How to Plant Blueberries at Home
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Learn How to Plant Blueberries at Home with this simple tutorial. It’s simple to grow fruit in your garden and blueberries are a great way to start!
Imagine the flavor of blueberry pancakes or muffins made with blueberries freshly picked from your own backyard. This is an attainable goal, and if you have a patch of ground and a sunny location, you can discover the reward of picking fresh blueberries.
Fresh blueberries are far superior to frozen or canned blueberries, and are loaded with vitamins C and A, fiber and antioxidants. Blueberry bushes are practical, ornamental, and add interest and color to the home landscape.
Buying Blueberry Plants
Choose the right type: In Oklahoma’s climate, Rabbiteye and Southern Highbush types often do well, but Highbush varieties can also succeed with proper soil prep.
Pollination: While some varieties are self-fertile, planting two different varieties helps increase fruit set and yields.
Soil prep: Blueberries need acidic, well-drained soil — if your garden is alkaline, you may want to plant in containers with an acid-loving soil mix.
Sun and water: Full sun (6+ hours) and consistent moisture help plants thrive.
When to plant blueberries
Start two weeks before planting time and prepare an area that measures approximately two feet square and two feet deep for each plant. Work the soil well with a hoe or shovel, removing all weeds, and picking out rocks and clumps of soil. Add two or three shovels full of manure, compost or peat moss to the soil to improve drainage and add nutrients.
The best time to plant blueberry bushes is in early spring, as soon as there is no danger of frost in your area.
How to Plant Blueberries
Dig a hole as deep as the bush’s root system and double the width, then plant the bush in the hole. Let water run into the hole slowly until the hole is filled, and then turn the water off and wait for it to soak completely into the soil. When it does, refill the hole with soil. Leave three to five feet of space between each bush.
Surround the bush with about three inches of mulch, which will help to keep weeds under control. Don’t allow weeds to become established because they will sap moisture and nutrients from the blueberry’s shallow root system.
Water the blueberry bush lightly several times a week during the growing season. The soil should be moist, but never allow it to become soggy, and don’t let water pool on top of the soil. An inch of water per week should be plenty unless the weather is very hot and dry.
Prune young blueberry bushes early each spring. Until they mature, they will only need a light pruning, which entails just trimming off thin, spindly branches, and any branches that look diseased or dead. Check out how to winterize your blueberries every year.
When the blueberry bush is about 7 or 8 years old, it will need a slightly more drastic pruning. The bush will be healthier and will bear more fruit if you remove a third of the older branches every spring. Continue to do light pruning as needed.
Growing Fruit
For more ideas about growing fruit at home, check these out:
