My guess is that there has been more hybridizing for landscape purposes rather than fruit quality, the major fruit nurseries around here (OGW, Raintree, etc.) offer only the basic species. It has been mentioned on this forum previously that plants with bluish fruit may have better flavor. Any fruit can get over-ripe, and I would think mid-winter huckleberries would be past their prime. Shearing does greatly reduce fruit, but on close inspection, there are usually a few berries lurking below the surface, in favorable years. I used three search strings: (requires advanced search) "evergreen huckleberry" (exact phrase) AND one of these: varieties varietals cultivars http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/vacova/all.html http://arcadianabe.blogspot.com/2011/10/evergreen-huckleberries.html http://wildhuckleberry.com/species/ http://myfolia.com/plants/821-evergreen-huckleberry-vaccinium-ovatum/varieties http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_vaov2.pdf http://www.suncrestnurseries.com/public%20downloads/Introductions%20by%20Suncrest%20Nurseries%202011.pdf were of interest, came across at least 6 named cultivars. And the search also turned up this tidbit: Palatability of evergreen huckleberry browse in California has been rated as follows: Cattle poor-useless Sheep fair-poor Horses useless Domestic goats fair-poor Deer fair-poor in case you have any hungry goats. The flavor of existing cultivars might be dominated more by growing conditions than anything else. A percentage of mine are fairly sweet by Labor Day.

Blueberries do best in full sun. Wild blueberries can grow in very thin soils, sometimes they are found growing on rocky outcrops, with the roots down in the cracks, where there is some leaf dust. However, these wild plants are scrawny survivors, that don't require much moisture. Cultivated highbush varieties, like Patriot, produce more fruit, but they also need more moisture, and better soil. If you can make compost with shredded tree leaves, that material will be the main component of your blueberry bed. Mix it in with whatever native soil you have, and that should be ideal. Be sure to check soil pH, and if you have hard water, you might have to add agricultural sulfur sulfur periodically. Its usually necessary to do pH testing at least once a year, unless you have naturally acidic soil.

Hi Offgridnatureman- I havenÂt actually tried planting much during the fall. Not because I'm afraid to... it's just my ambition finally wears out around now, and it doesn't help that all the leaves are falling off everything. I know my local nursery discounts everything by 20% of so in the fall, and I probably wouldn't hesitate to plant a one gallon nursery raspberry, I just havenÂt done it before. Perhaps I should just so when someone asks a question like this, I could have something intelligent to say! As for bare root raspberries, if the nurseries are recommending waiting until spring, that I'd probably just go with that. Have you settled on any varieties yet? Some people here say "just plant Caroline and be done with it". But, I like different varieties so lengthen my harvest window for as long as possible. IÂm more about fresh eating than I am about freezing. I find the flavor differences to be subtle, and actually enjoy their differences. IÂve yet to find a bad tasting raspberryÂ. (expect for those raspberries that go beyond ripe of course) What zone are you in? IÂm not sure how the elevation will affect them. Have you asked the nurseries about that? Maybe a bit more searching on that topic? Let us know what varieties youÂre thinking about. Good luck! -Glenn

"Hello again," to anyone and maybe especially maybe to akamainegrower, if you happen still tobe around this forum... Due partly to my having as yet not been able to get much of any reply to somewhat extensive inquiry sent the past year or so to two (I think--having various inquiries and "feelers" out there to various places, it's a little hard to keep exact track) heavily involved in blueberry research , I've elected for now to try contacting that other type of place you mention: Christmas Tree Growers' Association (s). But, so far , a few weeks later, no response. Of course, the timing isn't necessarily the greatest, being around tree selling time, as well as apt to be time already of some freezing already of the ground. That University of Maine department which you mention, also may be of interest. At the same time, maybe "if" I could , before contacting them, run a test myself to , hopefully, get some sort of actual proof begun, of one or more of my specimens actually being immune-maybe that might help make my inquiry to them or to whomever, more intriguing? Sure seems like it couldn't hurt; and in these days of easy photography and easy communicating, maybe I could at least visually document my efforts doing such actual test. But , besides that the bushes involved are somewhat "well out" in the woods...under a foot of snow and ice I guess, around now...I still will have to somehow come up with a few young fir seedlings or young plants that have the disease (to use as source of disease spores to expose the blueberry bushes to...inside on my big plant-growing window sill, I guess). Maybe --by some longshot chance--someone here would happen to know of and have access for digging up ,of a few young "infected" firs trees (any kind of firs, although if it'd be wild firs rather than tree plantation ones, seems to me it'd most likely end up being "balsam" firs). Young or seedling firs "infected" with this fir-blueberry rust, that is...(the Pucciniastrum goeppertianum one...the one that causes broomlike growths on blueberry plants, and I guess as to on the firs, causes just small yellowish or whitish spore capsule happening on some of the needles . I maybe should stress, in case I haven't mentioned it before, about the "other" kind of witches broom happening with fir trees: the "other" kind does make broomlike growth happening on the firs themselves...but that's a totally separate disease, if/when "that happens". The only ones I'd be interested in are young or seedling firs happening to have gotten the first type of "witches broom " disease, the one wherein it's only the blueberry bushes that get the brooms, with the firs , again, just getting some kind of small-to-tiny tag growths on their needles. I do think that likely as not, patches or areas of firs of most any kind , happening to be very near (especially within maybe 50 to 100 feet[ of a bunch of wild highbush blueberry bushes or a patch of lowbush blueberries, IS by my guess, at least pretty likely to be involved with the blueberries with infection of this disease happening between them. Given these two types of plants growing nearby one another, the infection of this disease that I see as likely, might be easiest to spot the likelihood of, by checking whether the blueberry bushes have any if the broomlike growths showing. There would be pictures readily available (I think I'll also see if I can get hold of some images and post links here, assuming that's allowed and that I can figure out the procedure) to check further what to look for, online such as at Google Images, Yahoo Images, etc. (searching for , probably: witches broom, blueberry. or: fir blueberry rust). Which, especially as to possibly making available to me, a few of these prospective "infected" young firs--would be "going some", I realize. Therefore, here's what I think (hoping there's no proscription here "against" it) I think I can offer (if anybody's not already been too bored , here, to read this far): If anyone can find and have or get access (for digging) such an instance of little fir trees and blueberry bushes growing together, or adjacent, such that it's resulted in the occurrence of this disease, and would be willing to try to dig three or so of the infected firs for my use: than, while it'd be apt to need to be "first come, first served " and maybe only one deal available: I believe can try to make it worth your while, monetarily (make an offer?) Pictures "first," please...of the plants on the site, showing infection (typically very obvious when it happens) of some of the blueberries on the site, with the broom-like growths. Also, if possible, pics of the evidence of the disease on the little firs that would be dug. Maybe send COD, for no risk? or otherwise, putting them for me on Ebay? I'll try to follow here, of course, for replies...while I believe my profile page does have a link for privately emailing me, if anyone wants. "Thanks" to all.