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Blueberry Hill diary

July 2004
For the last two years we have started picking on the 10th July, but this year because of the cold weather, low soil temperature and low light levels we did not start until the third week of July !
We also have had big problems with Pigeons, Blackbirds and Thrushes !

Although we always suffer bird damage, this year's has been particularly bad.
The worst offenders being the Pigeons, they fly into the middle of the bushes to get at the berries. We not only lose berries but a lot of new young shoots which of course is the wood that will produce fruit buds in future years.

Derek tries to get a "handle"
on this picking lark !
(That's LPO staff for you...)
To try and scare away the birds we have put up some hazard tape which you can see in the some of the pictures.

 

 

It has limited success, so I am trying an Allsopp Helikite, more on this next month !

 

 

What fruit we do have is of good quality, all of it sells very quickly. For pickers we have relied again this year on our good friends, and childen.

 

( I say "childen" - Matt is 26 and Tami 29, married and has a baby due 9th December ! )

Duke berries

Typical bird damage
Suffolk's Super Summer Fruit