Always Room for Blueberries

Don’t let a lack of space or poor soil stop you from growing blueberries. Plant a few in containers and enjoy their flowers, fruit and fall color.

Blueberries prefer moist well-drained acidic soil. Most of us don’t have this type of soil. We can, however, create the ideal conditions with a quality potting mix. Or make your own with a combination of sphagnum moss, pine bark and rice hulls or perlite for drainage. Incorporate a slow release fertilizer, like Milorganite, that provides needed nutrients for 6 to 8 weeks.

Grow one blueberry in a 5-gallon pot with drainage holes. You only need one plant to have fruit but growing two blueberry plants more than doubles the harvest.

Select a blueberry suited to your growing region or one of the newer compact blueberry cultivars like Jelly Bean™ or Perpetua™ that produces a summer and fall crop.

A bit more information: July is National Blueberry Month. Enjoy this tasty treat fresh or in baked goods. It is low in calories and high in nutrients and antioxidants.