Blueberry

Plant family

The Heath (Ericaceae)

Season Overview

Details

Light requirement

Shady

Water requirement

Very humid

Soil

Medium (loamy)

Nutrient requirement

Low

Seeding distance

150 cm

Row spacing

150 cm

Seeding depth

0 cm

Instructions

Description

Blueberries belong to the heath plants. The perennial dwarf shrub reaches growth heights of 10 to 60 cm. Its lifespan is up to 30 years. Depending on the variety, blueberries have different requirements for soil and location. Cultivated blueberries differ greatly from wild blueberries in this respect.

Growing tips

Blueberries have a special demand on their location. Depending on the variety, this should be full sun to partial shade and protected from the wind. Normally they grow in bogs or forests and are naturally adapted to acidic soils. Garden soils are usually not acidic enough. To make the soil more acidic and permeable, mix in bark, sawdust, sand, leaves or shredded softwood. The shrub will also appreciate a portion of compost. If this is too much work for you, you can simply buy blueberry or rhododendron soil from a specialty store. The ideal time for planting is in autumn. You can also plant the shrub in the spring from March to April. Then you should remove the flowers after planting. Heather plants are very sensitive to being planted too deep. The root ball should still stick out about 5 cm. Finally, apply a layer of mulch about 10 to 15 cm high. This keeps the bed moist for a long time. It takes about 6 to 8 weeks from flowering to harvest.