Growing Blueberries – Tips on How to Grow Blueberries

After you’ve made the selection of the type of blueberries that you want to grow, we’re on to the next steps in growing blueberries. Make sure you select a variety that is hardy in your hardiness zone.

Where to Grow Blueberries

The best sites for growing blueberries share some characteristics. Like most fruits and vegetables, several hours a day of full sun are best, and anything less will impact your yields. They grow best in a fairly acid soil, one with a pH of 4.0 to 4.5. Usually you will need to add a soil amendment like peat moss to get the pH that low, which is usually good as the additional humus introduced will help in drainage as well. You may need to add another amendment like sulfur to get the pH into the desired range.

The soil should be a loamy mix, about 4-7 % organic matter. Blueberries have shallow roots and so drainage is important. If you have a clay soil or poor drainage you may want to consider raised garden beds for your blueberries. As an alternative you can consider hilling up around the plants. And compost is always a good thing to introduce into your soil preparation.

When to Plant Blueberries

Generally blueberries are self pollinating, but like most fruits you can increase the yield and quality of the fruit by adding a pollinator bush. As for the number of bushes to plant, 4 to 5 bushes are usually enough for an average family. This can easily be handled in a raised garden bed. The spacing will vary by the variety, but a common spacing is 5 or 6 feet for the larger blueberry varieties. The lowbush variety will typically be spaced about 3 feet apart.

Be sure to plant after the last threat of frost. Assuming you’ve already prepared the soil with the peat or other amendments, and dig a hole slightly larger than the root ball by a few inches. Pack the soil firmly around the root ball. In order to encourage runner development its good to cover a little of the bush stems with soil. After that with just a little care blueberries can last for many years. Now all you need are some blueberry recipes to enjoy the fruits of your labors.