Bountiful Blueberries

Wow!  It has been almost a month since I last blogged.  When I was thinking of what my next topic would be, I had a lot to choose from.  Well, a home visit yesterday sealed the deal.  I went to look at some blueberry bushes.  They were totally loaded with berries, not quite ripe.  The gentleman told me he had picked 5 gallons of berries the previous year, and wanted to make sure all was well with his shrubs, as he had noticed some twigs die back.  It turns out that he has nothing to worry about, his shrubs are quite healthy and were just showing signs of water stress.  As I was daydreaming about vanilla ice cream topped with fresh blueberries, I decided the next  blog post would be dedicated to how to grow them.

Blueberries are a perennial shrub that can get 10-12' high, if left unpruned.  They have very few insect and disease problems.  In fact, the biggest concerns with growing them are providing adequate moisture and beating the birds to the fruit. 

There are two types of blueberries:  Rabbiteye and Highbush.  Rabbiteye is native to the southern U.S. and Highbush is native to the north.   Therefore, Rabbiteye can take heat and drought better than Highbush.  They still need mulch and and water while getting established, but will not need irrigation throughout the growing season like a Highbush would in our area.  The recommended varieties of Rabbiteye for West TN are Tifblue, Climax, Gardenblue, Southland, Bluebelle, and Brightblue.  You need to plant at least two different varieties to get cross-pollination.

Blueberries need a well-drained soil with a low pH.  So, the first thing you should do is a soil test.  You can pick up a soil test kit and instructions from any Extension office in any county in Tennessee.  There is a $7 fee, but the test results will tell you what your pH is and exactly what to do if you need to use sulfur to lower it.  Additionally, the results give you instructions for how much fertilizer you need as well.  Blueberries should be planted November through March, and you will need to do your soil test well in advance, as it takes several weeks for the pH of a soil to change after adding the sulfur. 

The shrubs should be planted in rows 5-6' apart.  When working the planting holes, mix 2 gallons of wet peat moss with the soil removed from the holes and place in the bottom of the hole.  This will help to keep the roots moist.  After planting, be sure to mulch 4" deep to help conserve water as well.  Then, it's a waiting game.  It takes 3-4 years for your first good yield.  However, you could always collect enough for that ice cream in the meantime!