Organic Gardener

Summer Blues...Growing Blueberries

Author: Pat Leuchtman

The high bush blueberry is perfectly adapted to my New England climate and acid soil. Organic gardeners know a key to success is the right plant in the right place. Over the 25 years we have grown blueberries we have had no problems with pests or disease.

The first thing to know is that blueberries need cross pollination. We planted Earliblue, Blue Ray, Bluecrop, Berkeley and Herbert which means our backyard season lasts from late July and into September.

As with any perennial crop, choose a site with lots of sun and good drainage. Good soil preparation is key. I always incorporate compost and rotted manure into the soil when I plant.

Keep the bare roots moist while planting. Dig a generous planting hole so roots are not cramped and make sure each plant is placed so it is slightly deeper than it was planted in the nursery. Fill the hole halfway with soil. Tamp it down and water. Complete filling the hole with soil, but arrange it so there is a slight depression to catch rain water.

I speak from experience -- blueberries should be planted in a block so that the whole group of bushes, spaced at least five feet in any direction, can be protected from ravenous birds by a frame supporting nets. We built our seasonal frame of PVC pipe and covered it with black netting. Now we get a good harvest and the birds aren't killed by getting caught in individual bush nets.

Of course, blueberry bushes can be planted as an edible hedge. I think their red fall color is as attractive as the now outlawed invasive Burning Bush. Just remember that nets will be required unless you want the birds to get most of your harvest. How often did I go out to pick and see bird bites taken out of every other berry!

Be assured, we have a couple of bushes planted outside the berry cage. We do welcome the birds. They eat insects as well as berries.

I use compost and rotted manure to top dress these shallow rooted plants occasionally. They can also be mulched, but I grow mine in lawn. The only other care is pruning out dead or damaged wood in the spring.

The blueberry is not only delicious, it is now considered one of the most nutritious fruits. Can't beat that combo!

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Pat Leuchtman

Pat has been gardening for 40 years and writing about gardens and gardeners almost as long. Her weekly column, Between the Rows, has been carried in The Recorder (Greenfield, Mass) since 1981.
Read more about Pat.

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