How to Grow a Blueberry in the Desert

Organic blueberries are really hard to grow west of the Cascades — too many bugs and too much disease. But east of the mountains, they’re battling the desert. Correspondent Anna King visited a farm in Patterson to find out how blueberries could possibly grow in this environment, and came back with the answer: giant tents.

Left: Flora Mendoza Matias, 20, moved to Washington from Guatemala just a month ago to pick fruit at Zirkle’s farm. Pickers collect berries under shade cloth for eight hours a day.