How To Grow Blueberries #Fruit_Gardening

As an adult, I buy my blueberries from the farmer’s market, or the grocery store in a pinch. They are still one of my favorite fruits, but now they are so pricey that I dream of the bounty of my youth. So I got to thinking, how hard could it be to grow my own blueberries? Turns out, they are one of the easiest berries to grow, only requiring the following:

1. Sun: Blueberries are sun worshippers, which is why we always found the wild variety in a mountain bald, unobstructed by the forest.

2. Water: If you don’t have regular rainfall, plan on watering your blueberry bushes frequently. Which leads us to…

3. Soil: Even though blueberries love water, they don’t like to be soggy. Fickle! Plant your bushes in well-draining soil, or in a raised bed. A great way to make sure your soil is well-draining is to incorporate peat moss into it.

4. Pruning: This one was hard for me to swallow, but the first year you plant your blueberry bushes? You have to cut off all of the blooms. I know. No blueberries that first year. But, here is the thing: by pruning back the new blossoms in year one, you will have a great crop in years to follow! After the first year, prune at the end of the growing season, removing low growth and any twiggy, non-vigorous branches.

5. Mulch and Fertilizer: Two to four inches of mulch, once a year, will help regulate moisture and keep weeds at bay. Fertilize with an acid fertilizer when the buds appear in early spring, and then again once the fruit is established.