Hi all,

Does anybody have either or both of these blueberries growing? What are your thoughts on these varieties, and especially if you have both, which do you like better? I am adding one blueberry bush this spring and these are my finalists. I already have Patriot and Spartan.

Bump.

Really? Nobody owns either of these varieties?
From what I can find, it sounds like Elizabeth is a little bigger and better berry, but I'm not sure about the yeild. If it is in the same class as Spartan but a little more hardy I would be super pleased. Probably am going to give the old girl a try, who knows..maybe I'll just get both but I really wanted to expand my vegetable garden a few feet. They are both varieties from the NJ area way back in the long ago, that's why I thought some of you East Coasters would have a varietal review to share.

Happy Sunday.

I have Bluecrop, Elliott, and Duke. They have done terible here. Even with being planted in peat and near constant applications of acid loving fertilizer, they just puttered along. What are you doing for yours?

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Hi Andy.

Before I planted my bushes I ran accross a video on-line from a fellow who found that if the ground was heavily mulched with pine bark and pine needles that blueberries grew alright for him in areas that they don't normally grow.
I sort of went OCD on my planting site and it worked out okay, I did this around 4 years ago so my numbers could be off a bit but it's generally close.
In a raised/terraced bed(~4'x10') which is bordered on the East side by a fence which runs N-S; I tested the soil and the pH was around 7.8-8.2 don't remember exactly. I tilled in the calculated amount of Espoma garden sulfur, 4-5 bushells of pine needles (Blue Spruce and Ponderosa), 1 large bale of peat from HD, most of a small bag of kelp meal, 1-2 bags of small pine bark mulch, and I'm sure a bunch of handfuls of whatever organic fertilizers I had extra of. When I planted my blueberries I dug out a fairly good hole(probably about 3 gallons) and back-filled with ~80/20 premoistened peat mixed with some of the amended soil I had dug out. After they were planted I mulched with about 3" of mixed large and small pine bark and another couple inches of shredded pine bark on top of that. I like the shredded bark because it doesn't seem to hold onto fall leaves and it doesn't blow away as bad with the leaf blower. Every year I scatter a few handfuls of something like Espoma or Happy frog acid loving plant food and spread a little more shredded bark where needed. If the leaves start to yellow a bit and I see some veins I sprinkle a handful or two of Espoma sulfur in the drip zone. I water with water from the rain barrel(pH around 6) unless I go out of town, then they are stuck with Denvers finest until I get back.
I think the fence helps block the dry wind and is crucial. I also try to heap snow on them before we get an extreme cold blast. Patriot is very hardy and last year the berries improved greatly over the 1st three years bearing. Last year I wrapped Spartan in burlap and a sheet and then put a box on it(vs just piling some snow) and it suffered a major dieback(~80%) and Patriot only suffered 10-20% being mostly exposed.

I don't get a ton of berries, but each year I get more. I think this should be yr 5 so I'm hoping for a real crop from Patriot, and I would be happy to get a qt. from Spartan seeing the set back.

Hope this helps

Thanks Calvin! That is very close to what I had been doing, except the rain water. Mine are getting the lawn irrigation, and it is killing them. The peat they are planted in had a ph of 7 last spring despite all the other measures.

For what it is worth, I had really good luck putting a tomato cage over them and wrapping that in coffee sacks (burlap) for winter protection.

I do have Elizabeth BB. It is kind of late variety. It has an odd way of growing not an upright one for sure. It sets many flower buds and needs adequate pruning.
It's taste is somehow different then the other around 20 varieties I grow. At first I didn't like it but as the years past by, today i find it one of my favorites.
You can see some pic. at my BB facefook page.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/%D0%90%D0%BC%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%B0-borovinkanet/193945120615971?sk=photos_stream&tab=photos_albums

Thank you Pen! Fabulous pictures, I really wish I knew what you were saying.

Let me say it this way. Elizabeth is much, much better than Patriot.:)

I'm sorry, I should have been more clear. I mean in your videos I wish I knew what you are saying, I feel like I gathered a ton of good knowledge just watching and learning but if I understood the language it would be multitudes better I'm sure.