I mentioned wanting to grow blueberries to a friend and she told me the birds would keep me from having a good crop. So, we talked about building a screened shelter over the blueberry bushes. She felt that would keep the birds out, but now I wonder about bees. Do blueberries need bees? If they do, I can use 1/2 inch fencing instead of screen, which would also cut down on the sun filtering.
Also wonder - do they grow well in zone 5 and what kind of soil do they need?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Yes, you can grow some blueberry varieties in Zone 5. Test your soil as the pH must be less than 5.0. If you go to a local nursery or look online, you will find varieties for your zone. Suggestions for Zone 5 are: Earliblue, Duke, Blueray, Patriot, Berkeley, Bluecrop, Herbert, Darrow, Jersey, Coville, Lateblue, and Elliott. Blueberries can self-pollinate. For best pollination, however, plant two different cultivars which have overlapping bloom time (i.e., not very early and very late varieties). A midseason variety such as Bluecrop should overlap with most varieties.
