Fruit Trees

**huntinghagen#12** · 05-18-2023, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by WNM

I have blueberries, blackberries and pawpaws that are maintenance and issue free. I have pears, apples, and plums that are prone to disease, frost issues, and bugs. I have a handful of lemons and limes, but they can't take frost and don't like temps under 40. They're a hassle and a $5 bag of lemons from the grocery store is more than you'll get every year, but they're kind of neat.
Unless you're willing to move citrus in and out a garage, your only citrus option is what Stan McKenzie recommends.

How do those blueberries hold up to the cold? Same for blackberries?

We planted some blueberries in a bigger pot. I can probably move it in and out in the winter when it gets below freezing, but I'd rather just leave it where it is.

**DRDUCK** · 05-18-2023, 09:08 PM

What he said and HOW you keep the deer, squirrel's, etc off them?

**theoldblackdog** · 05-19-2023, 05:24 AM

Originally Posted by huntinghagen#12

How do those blueberries hold up to the cold? Same for blackberries?

We planted some blueberries in a bigger pot. I can probably move it in and out in the winter when it gets below freezing, but I'd rather just leave it where it is.

House we just moved in at Camden has about 5 blueberry bushes planted outside. A few of them are big and a couple are small. The big ones have a ton of blueberries on them, but the little ones not so much. We only covered them once or twice with those late freezes when blooms had already started. It doesn’t get near as cold down here as up there but that’s our experience. Biggest problem is my lab keeps ripping out one of the smaller bushes, rootball and all. Doesn’t chew it up just rips it out and drags it to the yard

**WNM** · 05-21-2023, 10:04 AM

I didn't even cover my blooming blueberries this year on the late frost nights, and they are loaded. All in ground. Deer were hard on new growth on some of them, but no issues once established. We try to pick before work in the morning and don't lose too many to birds. I shoot squirrels as I see them near the garden but have never noticed them getting the berries.

I didn't plant all of them, but whoever owned our place years ago planted 4-5 different blueberry varieties. Good for a prolonged harvest vs coming in all at once, and good for a frost that might get some open blooms on one variety but the others are ahead or behind.

Blackberries don't flower until well past any chance of frost for me. No winter kill on the plants themselves or anything like that.