It depends on who you're looking to buy from.

Many of the people there now don't grow their own but buy overstocks from places. Patnodes/shumacher/and Vangs all do that.

Your best bet is to go to the middle isle (300's I think) and about in the middle of that row there is a seller that does grow their own. I know their strawberries and raspberries are excellent... as of last week ;)

The best blueberries would be found at the Duluth market though. The peat ground up north is perfect for wild blueberries and in my personal opinion is worth the extra effort. Nice road trip idea too.

HTH

I grow my own. North Country is the variety. They have been winter hardy for about 10 years now. Wild bue berries are great but to get them there are such problmes as Posion ivy, 90 degree temperatures, mosquitos, etc.

Hmmm...let me re-phrase.

Do you think blueberries grown in the U-pick fields of MN are any different from blueberries shipped in from other states? In what ways?

Approximately how long would it take 1 inexperienced person to pick 12 pints of blueberries at aforementioned u-pick fields?

TIA

I would say yes. Just mainly due to the fact that many blueberries shipped in from other states don't really have the right climate for them. Hence genetic modifications that make them tolerant to other climates. Also they tend to pick just before fully ripe and the berries aren't as sweet or flavorful. I think if you're going to pay that kind of money for blueberries they darn well better taste like a blueberry.

I've managed to pick many pints of blueberries at some pick your own places here in the north metro. Just this june I was running close to closing time and managed to pick 20# of strawberries in 15min. Blueberries add up slower but are easier to pick.

All this makes me hungry for some strawberry shortcake... mmmmm....

Posie, I believe that what I planted this spring is also the North Country blueberry. I planted 2 bushes.

But, I am in southern MN and I have concern for my soil quality, blueberry-wise. When I planted I mixed LOTS of peat into the holes and I mixed in some pine needles and coffee grounds into my surface soil, with more needles as mulch on top.

Now I am wondering if I should mix in more peat out farther anticipating the spread of the roots beyond the hole I planted the bushes in. Do you think the roots would be spread out too far already by this fall to dig a generous amount of peat in about a foot away from my original hole? I understand that blueberries have very surface roots and care has to be taken not to disturb the roots.

I am determined to grow some happy blueberries but I'm just not sure how to proceed from this point on. I dump all my coffee grounds there trying to acidify that area. Do you have any other suggestions? Thanks a lot. So far my bushes do look happy. Carmellia

carmellia, you might find these online publications helpful...

very basic primer: http://www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/plants/BG508.html

Blueberries for Home Landscapes: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG3463.html

Blueberries need a pH of 4.0-5.0. You won't know if you've hit that unless you have the soil tested. BTW, testing of coffee grounds does not show much acidity, the article above discusses effective methods to lower the soil's pH. HTH

From today's Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com/418/story/571522.html:

Q I've heard that it's a good idea to put used coffee grounds around acid-loving plants, but how do I know which plants like acidic conditions?

A Most plants grow well in soils with pH levels between 5.5 and 7.0 (A soil pH of 7.0 is neutral, under 7.0 is acidic, above that is alkaline.) However, a few plants need very acidic soil.

Azaleas, rhododendrons and blueberries grow best in soils with a pH of 4.5 to 5.5. Summersweet, winterberry and bearberry also prefer acidic soils, though they'll tolerate higher pH levels.

In soils with higher pH levels, these plants can't take up iron from the soil, which results in chlorosis. (The leaves turn yellow while the leaf veins remain green.)

Coffee grounds are a good source of organic matter, but spreading them around plants won't do much to lower the soil pH. Instead, add them to your compost pile and use the finished compost as a nutrient-rich mulch for all of your plants.

The best way to lower soil pH is by adding elemental sulfur at the recommended rate. Sulfur should be incorporated into the soil several months before you plan to plant acid-loving shrubs. If you've already planted, you can still add the sulfur and work it into the soil surface, but it will take several months for the soil pH to drop.

But before you treat your soil, have it tested to measure the pH level. The University of Minnesota Soil Testing Lab offers a basic soil test for $15. Go to soiltest.coafes.umn.edu.

Nancy Rose is a horticulturist with the University of Minnesota Extension Service. To ask her a gardening question, call 612-673-9073 and leave a message. She will answer questions in this column only.