High Bush Blueberries

Discussion in 'Fruit and Vegetable Gardening' started by Philip, Jun 24, 2007.

  1. Philip

    Philip Member

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    Location:
    NS Canada
    Looking for high bush blueberries,that will do well in Nova Scotia (zone 5).
     
  2. biggam

    biggam Active Member

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    Here is a company that sells them, but you would have to inquire about having them sent to Canada. Definitely go with Highbush; they will do well in N.S. -- same zone as where they're grown in Michigan, the top producing state in the U.S. (also for tart cherries.)
     
  3. biggam

    biggam Active Member

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    I was involved in a variety tasting panel a few years ago. It went two further years, so I don't know the final results but can mention some observations I made.

    People seemed to be somewhat split between those who prefer more tart (acidity or sourness), and those who prefer more sweet. Incidentally, this seems somewhat the case with apples too, which are my main love. I tend toward sweet personally, but can appreciate high flavor (like in a Winesap apple, for instance.) With that all said, the top-rated varieties tended to get high ratings from both camps.

    Draper, which is balanced on the sweet side, was rated highest overall. Liberty was in the top 25%, and I thought it had an interesting (pleasant) flavor note, perhaps nutmeg. People who prefered tart thought that Aurora was outstanding. Blueray, rated 4th overall, had a fairly even balance of sweet and tart. Brigitta was 3rd overall, and this was probably my favorite; of high flavor, one taster commented that it made her tongue tingle. Rubel rated in the top 33% of all varieties tasted; this is a very old variety (selected from the wild,) which has smaller berries and is somewhat sweet. Jersey is an older commercial variety, which has similarities to Rubel, and it was rated especially high by those prefering sweet. Spartan, which was rated 2nd overall, has large berries. Ozark Blue (southern highbush, but suitable for certain places in northern latitudes,) rated pretty high, and I thought this was a juicy berry, something I didn't particularly notice in others. Some of these varieties are more troublesome to grow than others, so just take these as flavor notes. Bluegold, a well-known commercial variety, rated poorest of all. Nelson is a variety with some sourness, but otherwise lacks flavor. A few varieties with okay flavor rated lower for lack of firmness. Duke rated very high for texture, but middle of the pack otherwise; this may be an easier-to-grow variety, by the way.
     
    Last edited: Feb 1, 2008
  4. LabTea

    LabTea Active Member

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    Location:
    Labrador City Canada
    I've lived in Nova Scotia for a few years in the Annapolis Valley (zone 6 I believe). There is a place called Blueberry Acres that has a lot of different varieties. It would be worth your while to check that place out and ask some questions. They harvest a lot of blueberries for commercial sale and as well they have a U-pick. Anyways you will find all the information in the link below or you can google it.
    http://www.novaagri.com/blueberry_acres/ba_upick.htm
     

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