Gardener's Questions
Welcome to the Gardener's Question Corner. I will start to post your most common questions to growing small fruits here. Check back often or feel free to send me your question to be posted.
Q: I already have some huckleberries growing in my shady yard, but I am wishing for blueberries. Is there any variety you sell that can handle a shady yard? I have huge cedars and doug firs along with vine maples and others...maximum of maybe 3-5 hours of mottled sun when it is sunny, (looking forward to buying something at the Tilth sale if possible). Could you let me know if this is a bad idea and I should stick with huckleberries? how about strawberries in mottled shade?
thanks,
Anne
A: Dear Anne,
Good news and bad news. The good news is that any plant will grow in part shade. That being said, with any fruit bearing plant, sun is what the plant needs to make sugar in the fruit. The reason that California strawberries have no flavor compared to what you can buy at your local Farmers Market is that the further north you go the longer the day length during the summer. The more sun the more sugar the fruit produces. With what you have told me, yes you can grow blueberries and receive fruit, it just might not be a sweet as you would like