Add Blueberries to your Home Vegetable Garden

There are a number of uses for this great fruit of which my favorite is in pancakes. Blueberries add a nice flavor to almost everything. They are a good texture and very sweet. If you are a home vegetable gardener like I am, and are a fan of blueberries, then you really should consider adding a bush or two.

Before you get started growing blueberries you must understand that you will need to put a couple of seasons in before you can reap the benefits of a bountiful blueberry harvest. You will more than likely not see anything in the first season, and a slight chance in season two. It will be season three and beyond that you will really get your blueberry fix.

Start by making sure you plant two or more blueberry bushes, various species if possible, at the same time to encourage cross pollination. Also, when you plant the blueberry bushes make sure they are no closer than four feet. Five feet would be ideal.

Blueberry bushes love acidic soil and your soil should be under 5.0 on the pH scale. If you are not sure what your soil’s pH level is then obtain a pH soil testing kit from your local home or garden center. If you need to lower your soil’s pH level, powdered sulfur will do the trick, however read the recommendations on the pH test kit to see what they recommend to use in your area of the world.

When the soil is sandy, blueberries will thrive, which is why here in the State of New Jersey in the good ole US of A, blueberries do very well, especially more towards our coastal areas. On a side note if you are ever in New Jersey, visit Hammonton, the self described blueberry capital of New Jersey. They grow and sell loads of them.

Make sure you remove all weeds in and around the blueberry bush. If your bushes have to compete with weeds for water and nutrients they, your blueberry bushes, will lose that battle. Also, do not overwater. If you soak the roots, they will get root rot and your bushes will die.

Now, after all of that hard work, area preparation, maintenance, and the three year wait, you should and will see a great harvest of sweet tasting blueberries. The only problem you will have now is deciding whether you should put them on your morning cereal, in your pancakes, or baking yummy blueberry muffins or one of my favorites, blueberry cheesecake. Enjoy!

About the Author
Mike is the author of the book ”Vegetable Gardening for the Average Person” and the administrator for the largest vegetable gardening group on Facebook. Mike can be reached via his website AveragePersonGardening.com.