Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) used to be available only in the wild in cool, northern climates. Modern hybridizers, though, have developed varieties that thrive in almost every part of the United States. Blueberry plants take a few years to produce berries, but your patience will be rewarded with future harvests of delicious fruit. The plants themselves make lovely landscaping shrubs, with glossy leaves and pink flowers.
Blueberry plants will produce a few berries the first season after planting, but it's best to delay fruiting so the shrubs can focus on healthy root establishment. Strip all the flowers and buds off the plants the first season after planting. Strip most, or all, of the flowers again the second season. Beginning in the third season, you can harvest all the blueberries you want.
Like many orchard fruits and berries, blueberries don't come into their own until about five years after planting. At this point, the bushes will produce high yields of quality fruit for up to 20 years. Blueberries ripen from early to midsummer, depending on the variety, but don't go by color alone to determine ripeness. Blueberries aren't always completely ripe when they turn blue. Give them a few more days and taste them for sweetness. Stretch flexible netting over the shrubs to deter birds.
Blueberries need some specialized care to ensure a large harvest. Although they don't need a lot of nutrients, they do need acidic soil with a pH of 4.5 to 5.6. To acidify alkaline soil, add sulfur, pine needles and peat moss. In some cases, it's easier to grow blueberries in containers where you can more easily control the soil pH. Blueberries need at least six hours of sunlight each day. In hot areas, they benefit from partial afternoon shade. They also need consistently moist soil, especially when they are producing fruit.
The type of blueberry plant you choose can also determine when and how many blueberries you harvest. Northern highbush varieties are cold-hardy plants that thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 7, while southern highbush varieties grow best in USDA zones 7 through 10. These varieties tolerate hot summer weather and don't need as many hours of winter chilling. A few recommended for Mediterranean climates include "Misty" (V. corymbosum "Misty"), "Bluecrop" (V. corymbosum "Bluecrop") and "Sunshine Blue" (V. corymbosum "Sunshine Blue"). Blueberries are usually partially self-fertile, but growing two varieties can increase your yields.
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