How to Grow Blueberries

Along with lip-smacking sweetness, flower and foliage are also worthy reasons to grow blueberries. White, bell-shaped blossoms make a lovely addition to a spring garden and fiery scarlet foliage adds drama to a fading autumn landscape. In addition to taste and appearance, blueberries are ripe with medical advantages; they help lower cholesterol and studies suggest that blueberries also reduce the risk of some cancers.

Types of Blueberries

1. Highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) are those usually found in the produce department of your grocery. As you might expect, they are named because the bushes grow to 6-feet in height. Fruits are large, from ½ to an inch in diameter. Depending on variety, highbush blueberries are hardy from Zones 4 through 11.

2. Lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) generally reach no more than 18-inches in height. Propagated from shoots spread through underground runners, lowbush blueberries form low mats of plants that produce best on a two-year cycle. The first year is the growth year and the second year is the fruiting year. The sweet, quarter-inch fruits of lowbush blueberries commonly are known as Wild Blueberries and are hardy in Zones 3 through 6.

3. Half-high blueberries (V. corymbosum x V. angustifolium) are a hybrid between lowbush and highbush cultivars. Although shorter than high-bush blueberries, half-high grow in much the same way as their taller relatives. Taste and size meet halfway between highbush and lowbush. An extra advantage for the northern grower is that half-high blueberries were especially bred to withstand the heavy snowfalls and cold winters of inland North America and are hardy to Zone 3.

4. Rabbiteye blueberries (Vaccinium ashei), native to the Southeastern United States, are the tallest of the blueberry bushes, reaching up to 10-feet in height. Because of their thick skins, rabbiteye blueberries are able to withstand southern heat in zones seven through nine.

Site Selection

All types of blueberries grow best in full sun. Plants tolerate partial shade, but production declines as shade increases. Blueberries are shallow rooted and poor competitors against large rooted trees, shrubs, and weeds that compete for water, nutrients, and crowd airways necessary to good blueberry production.

The most important element is growing blueberries is soil composition. To make the most of your blueberry planting, begin necessary soil amendments the year before planting. Blueberries grow best in loose, sandy loam. Although you may run across wild blueberries growing in a bog, on closer inspection you'll see that plants grow on small, natural hills.

Blueberries need moisture retentive, well-drained, humus-rich soil with good aeration. Soil acidity is also very important in growing blueberries. Plants need a pH of 4.0 to no more than 5.0 to thrive. Initially, bring the pH down to acceptable levels with sulphur or 4 to 6 inches of acid peat mixed into the first 6 to 8 inches of topsoil. Also, enrich soil with good organic compost.

Planting blueberries

Although most blueberries self-pollinate, plant two or more varieties within a type for a larger harvest of more voluptuous fruits. Five plants provide enough blueberries for fresh eating, drying, and preserving for a family of four.

Plant blueberries in spring after all danger of frost passes. When growing several plants, you may find it easier to prepare a bed rather than digging holes for individual plants. Add a generous portion of peat moss to your trench or hole both to increase the organic content and to ensure continued soil acidity.

Standard spacing for highbush, half-high, and rabbiteye bushes is five to six feet apart in rows eight to ten feet distant. Dig holes or make your row three to four inches deeper than the size of the root balls. Pack soil firmly around the roots of each plant.

Plant lowbush varieties one to three feet apart in rows three to four feet distant. Cover about a third of the top stems with soil to encourage runners to develop.

Once established, a blueberry bush may remain productive for decades with just a minimum of care. The second part of this article is available on the www.gardening-guides.com. The site Linda writes for.

Linda is an author of Gardening Tips Tricks and Howto's. The next part of this article is available at our site Gardening-Guides.com,
where you can also download the whole series as a free full color e-book. Just follow the links.

---

Flowers That Beautify Your Home and Garden

To help gardeners choose flowers, various systems for rating hardiness... Read More

Mix Perennials into Your Garden for Staying Power

Perennial plants and flowers stay around for more than just... Read More

Planting Roses

The art of planting roses doesn't have to be a... Read More

To Salt or Not to Salt Your Pond

The important question of whether or not to add salt... Read More

The Perfect Garden Sundial

Is it possible for a garden sundial to tell perfect... Read More

Themes of Shade

A Shade Garden can be created in any of several... Read More

How to Grow Asparagus

Asparagus is a perennial plant with erect, edible stems and... Read More

Homemade Hummingbird Nectar

HUMMINGBIRD NECTAR RECIPEWe love hummingbirds and love to watch them... Read More

How to Grow Sweet Corn

Purchased corn, whether on the cob or in a can... Read More

The Importance of Garden Decor

The Quest for SignificancePeople are looking for ways to add... Read More

How to Grow Cooking Herbs

Grow your own cooking herbs to add fresh zest and... Read More

The Benefits of Using Landscape Software

If you enjoy making your yard as beautiful as it... Read More

Mint: The Herb of Hospitality

The Mentha species or mints as they are commonly called... Read More

Patio Design and Patio Furniture - The Use of Focal Points

A focal point is an important design element; it is... Read More

9-11 Changed Everything for the Garden Tractor Business

While traveling the US and occasionally taking the back highways... Read More

Using Push Reel Mowers

If you're not familiar with push reel mowers or if... Read More

Garden for Birds #4

I would like to know...WHO STOLE SUMMER???What did you do... Read More

Online Garden Seed Exchanges

If you've been gardening for any length of time you... Read More

Orchid Myths -The Truth

Here are some of the popular orchid myths#1 Orchids are... Read More

Everyone Loves Flowers

Flowers Truly Reach Your Soul.Flowers are a heartfelt, natural way... Read More

Viburnum

Viburnums are related to the honeysuckles, so it should come... Read More

Roses and Juniper Rock Gardens

Wide circle driveways don't happen much anymore, but when they... Read More

Aluminium And Wooden Greenhouses

An important addition to any British back garden, greenhouses are... Read More

How to Find and Work With a Porch Swing Contractor To Install the Porch Swing of Your Dreams

You've found a great Porch Swing and you know exactly... Read More

Fountains of Refreshment

When hot, sticky days hit, try to use all your... Read More

Gardening is Good Therapy

Many of us garden just for the sheer joy of... Read More

A Bit About Bare Root Roses...

Scents from the rose garden filling the air as you... Read More

Plan for Winter Plantings

Part four in a seriesIt's hard to think about winter... Read More

What to Feed Your Fish During Colder Winter Months

With air and water temperatures dropping in most parts of... Read More

Flowering Cherries

Flowering cherries While the briefness of their... Read More

5 Secrets to Growing Beautiful Roses

A rose is a rose is a rose - and... Read More

7 Factors Needed for a Compost Pile

Compost, made from decomposed grass clippings, leaves, twigs, and branches,... Read More

Outdoor Furniture: Exploring the Benefits of Teak

Of the many types of materials that are available for... Read More