Backyard Re-Design: Planting Blueberries

As I've mentioned before the 4 year old is a picky eater. One of his favorite fruits is blueberries and he can eat them by the bucket! I learned this when he helped get them ready to sell last year.  To the left of the new children's play area we are going to start with 3 bushes and today we are going to pick them out.

Blueberries like well drained, acidic soil, high in organic matter. The ideal PH is between 4 and 5. I don't think we will test the PH level unless we have some difficulties down the road.

For best results use 1 to 3 year old bushes and plant in early Spring, so now is the perfect time. Holes need to be 20 inches long and 18 inches wide. I'm going to have the 4 year old help by using the measuring tape to be sure we have the right dimensions.  He won't even realize we are working on number recognition.  Space the bushes about 5 feet apart.  Blueberries are partially self-fertile. To harvest more and larger berries it is best to plant 2 or more varieties so we are going to get 3 different bushes.

They need to 2 to 4 inches of mulch in order to keep their shallow root system moist. Either wood chips, saw dust, or pine needles work best.  We are not going to mulch this weekend since the ground is pretty saturated and we will be adding some dry Fertilome to the soil (which is always my preference since our soil tends to have a little too much clay.) They only need one to two inches of water per week so once we hit that dry July and August weather we will run our hose over there a couple times a week.

We will have to pinch the blooms back the first couple of years or there will never be much fruit and what does produce will be bitter or tart.  I sure hope these little boys understand and wait patiently.  It looks like this year we will have to pick up our berries at the store.

After 4 years the plants will need to be pruned in late winter just before growth begins. Pruning important to stimulate growth.

Pruning High Bush Varieties: Start with large cuts and remove 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.

Pruning Low Bush Varieties: Prune by cutting all stems to the ground.

NOTE: PRUNED PLANTS WILL NOT BEAR THE SEASON FOLLOWING PRUNING, SO PRUNE A DIFFERENT HALF OF A PLANTING EVERY OTHER YEAR OR A THIRD EVERY THREE YEARS.

Fruit is ready to harvest between late July and mid-August. Don't rush to pick the day the berries turn blue. Waiting just a couple of days will ensure the berries are sweet, tender, and juicy.  Full production will be reached after 6 years.  Again, it is recommended to pinch the blooms off at least the first to second year to stimulate plant growth and better fruit production.

High bush varieties will reach about 6 feet and are adapted for zones 4-7. Low bush varieties are best for colder climates and are creeping plants only a foot or so high and spread by underground stems. Low bush varieties make a nice ornamental fruiting ground cover. Half-high bushes were developed in Michigan and can be anywhere from 18 inches to 4 feet tall producing a grayish looking berry. Some are tart and great for pies.

We are picking out 3 different high bush varieties today. I can hardly wait to get them in the ground and in just a couple of years the boys (and their granna) can go out and grab a handful of these rich in antioxidants, super fruit!