Blueberries are one of the most popular types of berry plants, and they can be found in gardens all over the world. Preferring acidic soil and access to full sun for most of the day, they aren’t known as particularly fussy plants which makes them perfect for any gardener no matter how long they have been gardening.
They’re also one of the healthiest berries out there: Just a cupful of blueberries has approximately 10% of the vitamin C of your daily recommended intake, and they’re one of the best possible sources of antioxidants that can boost your immune system.
That’s not the only reason why you should grow them, either. There are few things that are as satisfying for a gardener as harvesting blueberries from your very own garden.
Here are 8 great useful tips on how to plant, care, prune & harvest blueberry plants that gardeners of any skill level can use.
1. Ideal Soil Conditions
One of the first things that you have to do as a gardener when intending to plant anything is to make sure the conditions are right. Step one is to work through the soil with a gardening fork and to remove any debris, including rocks and previous plant material. Then start off by adding compost to the soil first at least two weeks before planting, and then test the pH of the soil after.
Most types of plants prefer growing in neutral pH soil, but this is not the case for blueberries: They prefer much more acidic types of soil instead, measuring a little closer to 4.5 to 5.0. Sometimes coffee grounds added to the soil can be one way to quickly increase soil acidity if you notice that it’s not optimal.
Blueberries won’t grow well in neutral soil, and this can even greatly impair their long-term growth and stop the plants from carrying fruit.