Plump, juicy blueberries aren’t just delicious. They’re high in nutrients, antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins. Fortunately, for very little effort, blueberries are easy to grow—if you have the right soil conditions. See our Blueberry Growing Guide to learn how to how to plant, care for, prune, and harvest your blueberry bushes.
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!
- 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.
- Plus, blueberries are one of nature’s superfoods, crammed with essential nutrients, minerals and health-boosting polyphenols.
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.)
Reader Comments
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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?
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.
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