Home | How It Works | Ideas | Calendar | Newsletter | Contact Hodgson Biologic Calendar Upcoming Events 5/24 Growing Edibles / Small Gardens 5/31 Weed I.D. and Control 6/7 Shade Gardening Hodgson Biologic 2 Klarides Village Drive Box 205 Seymour, Connecticut 06483 203-888-3898 In Connecticut's Naugatuck Valley March, 2009 Show Full Year Event: Berry Care Date: March 13th, 2009. Category: Garden Tasks In case you haven't done so already, take a close look at the berry patch. Berry bushes will do better if you prune them properly and provide them some good nutrition and soil care. One exception here is lingonberries, also called mountain cranberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaea). It is a low-growing, evergreen shrub that prefers acid soil, and does not seem to need pruning or much feeding. For raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, you may want to look into a fertilizer that provides equal portions of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, such as a 10-10-10 or 8-8-8 or similar. I prefer a good compost but sometimes sprinkle some organic fertilizer in with that. A nice thick mulch on top of that will help hold moisture and smother weeds. Blueberries want a more acid soil, so I use coffee grounds throughout the year for organic matter in addition to finished compost. We placed a soaker hose woven around the bases of the plants, that gets buried under the mulch for occasional irrigation during dry spells. Remember that raspberry leaves make a pleasant herbal tea! As with any herbs, make sure you are not allergic before consuming much of it. March, 2009 Show Full Year

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