A blueberry grower's plea for help online attracted advice after years of effort yielded almost nothing. In a Reddit post, the gardener said the 20 blueberry bushes have "fought me the whole way."
In the r/Permaculture forum, a frustrated home grower said they planted some of the blueberry bushes four years ago, expecting big harvests. Despite taking many steps to ensure their success, the plants look "weak and pathetic."
The complaint has drawn over 400 upvotes and 175 comments as people have chimed in with possible solutions.
The original poster explained everything they had done to help the berries succeed: "I've planted them all on raised mounds to ensure good drainage due to the clay, amended with lots of organic matter and mixed in with native soil, have consistently applied elemental sulfur to improve acidity, mulch with pine needles and pine shavings, etc…"
The OP went on to say that they got so frustrated that they cut back half the plants to the crown, hoping to start fresh. "If I knew what I know now I would have just planted honeyberries in huge quantities because they absolutely thrive in my soil," they wrote.
The gardener asked for advice before declaring that their next move would be to rip out the blueberry plants and actually plant honeyberries.
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There were plenty of comments with suggestions of what to do, but one person summed up what might be the best solution.
"Sounds like you already know the best advice anyone would give you from a permaculture perspective," they wrote, "namely to stop babying something that clearly doesn't thrive in your context, and start supporting/planting things that do."
For gardeners dreaming of bowls of free fruit, the post is a reminder that growing food at home can be rewarding. But success often depends on numerous factors. It's always better to work with nature than try to force something that isn't meant to thrive in your area.
Gardening can save households money on produce, especially expensive berries, which often cost far more at the store than basic staples. Homegrown fruit also tends to taste better because it can ripen fully on the plant instead of being picked early and shipped.
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Spending time gardening can support mental health, encourage physical activity, and help people connect to their food and local ecosystems as well. But when a crop isn't healthy enough to produce food or keeps getting wiped out by pests, that can turn a relaxing hobby into an expensive and discouraging one.
Another commenter echoed a similar sentiment to the above commenter, saying, "Plant things that work with your soil! We have 4th year blueberry bushes we got for free and they have never done anything. We're going to start putting in natives. It's not worth the fight and our soil is just not acidic enough. What's the point?"
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