Growing blueberries: How to grow, care and harvest blueberries even if your a beginner
Growing Blueberries, Vaccinium Myrtillus Americans went wild about blueberries to use in muffins when it was discovered that the fruits exploded upon reaching a certain temperature and distributed blueberry flavor throughout the muffin. The tiny berry is packed with essential nutrients and taste delicious! Recommended varieties include Bluejay, Collins, and Bluecrop. Growing blueberries requires a bit of extra garden site preparation, but once they get growing, it is time to break out the blueberry pie prize-winning recipes! 
Growing Blueberries ConditionsBlueberry plants have the preferred conditions, they grow in abundance. Many fruits tolerate a wide variety of soil types, but not the blueberry plant. Blueberry plants require very acidic, well-drained, sandy soil with a great deal of organic matter. It is best to prepare the planting area months before the spring planting begins. It is a good idea to get the soil tested. Blueberry plants require a soil pH of 4.5 to 5.2. If the soil pH is more than the recommended level, mix a pound of sulfur for each 100 square feet at least 3 weeks before planting. Do not use aluminum sulfate to increase acidity, as this could poison the growing fruit. If the soil is not acidic enough, the leaves will be stunted and turn yellow. Dig the planting site at least six inches down. Sandy soils will need additions of organic material. Compost or peat moss added to the planting hole helps the blueberry plant grow more plentiful. The organic material should be mixed to a depth with the soil to a depth of one foot. Plant blueberries after the last threat of frost are past. To develop strong plants, the key is to fertilize properly. Growing blueberries are sensitive to nitrogen. Too much fertilizer will kill young plants. Begin fertilizing after plants have been in the ground for six to eight weeks with a camellia-azalea product. Spread it evenly over the soil, then water. Maintain moisture level to get plants established. Blueberries have a shallow root system, similar to azaleas. They need plenty of water during the growing season especially as the berries develop. An inch of water a week is adequate.
Tips for harvesting blueberries * The good old-fashioned taste test is the best way to tell if the berries are fully ripe. * A reddish ring where the fruit is attached to the stem indicates an unripe berry. * Pick blueberries by gently rolling with the thumb into the palm of the hand. * A truly ripe berry is plumper and the fruit has a slight softness. * After harvesting, cool blueberries to 35 degrees F. * Blueberries ripen over a 2 to 5 week period. Over the next several years, gradually increase the rate of application of camellia-azalea product to a quarter of a pound per plant. Pruning helps rejuvenate established plantings. During the last few days before growing blueberries are ripe for the picking, berries double in size and grow sweet. The satisfying goodness is always well worth the wait! Top of growing blueberries page Growing Raspberries Want to start growing raspberries this year? Just follow these easy methods Growing Blackberries Want to grow blackberries with large fruits and tasty berries? Just follow these methods. Barberry Egyptians used the Barberry herb as a fever remedy as it relieves thirst and lowers abnormal body heat. Strawberries in raised beds Used raised beds to grow the plumpest, sweetest berries you can find anywhere.
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