While blueberries aren’t always the easiest plants to grow, the plump and juicy fruit you pluck straight off the bush will be well worth the effort.
Feeling Blue – How to grow Blueberries
Delicious and highly versatile, blueberries are all about the journey! Though they can be tricky to grow, with a little bit of trial and error (and a lot of patience), in the long term your efforts will be rewarded with copious crops of fresh and nutritious berries.
Blueberries were once the fruit of the aristocrats, always in demand for their gorgeous appearance and many health benefits. This is possibly the reason why botanists were dispatched from all around the world to find, collect and catalogue plants from the wild and breed them into domestic cultivars. Numerous varieties are available these days from nurseries and plant centres, but sadly such availability does not always guarantee successful crops – or even the plants’ survival.
As a fruit of the wild, blueberries grow extremely well at high elevations, and they love low temperatures during winter. They need a slightly acidic soil to thrive, and good drainage is also essential as the roots won’t survive any waterlogging.
Mature plants can grow up to four metres high, and a general recommendation is to plant them two metres apart. However, crowded planting – where multiple blueberry varieties are planted closer together in order to create a self-pollinating garden – can also be successful under the right circumstances. Either way, just be prepared for a long-term commitment, as blueberry plants will only reach full maturity after six or seven years.
Many people plant blueberries as a landscaping feature in their garden, and the hedges do work very well as an edge or a boundary line. However, the plants can also thrive and look great in pots – as long as good drainage is guaranteed, and the plants do not suffer any dry spells.
While they tend to look like dead sticks in winter, in spring blueberry plants will show off some lovely clusters of pink and white bell-shaped flowers – a truly idyllic spot for bumblebees and honeybees to buzz around. The red and dark blue leaves protect the young fruit from harsh direct sunlight, and at the same time add a splash of colour to any summer garden.
Birds are your number-one pest to watch out for, as they will decimate your crop, no matter how abundant it is. They will not only target the ripened dark blue berries, but will happily gobble up the unripe green berries as well. To keep the birds at bay, you need to install nets over the plants in spring. Just ensure the mesh is large enough to allow pollinating insects to access the plants.
When to Plant
The best time to plant blueberries is between late autumn and spring, when plants are sold bare-rooted and are less likely to suffer from transplant shock than at other times of the year. Soak the roots in water for half an hour before planting, and give the bushes another thorough soaking after planting.
Soil
Acidic soils are the key. If you have a patch in your garden where roses and camellias do well, then that’s the right spot to plant your blueberry bush. Soil acidity can be boosted with peat and pine needles.
Pruning
Pruning is especially important in the first few years, when all weak laterals and inward-growing branches should be removed to keep the plant light. Pruning can be done in winter or at the end of summer.
Take the taste test
Once the berries are fully darkened, taste a few before harvesting. Full sweetness usually develops a week or so after full colour, but blueberries don’t get any sweeter after picking so it would be a shame to pick them too soon.
Harvest
As they ripen, the berries will go from a green to a red and then finally to a dark blue colour. Feel the berry – if it is firm and springy at the same time, give it a twist and it will come off the stem very easily.
Store
Blueberries can be stored unwashed in the fridge for up to five days. For freezing, lay the berries on a tray and put it in the freezer overnight. Bag the berries the next day for long-term frozen storage.
Health benefits of blueberries
Vitamins
Just one cup of fresh blueberries provides 24 per cent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. The fruit is similarly high in vitamins K and A.
Fibre
Rich in dietary fibre, blueberries will keep you feeling fuller for longer, and will also help maintain regularity for a healthy digestive tract.
Antioxidants
Blueberries get their distinctive colour from an antioxidant called anthocyanin, which has anti-inflammatory properties and can help to protect the body from free radicals.
