[lacewing]

Hi,  I would like to ask if anybody grows Bilberrys?  I remember eating these berrys, as a child, in Ireland where they grew wild. I am wondering if the cultivated ones are the same as Blueberrys?. I would love to grow a few Bilberry bushes, in the hope that the fruit tasted the same as the wild ones.  Any advice please!

[Chiswickian]

Bilberries are not the same as blueberries but are from the same family. I fondly recall Mum cooking bilberries in a pie when we were kids and they were delicious - a real treat. She used to bring them back from the greengrocer (whatever hapened to them?) with them wrapped in cabbage leaves to stop the juice dripping.
IMHO blueberries are utterly tasteless but have never grown them - just bought them at vast cost at the supermarket.
I ordered some bilberry plants from www.poyntzfieldherbs.co.uk which are now in pots in the back garden. Fellow allotmenteers have said it'll be a labour of love but I am going to give it a bash.
I guess it'll be a few years before I have a pie!

[lacewing]

Hi Chiswickian,  Thanks for the link. I have looked up the site and intend to order 3 bushes tomorrow. I expect I will have to wait some time for them to fruit but if they are as good as I remember it will be well worth it.

[Chiswickian]

pleasure, treasure

[woodburner]

Hi,  I would like to ask if anybody grows Bilberrys?  I remember eating these berrys, as a child, in Ireland where they grew wild. I am wondering if the cultivated ones are the same as Blueberrys?. I would love to grow a few Bilberry bushes, in the hope that the fruit tasted the same as the wild ones.  Any advice please!

I've never seen fresh blueberries, so I haven't really given them a fair trial but they don't seem to have half as much flavour as bilberries. I had previously given up the idea of growing them as the soil isn't right for them here, but if I could get hold of some seeds/berries I would give them a go in containers of peat/compost.

[MoreWhisky]

Which are the easiest to grow  billberrys or blueberrys? if there is a difference as all this talk has got me intrested in maybe havng a go  .

[Chiswickian]

this is purely from my background reading, not experience, but here goes:
seems bilberries are trickier and the yield per plant is lower. You need ericaceous compost if growing in pots. But this really is a fruit that cannot be purchased (and it is my favourite) so unless you have access to woodlands where they grow wild ( I know none in Chiswick  ) you just gotta grow your own

[woodburner]

I don't think they will be much different in the growing as they are essentially the same plant. Blueberries definitely have the higher yield, but bearing in mind the recent discovery that food has 20% less nutrients than 50 years ago (not sure whether this is due to selctive breeding for commercial reasons (higher yield, ease of transport, storability etc.), intensive methods or a combination of both) I'd sooner try growing our native bilberry, than it's 'superior' foreign cousin.

Edit Just foud an unfinished earlier post reply where I mention that they are all vaccinium myrtillus.