Blueberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow.
Everything You Need to Know to Grow Blueberries That Are Bursting with Flavor
The Almanac Garden Planner - Use It Free for 7 Days!
Plan your 2025 garden with our award-winning Garden Planner.
Planting
When to Plant Blueberry Bushes
- Blueberries can be planted in spring or also in late fall in all but the coldest regions. In Zones 5 and below, it’s best to wait until early to mid-spring to plant.
- If available, 1- to 3-year-old plants are a good choice. These can be bought in containers or bare-root. In either case, buy from a reputable nursery or website.
Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site
- Select a sunny, sheltered spot. While blueberries tolerate 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 block out sunlight and suck up any moisture in the soil.
- If planting multiple bushes, it’s best to plant them in a group rather than scattered throughout your garden. This will bolster berry production and quality.
- Blueberries are a shallow-rooted plant. Therefore, they require soil that holds moisture but also drains well and doesn’t stay wet. Don’t plant blueberries in sites with 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 and 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 preparing soil for planting.)
How to Plant Blueberry Bushes
- Tip: Be careful not to plant them too deeply. The rootball should be just below the surface (one-quarter to one-half inch).
- Dig holes about 20 inches deep and 18 inches wide (or about twice as wide and twice as deep as the plant’s roots).
- 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 the rootball just below the surface with its roots spread out. Pack the hole tightly with the 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.
Types
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.
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.
- The University of Minnesota introductions include ‘Northcountry’,v 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 to be planted together to ensure pollination. Recommended varieties include ‘Powderblue’, ‘Woodard’, and ‘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.
Harvesting
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 of 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 freeze blueberries so you can have them all winter long.
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 the bush 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, cover it with straw, or wrap it in burlap.
Blueberry Varieties for Containers
- ‘Top Hat’: Bred by the Michigan State University 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 that is full of antioxidants and sweeter than other blueberries.
Catherine Boeckmann
ADVERTISEMENT
I live in Nebraska and would love to plant a blueberry and raspberry bushes. Are blueberry and raspberry bushes hardy enough to grow in Nebraska with colder temperatures?
Both blueberries and raspberries grow very well in colder regions. Go to your local garden center and see what varieties they have to offer.
Go to http://hortupdate.unl.edu/Blueberries to read about growing blueberries in Nebraska.
Go to http://hortupdate.unl.edu/Raspberry to read about growing raspberries in Nebraska.
The "banger", compressed air gun, goes off every10-15 minutes for several weeks, end of July and into August. It drives neighbors, summer visitors, dogs, etc. up the wall or under the table. I have read that the birds can actually locate fields by listening for the blast. An old guy in the neighborhood swears this is the only way to protect the crop, another claims that the loss from birds is not significant, unless it is a flock of Biblical proportion. Could the banger technique be a carry over, like a rural myth? For example: We used to plow to warm the soil in early spring but now know that "no till "is more productive and stops erosion.) I believe there must be a quiet solution. Ideas?
Quick Question: I planted a Vaccinium Corymbosum blueberry bush today, do I need to get another bush for it to produce blueberries or will this bush produce berries by itself ?
Blueberry plants are self-fertile, so no worries. However, it’s always good to have different varieties to aide pollination to ensure you get fruit.
I live in North Florida, we just bought a house that has some blueberry bushes, they appear to be young. When and how should we fertilize them?
Wanda, Here’s is advice on fertilizing blueberries from the UF extension:
“Blueberries respond best to frequent, light fertilization. They can be killed or damaged by over-fertilization. It is best to be conservative and gradually increase fertilizer rates as you gain experience with your soil type and the kinds of fertilizer you are using.
Do not put fertilizer in the planting hole. After planting, when the soil is well settled from irrigation or rainfall, give un-mulched plants 1 ounce per plant of 12-4-8 (N-P2O5-K2O) with 2% magnesium (Mg). Use ammoniacal nitrogen or nitrogen from urea or organic sources, rather than from nitrate sources. Chlorine levels should be as low as possible, preferably below 2%. A special formulation called “blueberry special” is available in Florida and meets these requirements. Another possibility is “camellia-azalea” fertilizers. Many of these fertilizers are suitable for blueberries, and they are usually readily available in small quantities for home gardeners. Spread fertilizer evenly over a circle 2 feet in diameter with the plant in the center. Repeat this procedure in April, June, August, and October. If plants are heavily mulched, use 1.5 ounces per plant per application rather than 1 ounce because some of the fertilizer will be unavailable for plant uptake. During the second year, use 2 ounces of 12-4-8 per plant per application and spread it evenly over a 3-foot diameter circle. In the third year and beyond, use 3 ounces of fertilizer per plant per application spread evenly over a 4-foot diameter circle, or broadcast in a continuous band 3–4 feet wide, centered on the plant row. These are general guidelines and should be adjusted based on plant performance. Slightly more fertilizer may be required if plants are heavily mulched. However, more often than not, cultivated blueberries suffer more from over-fertilization than from lack of fertilization.”
Quick question about cross pollination. I'm brand new to gardening. I bought a pink lemonade blueberry bush without knowing anything about blueberry bushes. Everything I read says that it's better to have two bushes of different variety. Why a different variety? Could I just get a second pink lemonade bush?
Blueberries have both male and female organs on the same flower, but not all are self-pollinating. Pink lemonade is fully self-pollinating and you don’t need a different variety for cross pollination. Some growers suggest that the berries will be bigger and sweeter if you grow a different variety nearby. For best fruiting choose to plant a rabbiteye variety like ‘Climax’ or ’Tifblue’.
I live in Costa Rica and have property with good water and lots of sun. I want to grow something and I just happen to love blueberries. Is this viable
