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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Blueberries do best in full

Blueberries do best in full sun but they do tolerate some shade. We suggest that you check the soil around the sad bush. Blueberries prefer moist, well-drained acidic soil that has been amended with compost. The pH value should be between 4.5 and 5.5.

I live in southern Arizona

I live in southern Arizona and you problem could be the sun is hottervin the afternoon then in the morning which I know that here plants have a harder time with the afternoon sun giving it shade for afternoon or moving it to an area closer to you other plant may be a good idea. Even though plants say they need full sun doesn't always mean it can handle it when 100+ temps get to the summer heat as it does here and probably there in Ca.

All that I have heard, you

All that I have heard, you need 2 different types of blueberries to be grown near each other. They need cross pollination in order to get a good crop of blueberries. Lots of acidity to your soul as well.

will blueberrys grow well in

will blueberrys grow well in half whiskey barrels? I live in south louisiana

Hi Carroll, Blueberries do

Hi Carroll,
Blueberries do well in containers. Select a variety that doesn't grow too tall or big. Make sure that the barrel has adequate drainage since blueberries don't like to have ‘wet feet.’ Drill at least 6 good-size holes in the bottom.

Hi! I live in Manila where

Hi! I live in Manila where the sun is hot during summer and the wind is cold at night during Dec-Feb. I keep my aircondition open at night and managed to grow some strawberry seeds after a few patient months. Can i grow blueberries from the frozen blueberry packs in the grocery and could I probably use the same technique as with aircondition?

I recently came into 20

I recently came into 20 potted blueberry plants. It's December in NY. We have a break in the weather for the next few days - 40 to 50 degrees. Should I try to plant them or store them in a makeshift greenhouse until spring?

I'd keep them in containers.

I'd keep them in containers. You probably can't set out new blueberries until after frost. Plus, you have to get the soil ready-- you need well-drained, light, sandy loam soils that's high in organic matter and has a pH between 4.5 and 5.5. If the soil pH in the container is not between 4.0-5.5 then work large quantities of such materials as peat moss, oak leaves, pine needles or sulfur into the soil.
Blueberries do need some winter chill to produce but not too cold. So bring the containers into an unheated shed or garage during winter months. It should say in the 30 to 34 degree range--no colder. Check the container soil once in a while to make sure it doesn't dry out and water if you need to.
If they are young blueberries, they probably won't produce the first year or two. See how it goes!

Hi, I live in Upstate NY zone

Hi, I live in Upstate NY zone 5a. I have 10 bb bushes, Bluecrop and Vaccinio. They are 8-10 years old and only about 3 foot tall. I used to get tons of blueberries and now only three trees produce. They all have nice leaves but not a lot. I have never pruned them for they all look dead and I wouldn't have anything left if I removed what looked dead. I have never seen a new shoot yet. We thought it was because of the harsh winters so we started putting huge heavy plastic tubs on them with huge cut out doors so snow could get in but not allow the snow to crush them. Was/is this a bad move? Should I be putting 3-4 inches of straw on them instead? We water and use Miracle Gro Miracid every two weeks during the spring and summer. Thanks for your help!

For winter protection it's

For winter protection it's better to add a thick layer of mulch around your bushes (about 6 inches thick). Bark, pine needles or straw works well. The bushes should be pruned once a year to ensure good fruit production. Prune late in the winter or early spring when the plants are still completely dormant. Remove any diseased, weak or spindly branches.

Try adding sulfur to your

Try adding sulfur to your plants to make the soil more acid. Blueberries won't produce much fruit if the soils is not acid enough. I add sulfur to my blueberries every fall. Also, you could be adding too much nitrogen with your Miracle Grow. The N ration should be smaller than the P and K.

I would test your PH also

I would test your PH also fertilize in march, read up on what type of fertilizer and PH blueberries like.

You're killing them wiht an

You're killing them wiht an excessive of Miracid.

Miracid is not organic, it's quick acting and can burn.

Blueberries need very little fertilizer. Hollytone is organic and slow acting, you should use no more than 1/2 cup over the course of a years.

I live in North Western

I live in North Western Alaska, in a small village of Eek. And we have a lot if wild blueberries around on the Tundra. And we don't need to plant anything, we have all the berries. That includes: Salmonberries, Red Berries, Cranberries, Blackberries, Raspberries, and other berries i know in Yu'pik but cannot translate them. Yeah. Living in Wild Alaska in a remote town is kind of peaceful. :) Anyway, i'm not trying to brag....but i am. So...have fun planting berries :)

Hi Kiara, ive always wanted

Hi Kiara, ive always wanted to live where i could be self sufficient. Thats not going to happen, but I enjoy watching the Alaskan shows. Anyway, I can enjoy planting berries here in the subdivision, in New York. Your post got me daydreaming thats all.

I am planning to grow

I am planning to grow highbush blueberries in Turkey for commercial purposes. I bought a land and now I am at the stage of preparing the soil for plantation next year. I might buy 1 year old seedlings next year but I want to experiment with growing seedlings from seeds. I read at ehow.com that "Most blueberries do not self-pollinate -- they need a nearby mate with similar genetic qualities to fertilize their flowers. This means blueberries are an unpredictable lot whose offspring seldom duplicate either parent. For this reason, it's usually better to purchase seeds collected by plant societies that contain known cultivars". So I am looking for a company or institution where I could buy reliable seeds. Can you please let me know about such companies or societies. Thanks.

I am going to assume that you

I am going to assume that you want seeds to get around some import restrictions.
It is a difficult process and adds years onto the time you have to wait for a bountiful crop.
A single cultivar (take BLUE CROP) as an example are really one plant that has been split and asexually reproduced millions of times. So genetically all the blue crop blueberry bushes around the world are, in a very real sense, one plant.
Man is contradicting nature that wants to produce diversity as a survival technique. The only way that I know that can get a seed of bluecrop is to put the plant in sterile conditions, cover each blossom and attempt to introduce its own pollin at a propitious moment.
Even that might not be successful, blue crop, in it's relentless drive to preserve its gene pool through diversity, might reject it's own pollen.

I live in Illinois, and the

I live in Illinois, and the PH of the soil is around 6. I've applied soil acidifier, and have mixed in peat moss, but the PH hasn't declined much. So if I go ahead and plant the blueberries, and the PH stays high for awhile, what will happen? Will the plants die, or will they live but not produce any blueberries? Or will they make blueberries, but they'll be few and far between and puny in size? Thanks for your help!

Make sure the soil around the

Make sure the soil around the plant is what they like and they will be fine. It can take a while for the soil acidifier to work so dont over do it.

Mr. B.

I live in the Toronto,

I live in the Toronto, Ontario area. I was given a pot with three varieties of blueberry plants in it. It was bought like this at a local garden centre. It's quite lovely with an abundance of blueberries on it.
The tag attached states that it's "a cold resistant fruiting shrub and self polinating....great to plant in the garden but our decorative pot makes them right at home on the patio." It also states it will grow to 2.5' high and 3' wide.
I don't believe my garden would have enough sun for this plant so I was hoping I could leave it in the pot on our patio. Will this be ok with our cold snowy winters? What do you suggest that I do please? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!

If you can't move the

If you can't move the container into an unheated garage or shed the best thing to do is to dig a big hole and "plant" the container with the blueberries in the hole. Bury it deep enough so that the top of the container is slightly covered with soil. Fill in around the container as you would with a plant and then add mulch on top of the soil for extra protection.

It will freeze and die unless

It will freeze and die unless you plant it in a 20 gallon plus container or bring in into a warmer area.

Mr. B.

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.

I would ask local farmers. Mr

I would ask local farmers.

Mr B.

I want planting the

I want planting the Blueberries in India Gujarat State
Soil--black cottan
Temp-summer-25 to 45'C
Winter-7 to 15' c
Monsoon-25 to 35'c

Blueberries must have good

Blueberries must have good drainage. If you have a monsoon season, will the bushes be in soggy wet soil for a long time? They probably will not like that.

This is the first year and

This is the first year and the plant is producing a fruit that is small and red in color. All are red now. Will they turn blue and how soon ? thanks

Maybe it's not a blueberry

Maybe it's not a blueberry plant.

Hi Joel, Some varieties of

Hi Joel,
Some varieties of blueberries turn pink or red before turning blue. You should have some ripe blue berries soon.

Hello there! I am in southern

Hello there! I am in southern California and am having a hard time with reviving my sister's blueberry bush. Right now it is in a medium size pot in her backyard and looks as if it is almost completely dead. I dont know what to do. Can you please help?