BerriesEricaceae
Blueberries.
PerennialPollinator magnet
At a glance
The spec sheet.
- Direct sow / out
- Spring or fall
- Germ
- Bushes purchased
- Days to harvest
- Fruit year 2–3
- Spacing
- 5 ft apart
- Depth
- Same as pot
- Square-foot
- Own dedicated bed
- Qty target
- 4–6 bushes = family supply + freezer.
Plant
NJ state fruit! Requires strongly acidic soil, pH 4.0–5.5 — much lower than veggie beds. Amend with elemental sulfur before planting. Plant 2+ varieties for cross-pollination.
Care
Mulch heavily with pine needles or oak leaves. Prune old canes every 3 years. Net or scare-tape against birds.
Harvest
When fully blue and easily released. Ripens over 4–6 weeks.
Freeze whole; jam, pie filling, syrup. NJ blueberry preserves = Jersey summer in a jar.
Companion planting
What blueberries likes, and doesn’t.
Good neighbors
- Calendula
- Nasturtium
- Sweet alyssum
- Lingonberries
- Azalea, rhododendron, cranberry (acid-loving)
- Sedum
- Bleeding hearts
- Bee balm
- Lupine
- Lettuce/spinach under bushes
- Nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes — need neutral pH)
- Brassicas
- Mint (invasive)
- Walnut (juglone toxic)
Blueberry roots are very shallow — avoid deep-rooted annuals near the crown. Mulch generously.