One year into its restoration of a blueberry orchard, the Mattapoisett Land Trust says the project is going berry well.

After acquiring 49 acres between Prospect Road and Aucoot Road from Linda Brownell in 2011, the trust decided to attempt a restoration of a large blueberry orchard that had lain untouched for 40 years.

“When we first got this thing, you had to crawl down the rows, hands and knees,” said Michael Huguenin. “It was really thick with red maple, swamp maple, white pine, bittersweet – every little weed and vine you can imagine.”

Huguenin and Paul Osenkowski have spent many days working to bring the orchard back to life with help from Dan Shea and his tree removal team as well as from local landscapers Charlie Duponte in Mattapoisett and Preservation Growers in Wareham.

A big pile of wood chips at one corner of the field is evidence of the extensive overgrowth around the bushes.

“There were about 670 stumps, roughly 400 are sprouting, maybe more now,” said Huguenin.

But Huguenin, a lifelong blueberry bush grower, wasn’t sure if anything would grow. Some bushes had to be cut down to the ground to get around the invasive plants and several stumps were so rotted they could be jimmied out of the ground with a few kicks.

“When we crawled through here last summer, there were branches that would just break off,” said Huguenin.

Osenkowski was equally skeptical. “We never thought we’d get something as robust as this,” he said.

Once cleared, however, the stumps began to show signs of life.

There have even been some latecomers. “As the summer goes on, a few of the stumps that didn’t have any life in them suddenly pop out,” said Huguenin.

Blueberries like acidic soil, so the land trust had the dirt tested by UMass Amhurst. To balance out the PH, they added sulfur to it and put down slow-release fertilizer and humic acid to encourage growth.

The town has helped out as well. Highway Surveyor Barry Denham and Tree Warden Roland Cote lent equipment for the restoration.

Regular mowing by Osenkowski has also kept the area in order.

Eventually, the plants should reach seven to eight feet, said Huguenin. But, it will be three to five summers before berries can be picked.

“Everybody wants to get in and pick next year, but they really don’t grow that fast,” said Huguenin, who will try to pick off buds next spring. “The more energy the plants puts into growing right now, the better. Don’t make food. Make me some branches and good structure.”

In addition to berry picking, the trust plans to develop more trails on the dozens of acres surrounding the patch. And Huguenin wants to make the patch a nice place to rest.

“Eventually, we’re going to put some benches and some sunshade for people,” he said. “It’s going to be delightful."