Day 191: Unless you have one of the self-pollinating varieties, you will need two different varieties of blueberry to obtain an optimal harvest. To further complicate matters, the varieties are broken down into three groups: early, mid-season and late-bearing. It will do you no good to have an early variety paired with a late-season type because they will not bloom at the same time, and you want them to cross-pollinate.
Therein was the rub. I'd had two bushes, but one had disappeared and the other was being shaded out by the contorted filbert (bad planning on my part). In the heat of my gardening fit, I dug it up and moved it to a container and only then remembered the pollinization requirement. Its tag was long gone, and with it just coming into leaf, I had no way to tell when it might bloom. Applying logic to the local climate, I figured I'd have bought mid-season varieties. In any event, if I bought a second mid-season plant, there would be some overlap with either a late or early type.
Second blueberry came home a few days ago, blooming and some berries already forming. I put it in a sunken container next to the first one without giving that plant a glance. Today, I was delighted to discover that the original bush is beginning to flower. It's nice to know my logic is consistent.
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