From the second week of July to mid August our patch of 100 blueberry bushes calls forth the birds, the Japanese Beetles, the deer, and (don't tell my daughter) maybe even a black bear this year. My husband, myself, and a few dedicated visitors diligently pick berries almost every day. We get all we need, so I guess it's okay to share with the animal kingdom. Some days we can pick up to 10 quarts of berries; other days we only get 2 or 3 quarts. I sell the organic berries off a little red cart in my front yard using the "honor" system. It seems to work fine. Whenever there are berries left at the end of the day, I pop them into the freezer for my winter stash. This year I had several quarts of 2009 berries left over in the freezer, so those I turned into blueberry jam. That's been selling well also off the little red cart.
We have tried several methods to discourage the critters that nibble at the berries. The first year we were here, we used nets to cover the rows of bushes. The nets were left by the previous owner. We didn't like them much. First of all that's a lot of netting to drape over bushes. They were hard to handle and get stuck on branches. Second, you have to climb under the netting to pick the berries. But worst of all, birds land on the nets and get their feet stuck in the netting. Then you have to go out and help release a flapping, hysterical bird or it will die. Yuck, that was not for me.
Next we tried windsocks. They're pretty blowing above the bushes, but I don't think they scare any of the critters. Motion detector owls came next. Good idea, but the "who...whoo...whooing" got to be annoying to the humans. A couple water motion detector sprinklers work about the best - at least for keeping deer out of the vegetable garden. We've used "Have-a-Heart" traps; they're great at trapping skunks, but that's a story for another day. Lastly my husband installed 2 outdoor radio speakers in the blueberries that come on and off in 15 minute intervals. They might scare away a few birds - not many - but they do make picking very pleasant as our favorite country music station keeps us bopping along.
We are so lucky to have these established bushes in our backyard. The original owner of the home planted them in the 1960's. The berries are so good, and all the experts say they are so good for you. I eat them in oatmeal, in pie, in coffeecake, in salads, and in smoothies. Of course, this month, I eat them plain right off the bush. Here's a link to one of my favorite coffeecake recipes.
The Best Blueberry Coffee Cake
