How to Grow Blueberries:
Sweet Berries for Years to Come
★ SaveLearning how to grow blueberries is a long-term investment that pays off for decades. A well-planted bush gives sweet berries every summer with little care, and the shrubs make a pretty hedge or border, with white spring flowers and red fall leaves.
The secret is acid soil. If rhododendrons, azaleas, and camellias grow well in your yard, blueberries will too.
From My Garden
We have been growing blueberries for our own use since 1969. I remember when my mom planted the first row. I was working that summer as a forest fire lookout on Tom Rock in the Cascade Mountains. Some of those plants are still alive!
We also have newer plants, including one called Pink Lemonade, which produces pink "blueberries"! It is one of our later varieties. We have planted early, midseason, and late varieties to stretch the blueberry season as long as possible.
There are many commercial blueberry farms near us here in Oregon. But blueberries are easy to grow, and there is nothing like going outside in the morning for a fresh "blueberry snack" right off the bush!
Funny story: some of my nieces, when they were very young, remembered eating blueberries off the bush when they had visited in early summer. They came again at Thanksgiving and ran eagerly to the blueberry patch. They were stunned, and very disappointed, to find no blueberries to pick!
Birds love blueberries as much as we do. Netting is the best protection, but I have seen robins hop up from the ground and climb right up inside the netting to sneak a few berries anyway!
Charlotte
Planning a berry patch?
See our guide to growing fruit and berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, and more.
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Free Blueberry Growing Charts
Click any chart to see it or download it free, then print it for your garden notebook.
Blueberries at a Glance
| Factor | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Sun | Full sun for the best crop; half shade gives a smaller harvest |
| Soil | Acid, pH 4.5 to 5.5, rich in organic matter, well drained |
| Planting time | Early spring or fall |
| Spacing | Highbush 6 feet apart; rabbiteye 7 to 8 feet |
| Pollination | Plant at least two varieties for bigger, better crops |
| Size | Highbush grows about 5 to 6 feet tall |
| First real crop | About the third year; full crops by year 6 to 8 |
| Harvest | Early to late summer, depending on the variety |
Choosing Blueberry Varieties
- Northern highbush: The classic garden blueberry for the North, the Pacific Northwest, and the Midwest. Grows 5 to 6 feet tall.
- Rabbiteye: Best in the Southeast. Takes more heat and needs less winter cold. Grows taller and needs a little more space.
- Southern highbush: A highbush type bred for mild winters.
- Half-high: A shorter, very cold-hardy cross for northern gardens and large containers.
- Pink-fruited: Pink Lemonade bears pink berries with a mild, sweet flavor late in the season. It's a fun one to grow; we have it in our own patch.
Plant at least two varieties. Blueberries can set some fruit on their own, but cross-pollination gives bigger berries and larger harvests. Choose early, midseason, and late varieties, and you'll pick berries from early summer into late summer. Two plants each of a few varieties give plenty to eat fresh, with extra for freezing. Picking the right varieties is the first step in how to grow blueberries well.
Planting Blueberries
- Test your soil. Blueberries need acid soil, pH 4.5 to 5.5. If yours is higher, mix in garden sulfur several months ahead, following the package directions.
- Add lots of organic matter. You can hardly overdo it. Mix peat moss and compost generously into the planting area.
- Plant two-year-old bushes in early spring or fall, at the same depth they grew in the pot, 6 feet apart for highbush (7 to 8 feet for rabbiteye).
- Prune at planting. Rub off any flower buds, cut the bush back by about a quarter, and remove low, weak stems. Don't let plants fruit the first season; it builds strong roots.
- Mulch deeply, 3 to 6 inches of wood chips, sawdust, leaf mold, or compost. Keep adding mulch every year.
Blueberries make a beautiful hedge, a background for the vegetable garden, or a border between properties. Good planting matters more than anything else in how to grow blueberries, because the bushes stay in one spot for decades.
Watering, Mulching, and Fertilizing
Blueberries have shallow roots, so they dry out quickly. Give them 1 to 2 inches of water a week, more while the berries are ripening, and keep the mulch thick. Steady moisture is a big part of how to grow blueberries successfully.
Feed in spring. Use an acid-type fertilizer or an organic one like cottonseed meal: about 1 ounce per plant for each year of age, up to 8 years old. (Nursery plants are usually two years old, so give them 2 ounces the first year.) Plants older than three years can get a second feeding in mid-June.
Mulch changes the amount. Wood chips or leaves use up some nitrogen as they break down, so give about 1 1/2 times as much fertilizer; with sawdust mulch, give twice as much. Avoid fresh manure.
Pruning Established Blueberry Bushes
Prune in late winter, while the bushes are dormant. For the first three years, just remove dead, broken, or low, weak stems. Pruning is the part of how to grow blueberries that keeps old bushes productive.
After that, keep the bush young. Each year, cut one or two of the oldest canes (6 years and older) right down to the ground, and keep 6 to 8 strong canes of different ages. Thin out crowded twigs in the center to let in light. Young canes produce the best berries.
Keeping Birds Away from Blueberries
Birds are the biggest blueberry pest. Given the chance, they can strip a whole crop.
- Netting: The best protection. Black plastic mesh thrown over the bushes, or over a simple frame, lasts for years. Close the bottom so birds can't walk in underneath.
- Scare devices: Shiny streamers, "scare eye" balloons, and hawk-shaped "scare birds" help for a while. Move them often, because birds quickly learn they aren't a real threat.
- Scarecrows: Fun and useful for a while too. See our vegetable garden scarecrows.
Some desperate growers have even tried noise cannons, trained hawks, and loud music. Hopefully you won't need to!
Harvesting Blueberries
★ SaveWait about a week after the berries turn fully blue. Blueberries don't get sweeter after picking, only softer, and berries picked too soon are sour. Ripe ones roll off into your hand with a gentle touch. Patience at picking time is the last lesson in how to grow blueberries.
Pick every few days. Berries on a bush ripen a few at a time over several weeks.
Storing: refrigerate unwashed berries and rinse just before eating. To freeze, spread dry berries on a tray, freeze, then pack them in bags. See how to freeze vegetables for more.
How to Grow Blueberries in Containers
No acid soil? Grow blueberries in pots. Choose a half-high or compact variety, use a container of at least 15 to 20 gallons, and fill it with a potting mix made for acid-loving plants (the kind sold for azaleas and rhododendrons).
Water often, since pots dry out fast, and grow two varieties for better pollination. In cold areas, move the pots to a sheltered spot for winter. See our container gardening guide.
Starting New Blueberry Plants
Most gardeners buy two-year-old plants, but you can start new ones from bushes you already have:
- Cuttings: In early spring, while plants are dormant, take 4-inch cuttings from one-year-old shoots with leaf buds only (fruit buds are fatter). Root them in moist rooting mix, under a clear plastic cover to hold in humidity, and plant them out when they have roots.
- Mound layering: Pile soil around new shoots at the base of a bush in two or three stages as they grow. Roots form inside the mound, and you can cut off and plant the rooted shoots.
Blueberry Questions
- How long until blueberries produce?
- You'll get a few berries in the second or third year, and full crops by year 6 to 8. Well-cared-for bushes keep producing for decades.
- Do I need two blueberry bushes?
- You'll get bigger berries and larger crops by planting at least two different varieties that bloom at the same time.
- What pH do blueberries need?
- Acid soil, pH 4.5 to 5.5. Test your soil, and lower the pH with garden sulfur if needed.
- Why are my blueberry leaves turning yellow?
- Often the soil isn't acid enough, so the plant can't take up iron. Test the pH and add sulfur or an acid fertilizer.
- How do I keep birds off my blueberries?
- Cover the bushes with netting before the berries turn blue, and close it at the bottom. Scare devices help for a while if you move them often.
- Can I grow blueberries in a pot?
- Yes. Use a half-high or compact variety in a 15- to 20-gallon pot filled with an acid potting mix.
For more on acid soil and pruning, see the University of Minnesota Extension.
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