Blueberries

(Vaccinium corymbosum)

Variety	Description
Blue Crop	Mid-season. Drought resistant. High quality, large, flavorful fruit.
Blue Jay	Mid-late season. Large, highbush blueberry. Sweet, light blue fruit.
Blue Ray	Upright. Large, firm, tart fruit.
Blueberry Glaze	Mid-season. Small, dark blue fruit with intense flavor like wild blueberries.
Bountiful Blue	Early-season. Compact, container ready, blue foliage. Large, juicy fruit.
Chandler	Mid-season. Vigorous, upright. Consistent yield.
Chippewa	Mid-season. Compact. Large, sweet, light blue fruit.
Duke	Early-season. Heavy, consistent yields. Tart-sweet fruit.
Earliblue	Early-season. Sweet, firm, medium to large fruit.
Elliot	Late-season. Open, upright. Medium, tart fruit.
Jelly Bean	Mid-season. Compact, dwarf. Super sweet fruit.
Jersey	Mid-season. Large, firm, tart fruit.
Jubilee	Early-season. Upright, heat tolerant. Medium, firm fruit.
Northblue	Mid-season. Cold hardy. Dark blue, firm fruit.
Northland	Mid-season. Best eaten fresh. Large, sweet fruit.
Patriot	Early-season. Cold hardy. Quarter-sized, flavorful fruit.
Peach Sorbet	Mid-season. Compact, dwarf, blushing foliage. Sweet fruit.
Pink Lemonade	Mid-season. Compact. Medium, sweet, pink berries.
Top Hat	Compact, dwarf, lowbush. Light blue, sweet fruit.

Blueberries are a great addition to the landscape. Not only can you grow bushels of healthy berries, but blueberry bushes are an attractive shrub for the garden with striking fall color. Blueberries need acidic, well-drained soil and a minimum of six hours of sunlight, with plenty of space to grow. Their native environment is in sunny woodland forests with lots of humus in the soil, adequate moisture, and protection from wind. Our soil in the Midwest has a fairly neutral pH, between 6.5 and 7.2, however, blueberries like much more acid in the soil and require the home gardener to amend the soil and continue to maintain the amendment year after year, and changing the pH on soil permanently is very difficult. You will have to replace organic matter and amendments yearly for much success. Blueberries require great drainage in the soil. They have shallow, compact root systems which make regular irrigation a necessity!

Follow the steps below for a successful blueberry crop:

Choose at least two, and preferably three, blueberry bushes, of different varieties, to ensure a good crop and adequate cross-pollination. Some of the highbush varieties can reach 5-7 feet tall and wide. Make sure you have enough room.
Dig a hole twice as deep and twice as wide as the blueberry bush root ball.
Test the pH level of the soil with a kit purchased from Family Tree Nursery. Blueberries prefer a pH level below 5.5 Mix sulfur, aluminum sulfate or ammonium sulfate into the soil to lower the pH level. Follow all the instructions and warnings on the manufacture’s packaging.
Mix equal amount of peat moss, Nature’s Blend compost and soil together in the wheelbarrow or on the tarp. Place the bush in the hole and backfill with soil. Water the bush while backfilling the hole to remove air pockets.
Spread a 4-inch layer of mulch around the bush to control weeds.
Water regularly; one inch of water per week. Make sure this bush stays well watered the first season.

Re-apply ammonium or aluminum sulfate every early spring on top of your mulch. Put about a ¼ lb. in an even ring around the drip line of the plant. Water in well.