping that it was going to be fine as my son has had two field trips to go on with school, but no such luck, it's still raining. The weeds are calling out from my allotment so I'm hoping that it brightens up at the weekend so that I can go and do something about them.
Shame about the berries! It has been a strange year, probably just to ensure that my plans for next year are all wrong! That said, my artichokes are loving the dampness!
ReplyDeleteWe have four blueberries. Three seem to be setting fruit in various amounts but one has no fruit at all like yours. They were bought to flower at different times so one must have hit the frost!
ReplyDeleteOur earler strawberries were frosted at the flower stage but now things are looking up again. - They maybe rot in the rain instead!
Such a shame, all gardening seems like such a battle at times doesn't it? If it's not the weather then it's various sized pests!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure your strawberries will be delicious and make up in some way for the blueberries.
Su
Bummer! Sorry to hear about your blueberries, I haven't even got flowers on mine yet so not sure if we will get fruit for our first year. It has been so dry down the allotment not even the strawberries are showing many flowers :-( Hey ho there is always another year and luckily we have some strawberries plants at home showing fruit.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry you lost your blueberries this year. Gardening is a series of highs and disappointments, isn't it? But there's always next year!! Love, P x
ReplyDeleteI’m very sorry you will have a small blueberry harvest, but at least strawberries will grow enough fruit.
ReplyDeleteLast year I have lost my blueberry plants completely- they just died.
Congratulations on the award!
That's a shame Jo, I've got one very neglected blueberry in a pot somewhere, I must check how it's doing. We've loads of strawberries although I can't get anywhere near them, I was quite suprised at just how many Chloe can fit in her mouth at once!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure my blueberry bush is doing anything either...but this could be due to the fact that I never got around to getting a second one...something that will deinatley be rectified this year...though it could also be something to do with the frosts ..or the fire...because of the fire my fruit bushes are seriously lacking this year...oh well I guess there is always next year. Here's hoping we both get better weather for the weekend!!!
ReplyDeleteNow I'm worried my investment in 3 blueberries has been a waste. Flowers? They should have flowers?
ReplyDeleteI haven't got any blueberry bushes but I ate my first strawberry yesterday which was delicious and would have been even better had I left it another day or two! Like you it looks being like a bumper crop!
ReplyDeleteWell done on the award! Flighty xx
What a shame about the blueberries or rather the lack of them Jo and about the weather for your son's field trips. Must be the year of the strawberry though as I am in for a bumper crop too :)
ReplyDeleteIt has been a strange year, The Idiot Gardener. I think everything is much later than usual this year and many people have lost things because of the frost.
ReplyDeleteYou should still get a good harvest off the other three bushes, Green Lane Allotments. One of my bushes should give me a few berries, but not many by the look of it.
There will always be something which doesn't perform as it should, Su. I'm sure the strawberries are going to be delicious though.
I didn't get any blueberries off my bushes in their first year, Scented Sweetpeas, but they gave a bumper harvest in their second year so that's something to look forward to.
I think the promise of next year being better is what keeps us gardeners going, Pam. I'm sure the other things I'm growing will make up for the lack of blueberries.
Thank you, Vrtlarica. What a shame you lost your blueberries completely. I'm considering investing in another couple of bushes as we all like blueberries so much.
That's the beauty of blueberries, Damo, they tend to look after themselves. I've got a daughter just like Chloe, I'm lucky if I manage to taste my strawberries.
I think everything is doing brilliantly well after the fire, Tanya, so if you don't get much fruit this year, well at least the bushes managed to survive and they'll go on to produce next year.
If you see my post from the 26th April last year, Mal, it shows a picture of blueberry blossom. I didn't get any fruit in the first year, but there was loads in the second year.
Thanks, Flighty. It looks like everyone's having a good year with their strawberries. Mine aren't ripening yet though so you're ahead of me again.
As it happens, the weather was fine for my son's field trips, Anna. It was pouring down here but fine where he was, which wasn't that far away. It sounds like we're all in for plenty of strawberries this year.