Growing Blueberries

Planting, Growing, Pruning, and Harvesting Blueberries

Blueberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow.

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Did you know that the modern blueberry is a 20th-century invention? Before the 1900s, the only way to enjoy these North American natives was to find them in the wild. Then, scientists started to unlock the secrets of cultivating blueberries—and we’re glad they did! Here’s how to grow blueberries in your garden.

Plump, juicy blueberries are now easy to grow in your backyard on bushes that are resistant to most pests and diseases, and can produce for up to 20 years. A relative of rhododendron and azalea, blueberry bushes aren’t just a great fruiting plant but also an attractive addition to your overall landscape, offering scarlet fall foliage and creamy-white, bell-shaped spring flowers. Read more about why you should grow blueberries in your home garden (as if you needed an excuse).

Types of Blueberries

There are four types of blueberries: highbush, lowbush, hybrid half-high, and rabbiteye.

The most commonly planted blueberry is the highbush. Most blueberry breeding has focused on this species, so there are many varieties that range widely in cold hardiness and fruit season, size, and flavor. Read more about blueberry varieties below.

Planting

When to Plant Blueberry Bushes

Bushes should be planted in early to mid-spring.
If available, 1- to 3-year-old plants are a good choice. These can be bought in containers or bare-root. In either case, be sure to buy from a reputable nursery or website.

Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site

Select a sunny, sheltered spot. While blueberries are tolerant of shade, better crops are obtained in the sun. At the same time, they should not be exposed to harsh, drying winds.
Don’t plant blueberries too close to trees, as the trees will not only block out sunlight, but will also suck up any moisture in the soil.
If planting multiple bushes, it’s best to plant them in a patch, rather than scattered throughout your garden. This will bolster berry production and quality.
The blueberry is a shallow-rooted plant. Therefore, it requires a soil that holds moisture, but also drains well and doesn’t stay wet. Don’t plant blueberries in sites that have heavy, clayey soils that stay wet.
Blueberries thrive in soil that is acidic. The soil pH should ideally be between 4.0 and 5.0; soil that isn’t acidic enough will stunt growth. Soil can be acidified by mixing a small amount of granulated sulfur into the soil several months before planting. Peat moss, as well as pine bark or needles, are also good additions that will help acidify your soil.
Mix organic matter into the soil before you set your blueberry bushes. (See more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.)

How to Plant Blueberry Bushes

Dig holes about 20 inches deep and 18 inches wide (or about twice as wide and twice as deep as the roots of the plant).
Space bushes 4–5 feet apart in a row, with at least 8 feet between rows. Prepare a planting mixture of 2 parts loam and one part oak leaf mold, peat moss, aged sawdust, or compost, and place a layer of this mixture in the bottom of the hole.
Set the bush in the hole with its roots spread out. Don’t plant the bush any deeper than it grew in the pot. Pack the hole tightly with soil.
Apply fertilizer one month after planting, not at the time of planting. Apply ½ ounce of a 10-10-10 fertilizer in a band around the plant 6 to 12 inches from the crown.

Can You Grow Blueberries in a Container?

Yes! In fact, blueberries grown in containers are easier to protect from birds and other critters, more disease resistant, easy to harvest, and easy to move if needed. Plus, if you live in an area without acidic soil, growing blueberries in containers allows you to tailor the soil pH specifically for them.

Here’s how to do it:

Use a large container with drainage holes.
Use a potting mix designed for acid-loving plants such as azaleas or rhododendrons, or mix sandy soil with peat moss and compost.
Plant the bush in the container and water well.
Add mulch on top of the soil to keep in moisture.
Place the pot in a sunny spot.
Keep soil moist.
In northern regions, overwinter the blueberry container in a protected area or cover the container with straw or wrap it in burlap.

Varieties for Containers

‘Top Hat’: Bred by the University of Michigan for small spaces and containers.
‘Pink Lemonade’: Pink blueberries contain genetics from rabbiteye blueberries (a standard in the hot South). These pink berries can be planted in nearly every climate.
‘Pink Champagne’: Another pink variety full of antioxidants and sweeter than blue blueberries.

'Pink Lemonade' blueberries — *‘Pink Lemonade’ blueberries*

Care

How to Care for Blueberry Bushes

Mulch to keep shallow blueberry root systems moist, which is essential. Apply a 2- to 4-inch layer of woodchips, saw dust, or pine needles around the bush after planting, but leave a gap around the trunk of the bush to allow for proper air flow. Read more about mulching.
Blueberries need 1 to 2 inches of water per week.
Warning: Blueberries are a favorite snack of hungry birds, so it’s recommended that you protect blueberry bushes ahead of time by draping bird netting over your plants.
One year after planting, apply 1 ounce of 10-10-10 fertilizer per bush in the spring at blooming time, and increase the rate by 1 ounce each year thereafter to a maximum of 8 ounces for mature bushes.
Do not allow the bush to produce fruit for the first year or two after planting. This lets the plant use its energy to get well established in its new home instead.
Pinch back any blossoms developing on newly set plants to allow the energy to go to growth.

How to Prune Blueberry Bushes

For the first 4 years or so after planting, there is no need to prune blueberry bushes. From then on, pruning is needed to stimulate growth of the new shoots that will bear fruit the following season.
Prune plants in late winter or early spring before new growth begins.
Cut out dead, broken, short, weak, and spindly shoots.
On highbush varieties, begin with large cuts, removing wood that is more than 6 years old, drooping to the ground, or crowding the center of the bush. Also remove low-growing branches whose fruit will touch the ground, as well as spindly twigs.
Prune lowbush blueberries by cutting all stems to ground level. Pruned plants will not bear the season following pruning, so prune a different half of a blueberry patch every two years (or a different third of a patch every three years).

Blueberry bush

Pests/Diseases

Birds
Blueberry Maggot
Powdery Mildew

Harvest/Storage

How to Harvest Blueberries

Blueberries are typically ready for picking between June and August.
Don’t rush to pick the berries as soon as they turn blue. Wait a couple days. When they are ready, they should fall off right into your hand.
If you plant 2-year-old blueberry bushes, they should start to bear within a year or two. (Pick off any flowers that form the first year or two after planting, to allow the bush to become established.) Be aware that full production is only reached after about 6 years (depending on variety).

How to Store Blueberries

Blueberries are one of the easiest fruits to freeze. Learn how to properly freeze blueberries so you can have them all winter long.

Blueberries

Recommended Varieties

Blueberries are partially self-fertile, so you will harvest more and larger berries by planting two or more varieties together. Planting more than one variety can also extend the harvest season.

Highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum): A six-foot shrub hardy from Zone 4 to Zone 7.

For withstanding cold winters, choose ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Blueray’, ‘Herbert’, ‘Jersey’, or ‘Meader’.
For big berries, choose ‘Berkeley’, ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Blueray’, ‘Coville’, ‘Darrow’, or ‘Herbert’.
For flavor, usually the main reason for growing your own fruit, choose ‘Blueray’, ‘Darrow’, ‘Herbert’, ‘Ivanhoe’, ‘Pioneer’, ‘Stanley’, or ‘Wareham’.
For something different, try ‘Pink Lemonade’, which produces bright pink blueberries!

Lowbush (Vaccinium angustifolium): For the coldest climates, lowbush varieties are your best bet, hardy from Zone 3 to Zone 7.

These are the blueberries you find in cans on supermarket shelves. When fresh, the fruits are sweet and covered with a waxy bloom so thick that the berries appear sky blue or gray.
The creeping plants, a foot or so high, are spread by underground stems, or rhizomes. They blanket the rocky upland soils of the Northeast and adjacent portions of Canada. Lowbush blueberries make a nice ornamental fruiting ground cover.
Plants sold by nurseries are usually seedlings or unnamed wild plants, rather than named varieties.

Half-High: Breeders have combined qualities of highbush and lowbush blueberries into hybrids known as half-high blueberries.

University of Minnesota introductions include ‘Northcountry’, a variety that grows 18 to 24 inches high and has excellent, mild-flavored, slightly aromatic sky-blue fruits; and ‘Northblue’, which grows 20 to 30 inches high and produces an abundance of dark-blue, nickel-size, somewhat tart fruits-just right for pies.
‘Northland’ is a half-high that grows 3 to 4 feet tall. From Michigan, it has relatively bland, average-quality fruit.

Blueberries for Southern Gardens (Zones 7–9):

Rabbiteye (Vaccinium virgatum): Grown in the southeastern United States, rabbiteye varieties are extremely adaptable, productive, and pest-tolerant. They do, however, have a high degree of self-incompatibility and require two or more varieties be planted together to ensure pollination. Recommended varieties include ‘Powderblue’, ‘Woodard’, ‘Brightwell’.
Southern Highbush (hybrids of V. virgatum, V. corymbosum, or V. darrowii): Southern highbush varieties tend to be pickier and harder to grow than rabbiteyes, but there are a few high-quality varieties that do well. Among these are ‘Emerald’, ‘Windsor’, and ‘Springhigh’.
Read more about blueberries for southern gardens from the University of Florida: Blueberry Gardener’s Guide

Wit & Wisdom

In Ireland, baskets of blueberries are still offered to a sweetheart in commemoration of the original fertility festival of Lammas Day, celebrated on August 1.
Blueberries are one of the few naturally blue foods on earth.
For centuries, Native Americans gathered “star berries” (the blossom end of each berry forms the shape of a perfect five-pointed star) from forests and fields and ate them fresh or dried them for later use.
- Dried blueberries were added to stews, soups and meats.
- Dried berries were also crushed into a powder and rubbed into meat for flavor.
- Blueberry juice was used to cure coughs.
- Blueberry juice was also used as a purple dye for cloth and baskets.
- A tea made from the leaves of the blueberry plant was believed to be good for the blood.
Tired of blueberries? Try growing another berry in your garden, such as strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries!

Recipes

Cooking Notes

Visit our recipe archives to find delicious blueberry recipes ranging from salads to desserts!

Reader Comments

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You purchased Rabbiteye

You purchased Rabbiteye blueberries. It's good that you bought two because they are not self-fertile and you must plant 2 or three varieties that bloom about the same time (which is true for Climax and Premier). Normally, you should have planted the blueberries in February or early March before growth resumes so get them in the ground as soon as possible. According to your local extension, "Space your blueberry bushes by 6 by 12 feet. Each hole should be 18 to 24 inches across and the same depth. Add one-third cubic foot of peat moss to each hole, and mix it with the native soil. Avoid fertilization in the hole. Let the hole stand for two weeks after this to allow the peat moss to become thoroughly damp, adding water as needed. Keep root systems of bare-root plants overed with damp sawdust, hay, or peat moss while you are preparing to plant. Score the root balls of containerized or container-grown plants before planting them, in order to encourage the roots to grow outward. Plants should be set
about one-half inch deeper than they were in the container. After replacing the peat and soil mixture into the hole, tamp it lightly to remove air spaces. Unless rain is likely, water the newly set plants. Cut back shoots on large plants to keep them from being blown over by high winds."

I am a beginner at planting

I am a beginner at planting blueberries and just purchased a Climax Blueberry(Vaccinium ashel)and a Premier Blueberry(Vaccinium sp.)and was wondering what to put in the soil before planting them. Also how do I test the pH level of the soil? Thank you for any advice.

I have a blueberry bush that

I have a blueberry bush that has these hard brown balls on the branches. Thought it was just this one but noticed another bush with it. I mulch heavy with leaves.
Can you tell me what it is and what I should do? thanks so much

You may have stem cankers on

You may have stem cankers on your bushes. It is caused by a fungus. It's important to remove dead and affected branches as soon as possible. Read more about this disease at www.fruit.cornell.edu/berry/ip...

Hi; we are having some

Hi; we are having some trouble keeping blossoms on the bush. It seems that more are falling off of the plant. Even the bees knock the blossoms off. We have netting up, what else can we do ??

Tarilyn and Gary, the

Tarilyn and Gary,

the white /pink blossoms are meant to fall off. Their purpose is to attract a pollinato, once that is done..so are they. The part left behind grows into a blueberry

What about Vaccinium asher or

What about Vaccinium asher or Vaccinjum darrow ?
They are all over the South, even wild in the wood lands.
You can get up to 25 pounds per bush per year
off these plants.
We even have a wild low bush blueberry with bluegreen leaves.

Thank you for all the

Thank you for all the information on this post! I live in zone 7B and have a Duke blueberry bush in my yard. What variety would you recommend I get to pair with it?

As Duke is a Northern

As Duke is a Northern Highbush, you just need to select another Northern Highbush. For example, Bluecrop and Blueray are a popular choices for your zone and widely available.

Ideally you want a pollinator

Ideally you want a pollinator that will be blooming at the same time so you get max. cross pollination.
Duke is early so Reka, Sparta, and Patriot would be fine and all very good plants in their own right.
But of course, now you've limited to a small slice of the growing season. So if you have the room the inclination is always to put in two different late bloomers.

I just purchased 2 blueberry

I just purchased 2 blueberry bushes & it says I need 2 different varieties to get berries. Can I plant 2 of the same kind to get berries or do I need to get another variety?

It's best to get different

It's best to get different varieties of blueberries planted within 100 feet of each other. Unlike some plants, the same blueberry plant cannot be fertilized by their own pollen.

I have a blueberry crop at

I have a blueberry crop at what tempature do you think it would grow best

I would also like to add

I would also like to add rabbits to the list of pests! If your plant is still small, they will nibble branches and new shoots off in a 45° angle. Very annoying!

And when the goats escape

And when the goats escape from the pen...they REALLY enjoy blueberries!

Just wanted to say Thanks to

Just wanted to say Thanks to Almanac editors and community for the wealth of information on this BB forum. I ordered three high-bush varieties this morning on-line, and with your tips pasted into my word document, I feel prepared for arrival of the 2 year rooted crowns.

when is the best time to

when is the best time to plant bluebarries i live in zone 5b

As soon as possible after the

As soon as possible after the plants arrive in early spring, plant them in soil that you prepared the previous season.

Greetings from south central

Greetings from south central PA. I am going to try again to plant blueberry bushes in the Spring. I am concerned about my soil which is dense with shale not far below the surface. Your information advises, "Dig holes about 20 inches deep and 18 inches wide." I expect to need to do a lot of work to get the soil to a suitable condition. How deep do you suggest I go in preparing a suitable growing area? I am going to start with 4 each of 3 varieties. Thanks.

Hi Mary, Dig down about 2

Hi Mary,
Dig down about 2 feet and amend the soil. Make sure that the soil is bit acidic. After you plant your bushes add a layer of mulch.
Good luck!

hello I'm from Bulgaria and I

hello I'm from Bulgaria and I want to sow 15 acres of blueberries. will you give me information on what varieties is better to buy, how to look, what they cost for 4500 units. Could you send me Email varieties here with us because PH is 4.50 to 5.50 and from May to September is 25 to 40 degrees. Can you give me advice on what to do and how to do it. Thank you.

Zdrasti, Any variety will do

Zdrasti,

Any variety will do better than what's presently available. I tasted a few blueberries in BG (Varna) and they were, no offense, terrible. They had huge seeds in them and were bitter. It was not what I had expected and I was disappointed.
(I come from a small farm and knew there was better.)

I would imagine you are looking at about $35-$40 per bush and then add on any delivery and import fees. Quite an expensive undertaking, but once your bushes start growing, I am sure you will make your money back and start seeing plenty of profit by the 10th year.

Късмет!

Be very careful to purchase

Be very careful to purchase from a reputable nursery/wholesaler. We have been stuck by many growers. They don't tell the truth. I would be happy to give you more advice if you need it. Shipping from the US to Bulgaria has to be expensive but you can get great quality bushes for under $5 in the US. Be careful.

Look at the zones in the US for agriculture and apply that to Bulgarian temperatures. Buy bushes that are recommended and grown in that Zone.

chris

Ivan, 15 acres? You

Ivan,
15 acres? You should be growing more than 1000 per acre (based on 4 ft and 10 ft aisles.

You should be buying Tissue Cultured, Virus indexed and paying (at that volume) around 2.00 US per plant. Shipping costs, irrigation, labor, peat will add significantly to your costs.

Do you want to harvest all at one time? Then I'd consider Draper.
If you want to harvest over a period of time: Reka, Blue Crop, Liberty would be my three.
If you are serious I can hook you up with growers and shippers. STEVEAJL@aol.com

I'm reading all the comments

I'm reading all the comments about soil acidity and am concerned. The water in my area is very alkaline. How do I overcome this obstacle?

To lower pH, add common

To lower pH, add common sulfur to your soil. Ferrous sulfate and aluminum sulfate are sometimes used instead. You can also lower the pH of alkaline soil over time by applying compost and manure regularly.

Aluminum sulphate can attack

Aluminum sulphate can attack the delicate fibrous root system of the blue berry plant and kill it.
The run off is also harmful to the environment.
I strongly recommend against using it.
Cottonseed, coffee grounds, hollytone, ammonium sulphate will all lower your ph.
Adding seasoned pine bark or chips of pine wood will help but it must be aged.

Hi there! My father ordered a

Hi there! My father ordered a large bag of blueberry "starts" I guess you'd call them around November 2014. We literally just took them out of the bag they were shipped in (March 2015). Do they even stand a chance? They were kept indoors, not refrigerated. Many thanks for your help!

Hi Tracy, The sooner you get

Hi Tracy,
The sooner you get them in some soil the better. Depending on where you live you can plant them in containers or in the ground. If the "starts" were dormant and were kept in a cool, dark place they may still be OK. Plant them and see what happens.

I live in Southern

I live in Southern California, zone 10b. I planted two blueberry bushes at the same time in my back yard, but on different sides of the yard. One bush gets morning sun, afternoon shade, and has a number of clusters of berries starting to form. The other bush gets morning shade, afternoon sun, and all the leaves have dried up and fallen off. It had flowered first, before the other bush, but the flowers fell off and no berries formed. They both get the exact same amount of water, since the entire back yard is on a timed sprinkler system. What could have happened to this second bush? Is the afternoon sun too much?