Jump to:
Blueberries are a fun plant for the home gardener to grow. You can enjoy them fresh or whip up blueberry recipes such as blueberry thyme jam or blueberry lemon loaf cake.
If you have a vegetable garden or an herb garden already, you'll find growing your own fruit an easy next step.
Blueberry plants do equally well in raised bed gardens, in containers, or in ground, if you give them what they want.
“They require some attention so they’re a good crop if you have gardening experience under your belt,” says Christy Wilhelmi. Wilhemi is the founder of Gardenerd and author of Grow Your Own Mini Fruit Garden.
“You’ll need to do some homework, too, to learn your soil’s pH level because blueberries prefer acidic soil.” The best soil pH for blueberries is between 4.8 and 5.2.
The only way to find out your soil's pH is to test it. An inexpensive home testing kit usually is sufficient.
“For soil pH close to 6 or higher, it’s often better to plant berries in containers. It’s easier to start with the correct pH by using an acidic planting mix, such as for rhododendrons,” says Wilhelmi. “If you try to adjust your pH with amendments in planting beds, it’s easy to overdo it.”
Want to plant your blueberries in the ground? If you need to make soil pH adjustments, you should plan to make tweaks at least one year before planting. Adjusting the pH takes time. You'll need to retest pH again after amendments have been added.
Here’s what else you need to know about how to grow blueberries:
Blueberry Highlights
- Common Name: Blueberry
- Botanical Name: Vaccinium spp.
- Plant Family: Ericaceae
- Type of Plant: Shrub
- Native Origin: North America
- Sun Exposure: Full sun
- Preferred Soil Type/pH Range: Well-draining/ Acidic 4.5 to 5.2
- Mature Size: 2 to 4 feet wide by 6 to 10 feet tall
- Hardiness Zones: 3 to 10
What kind of blueberries should I plant?
Depending on the climate in your region, certain blueberry varieties will grow better than others. For example, home gardeners in warm climates need to look for types that require low chill hours.
“If you choose a plant that doesn’t get enough cold, it won’t set buds or develop fruit,” says Wilhelmi.
Be sure to choose a variety that will survive winters in your USDA Hardiness zone. (Find your zone here.) Your local nursery or your university county coop extension also can offer guidance on what cultivars, or cultivated varieties, of blueberries grow well in your part of the country. (Find your nearest extension here.)
When should I plant blueberries?
You can plant blueberries in spring or fall. You can buy bare-root types (with no soil attached) or containers that may be one to three years old. The more mature plants may be more expensive, but will bear fruit more quickly.
Though it means you won't have fruit for a couple years, we also recommend you strip off the fruit buds in the first and second growing seasons. This will allow more foliage and deeper roots to develop.
Be sure to add a layer of mulch around the bushes to keep down weeds and retain moisture, says Wilhelmi. Another benefit to mulch: It'll break down over time and contribute to fungal activity. This helps to maintaining acidic pH levels.
How do I care for blueberries?
Pick a spot which gets 6 or more hours of full sun. Although blueberries can tolerate some dappled shade, they won’t bloom and produce well, says Wilhelmi.
They also require lots of moisture and don’t like to dry out, so keep them watered. Stick your fingers two knuckles deep into the garden bed or container. If soil clings to your finger, you don’t need to water yet. If it’s dry, add some water.
Should I fertilize my blueberry plants?
The first year, feed your plants about a month after planting. For established plants, feed in-ground plants them at the beginning of the season, then mid-season.
Feed plants in containers every 4 to 6 weeks because nutrients will leach out quickly. Use a fertilizer specific for acid-loving plants. “The second and third numbers on the fertilizer package are what matters most for blueberries,” says Wilhelmi. “If you give them too much nitrogen (N), they produce lots of foliage but not a lot of flowers or fruit.”
How many blueberry bushes should I plant?
Figure on planting 1 to 2 bushes per person, suggests Wilhelmi. Also, while blueberries are self-pollinating, they’ll produce a bigger crop if you plant different types near each other.
How do I protect my blueberries?
It’s true: Your wild neighbors are just as eager for the first harvest as you are!
One option: You can drape bird netting over your plants. Place the netting on stakes that are topped with plastic cups to hold it up.
Another option is deer fencing. This is thicker and less easy for small critters to get entangled in, says Wilhelmi.
Either way you'll want to install the protection when the plants are done flowering and are beginning to set fruit.
USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 8
USDA Hardiness Zone 5 to 10
USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 8
USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 7
Arricca Elin SanSone has written about health and lifestyle topics for Prevention, Country Living, Woman's Day, and more. She’s passionate about gardening, baking, reading, and spending time with the people and dogs she loves.
