Hi there and welcome back to the Beginners Garden podcast. Today we're going to be visiting a topic

that so many of you all have asked to hear more about, growing fruit and specifically blueberries.

Blueberries were one of the first crops I planted as a first time gardener. As a new stay-at-home mom,

I specifically chose crops to grow that year that would be more

economical to grow than to purchase, and blueberries were at the top of the list. And now after 11

seasons, I can say that that was one of the best decisions I made. While we didn't get as many

blueberries that first year as expected, each year produced more and more out of the four bushes I made. While we didn't get as many blueberries that first year as expected, each year produced

more and more out of the four bushes I planted. Within a couple of years, I started selling excess

at the farmer's market. Now, I mainly eat them fresh, or our whole family eats them fresh.

I freeze them. I give them away to a few friends. And to be honest, I share with the birds.

I don't worry too much about the birds taking some because there's plenty to go around.

We have more than we need.

If that sounds like something you would like to add to your garden, the main thing you need to know is how to get started right.

And to help you do that, I'm bringing back to you

a conversation I had with Dr. Lee Reich back in 2018. Dr. Lee Reich has graduate degrees in

soil science and horticulture and is an avid fruit grower. What I enjoy about him is he makes

concepts simple for the everyday gardener to understand. So today he's

going to talk to us about how important soil pH is for your blueberries, what to do if your

soil pH isn't ideal, how to grow blueberries in containers, and how to choose the right

kind for your location, among other blueberry growing best practices.

It was enjoyable for me listening to this conversation five years later, and I know you're

going to learn so much. A quick note, though, since this was recorded early on in my podcast

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