FRUIT - Vegetable, Fruit and Herb Growing in Small Spaces - page 80

Although we want a moist-to-wet soil, we don't want them sitting in stagnant water so
some care is needed with drainage and the pot itself. Growing in an unglazed terracotta type
of pot will allow water to seep through the sides and evaporate. To counter this, line the pot
with polythene with holes punched through the base to allow some drainage.
Better still, use glazed pottery or plastic. The ideal containers are the plastic pots where a
water well is incorporated in the base. For a large container in a border, consider an old bath
sunk into the ground or even standing proud to astound the neighbours. Cover the plug hole
with broken pottery shards to stop the compost blocking the hole.
When planted up, mulch the top of the compost with a half inch (1cm) layer of fine gravel.
This will stop water evaporating from the top and any weeds that take can be spotted and
pulled easily.
Being acid loving plants, we need to use an ericaceous compost, which just means it is lime
free. A pH of 4.5 to 5.0 is ideal. It's the worst environment for vegetables but the right com-
post for blueberries, cranberries and other bog berries. Use a John Innes ericaceous compost
mixed with a quarter soil-less ericaceous compost by volume and add a generous quantity of
water retaining granules.
If you can, water ericaceous plants with rainwater rather than tap water that can push the
pH up. They don't need a lot of feeding, being adapted to a low nutrient environment, but if
they are looking a little weak, use half strength ericaceous feed.
After a few years, particularly if using tap water, check the pH level and if it has risen add
some sulphur chips to lower it again.
Blueberries are partially self-fertile. If you have just the one plant or two plants of the same
variety, they will flower well but the set will be poor and the number of berries low. Ideally
two plants of different varieties is the minimum.
Try to buy 2-3 year-old plants, usually in 1.5 or 2 litre pots and move on to 12 inch (30cm)
pots as a minimum. Larger pots will do better but you can get away with a 12 inch one for a
few years.
In late winter each year, remove one or two of the older stems to encourage new stems to
grow. Prune back the new shoots to a couple of buds from the tip and this will encourage the
development of side shoots.