Blueberry
Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus
Learn how to care for blueberry bushes along with its history and classification details.
Hardiness Zone: 3-9
Soil Type: Acidic
Sun Exposure: Full sun
Annual or Perennial: Perennial
Type: Fruit bush
History: Blueberries, native to North America, have been part of life here for 13,000 years. The first high bush blueberry bush was successfully cultivated for commercial production in the early 1900’s. The blueberry is a symbol of weakened vitality, followed immediately by recovery.
How to Care for Blueberry Bushes
How do I plant blueberries?
Select a sunny location with well-drained soil that is free of weeds and is well-worked. It’s best to locate your blueberry plants in an area where irrigation is readily available as best results will be achieved by keeping the root zone moist throughout the growing season.
When is the best time to plant?
The best time to plant blueberries is fall, by mid-October, or in early spring.
How do I propagate blueberries?
Select a healthy-looking stem that’s one year old (last year’s new growth) and cut it into 5 inch (13 cm.) lengths. Stick the cuttings in growing medium and keep them warm and moist. By spring they should have rooted and produced new growth and be ready to transplant outside.
Can I grow blueberries in a pot?
Yes, you can grow agave in a pot, take care, it may outgrow the pot at some point.
How much should I water blueberries?
Blueberries should be watered 1-2 inches per week.
Do I need to fertilize blueberries?
Blueberries should be fertilized infrequently.
When does blueberries bloom?
Blueberries will bloom in spring and summer.
How do I know when blueberries are ripe?
Ripe blueberries are plump and deep blue with a dusting of gray on the surface.
When do I harvest blueberries?
Blueberries are best to pick between June and August.
What is the best way to store blueberries?
It’s important to refrigerate fresh berries after a grocery delivery, trip to the store or visit to the u-pick farm. You can keep them in the original plastic clamshell or in a covered bowl or container.
Is a blueberry a fruit or a vegetable?
The blueberry is a fruit.
Should I plant any companion plants?
Plant blueberries near flowers like lilacs and azaleas. Lilacs attract pollinators and provide shade with its fragrant blossoms. Towering, lush rhododendrons and azaleas offer shade and attractive blossoms.
What are the health benefits of the blueberry?
Blueberries can help in boosting immunity and can reduce the risk of diabetes, obesity and heart diseases.
How do I winterize blueberries?
Protecting blueberries over winter by covering the plants and mulching around them can be beneficial. It is important when covering the plants to trap heat much like a small greenhouse.
Blueberry and Yogurt Parfait
Greek yogurt, crunchy homemade granola, and fresh fruit all layered together with an optional drizzle of honey on top in this super simple fruit and yogurt parfait with granola.
You’ll never regret eathing blueberries or working up a sweat.
~Jacquelyn Mitchard