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By Artie Beaty Artie Beaty. A lifelong Charlotte resident, Artie Beaty has been writing about the best of his hometown since If soil test results show your soil pH is over 5. If this is necessary, carefully apply sulfur sometimes sold as soil acidifier based on label directions or consult the chart in this Clemson Extension fact sheet to determine how much sulfur is needed.
In addition to pH, you will also need to assess drainage. Blueberries grow best in well-drained soil that has plenty of organic matter. If you have heavy clay soil or poor drainage, amend the soil by mixing in finely ground pine bark, which is sold as soil conditioner. Keep plants well watered, especially during the first few years as they establish. Mulch will help retain soil moisture and reduce weeds — pine straw and pine bark mulches are ideal. Access these resources for growing many types of fruits , including slides from the recent Extension Gardener class on growing fruits and berries.
Use Extension Search to find research based information from Cooperative Extension systems across the U. Extension Gardener classes and workshops teach science-based, sustainable gardening principles and practices for central NC.
Sign up for upcoming classes. Visit your local N. Corn a. What's in season in November , and other timely information: Ripening Dates for Fruits and Vegetables Please note that actual dates may vary by as much as two weeks due to weather conditions, geographical location of the farm, and other factors. Snap Beans, Green beans. There are automated packaging equipment that puts the berries into the clamshells. Modern cold storage facilities are used, often monitered by computers to keep the temperatures accurate.
Before machines, all packaging was done by hand. People would scoop blueberries into a wooden cup and cover it in cellophane. Before blueberries are packaged, they must be graded according to North Carolina and United States law. This is to keep damaged or infected fruit from making it to your plate at home.
Blueberries are cleaned and inspected during the packing process. Inspectors take random samples of the berries and examine them closely to assure that quality standards are met. Inspectors look at blueberries for some basic requirements. These are that the berries are similar, clean, well colored, not overripe, not crushed, split or leaking, and not wet.
The berries would also be free from attached stems, mold, decay, insects or evidence of insects, mummified berries and clusters. Berries must also not be shriveled, have broken skins, scars or green berries.
Once the USDA inspectors have determined that the blueberries are safe for eating, they are then packaged. Fresh berries are most commonly packaged in one-pint clamshells. They are then put into cardboard packages called flats which hold 12 clamshells.
Frozen berries are packaged in 30 lb. Blueberries are packaged this way because it is an industry standard. This means that all blueberry growers pack the same way so that it all looks alike when it gets to the store or when you buy it. Return to Menu Shipping Most North Carolina blueberries go to retail stores like supermarkets, rather than going into restaurants. Blueberries must be taken from the farm to the stores in refrigerated trucks to keep the blueberries fresh or to keep the frozen blueberries frozen.
In the early days of production, North Carolina blueberries were shipped by trains to the Northern markets. Now along with refrigerated trucks for delivery in the USA, blueberries are transported by air and by sea for international markets.
Before blueberries go to the store, most are handled through marketing organizations who collect berries from several growers and ship them to large warehouses. These people then sell the blueberries to the supermarkets for the growers.
They then will put the berries on the refrigerated trucks and take them to each store for you to buy.
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