Future Muffins

Day 199: Can you taste 'em? These are muffins-to-be, baked in future tense, and it looks like I'm going to get a bumper crop again this year. Yes, blueberries! The flowers remind me humorously of Victorian underwear with their ruffled edges and delicate pink tint. So, now that I have your undivided attention, let's talk about timing as it applies to these bloomers and their exposure. You see, blueberry varietals come in three types: early, mid-season and late. We're not talking about the bearing period here, but rather when the plants come into bloom. You'll get a bigger crop of delicious blueberries if you plant two varieties, so it's important to know when your selections flower. Although optimally, you should plant two earlies or two mid-season or two late together, you can still get by with an early bloomer and a mid-season type or a mid-season with a late because there is some overlap. However, if you plant an early with a late, your future muffins will be somewhat short of fruit. If your pollinators normally don't show up until later in the season, you may want to take that into account as well when choosing the correct blueberry varieties for your garden. Remember, timing is crucial when you're talking about showing your bloomers.