Strawberries and blueberries...?

Question

...birds ate all of the strawberries before they turned red. I haven't seen any new blossoms ever since, which is unusual in our garden. They usually blossom all summer. I don't cover the plants...and know I should. Do I have to wait until next year?

Blueberries: Our bushes are doing very well this year. Should I prune them to help the fruit flourish? And, we've hundreds, if not thousands of blossoms and berries in the making. However last year they were very bitter. Why?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Standing and waiting patiently with bowl and spoon for blueberries....

Now...You may want to cover your blueberries with netting before the birds get them...

and

If they were bitter did you pick before they were completely ripe.....???

Good luck with that....

Peace.

Answer 2

Connie seems to know her stuff--I don't know c**p about it other than the fact that some farmers shoot at you if you try to pick a bucket of blueberrys in the middle of the night.

Answer 3

Both

Answer 4

You must have the everbearing strawberries.  Depending on where you are located, I'd recommend mulching them with straw so that any new berries don't mold from the soil, and aren't as easily targeted by birds.

As for the blueberries, they must have acidic soil.  Test the soil and see if the pH is around 5.  If it goes above 6 the berries can be bitter.   You can use pine needles as a mulch to help keep the pH down.  Also use plant food for acid-loving plants (ACE hardware sells a good brand).  I mulch mine with pine needles and feed them acid fertilizer...and they love both!