Acidic soil guild - Blueberry companion planting and what to grow in acidic soil beds
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Published 2022-11-18
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This is a very good question and can be a challenge without the right information. Blueberry companion planting doesn't need to be complicated. For me, it is a matter of trial and error to get the best combination.
For me I want to uphold as many permaculture principles as possible with what I do, which is why I try to plant according to the 7 layers of a food forest as much as possible and make sure that I am planting fruits and vegetables that each serve a very specific purpose. In my acidic soil and blueberry guild I have a main tree, which is a guava tree, a herbaceous layer, a shurb layer and multiple ground cover layers. This allows you to confuse and deter birds and other pests by making access difficult and scents being confusing.
When looking at companion planting for blueberry plants and acidic soils you might also come across a term called a guild. A guild is an interconnected network of purposefully positioned plants that work together to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that builds soil and plants health and immunity.
To get the most out of your blueberry bed it is strongly recommended to not just have a full planting of blueberries, but rather to interplant many different fruits and vegetables that can tolerate acidic soil.
Once your acidic vegetable bed or food forest section has settled in your will be harvest fruits and vegetables for years to come and throughout the season, rather than once a year when your blueberries ripen their crop.
Video timeline:
00:00 - Introduction
00:15 - Why companion planting is so important?
01:09 - What is a guild and why are planting guilds so important?
03:33 - What plants grow well in acidic soil and as blueberry companions that can for a fruit tree guild?
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#acidicsoil #companionplanting #blueberryplants
All Comments (19)
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Do you have a blueberry companion planting arrangement in your acid sol bed? I would love to hear what you are doing with yours!
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I would love to see more guild videos, please.
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Thanks for the Bluberrys companion ideas!š
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Gracias por compartir tus experiencias šš
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That is an interesting combination. š
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Thank you so much for your āinformed thru practiceā insight and information. Iām attempting to make one of the MULTIPLE separate garden beds that are about 80 cm to a meter deep into an acidic-based soil bed, separate to the rest of the beds in the garden. Iām on the other side of the world in Sydney Australia, so donāt quite know the seasonal differences in South Africa, but from what I know from basic information is that in a lot of ways, it is quite similar. I really REALLY like the idea of a guild bid, I have never heard of that before and your description has made it quite clear what the concept is, and I am going to try my best to kind of duplicate what you have done in regards to companions, as well as find one of the best or a couple of the best ways to raise the acidity of the soil. But only in this one separate garden bed, which is completely separate from the rest of themā¦.
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I have thyme with blueberries too and they are both doing well - wild strawberries are abundant all around too. (we live in a forest) Just found you today~great content!
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Love to see compagnion planting. I planted a pinus mugo next to blueberries - because itself loves acidic soil. Maybe it may create a repellent smell for pests - don't know. Would plant Rubus fructosicus, Achillea millefolium, Red clover or some Lupine and Laurus nobilis next to blueberries in the future. I once accidently put Melissa officinalis next to one blueberry - it grew like crazy.
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This was very helpful. Thank you. Also from CT and enjoying your content. It is refreshing to see such good local content, for a change. Question - my blueberry bush seems to have burned in the hot weather we've recently had (the leaves all turned brown). Do you know if it can be recovered? If so, what would you suggest?
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Hi I love watching your videos.I learn a lot .Your advice and tips are so helpful. I'm also from Cape Town in Ottery.If this question is ok to ask, where does one purchase a cranberry tree? Could you at some point make a video on growing onions.I don't seem to be successful with onions. Thanks in advance.
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Thank you for sharing this information. I planted blueberries two years ago and theyāve done not much at all. I believe Iāve planted them in a too shady position and even though Iāve heard they do not like being transplanted, Iām going to give it a go. First I need to build up the garden bed I want to move them to. Ā Iāll definitely companion plant them with some flowers, strawberries, thyme and possibly cranberries if I can find them. Any suggestions on what soil improver I might use to prepare the bed for them? TIA
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So, to take it to the food forest level, what would be a good tree? Pine? Walnut?
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Do you have Robins? The Robins by me will eat most of the blueberries. I use netting but hope to build an enclosure this year.
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Preferably AVOID plants with the same nutrient uptake and plant those that compliment either by nutrient, protection, allelopathy. Many plants can grow at a very wide pH if planted in nutritious compost. think roses, conifers,, many herbs. The cousin huckleberry grows wild in the mtns above here. Duplicating the soil of a conifer forest is a challenge, particularly if you want to grow anything else LOL. They're pretty selfish, whereas oak leaf mold was the traditional growing medium for blueberries
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I have 3 blueberry bushes (no yield yet) in hydrangea soil bed plus many other small plants (thriving) that like acidic soil. Most interested in the strawberries amongst blueberry plants, so I have now replanted some of my strawberry plants in the acidic bed, between the various bushes. Hopefully there will be strawberries this year and no weeds.
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So you're from S. Africa. Do they have strawberries as native plants there, if not how did Africa get them there, do they have blueberries as a native plant there, I'm a Canadian we do have those as native plants here.
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Please state your LOCATION (in general) ZONE. Climate is critical for different plants.
