Blueberries are one of the most rewarding fruits you can grow at home, and knowing when to plant blueberries is the key to whether they produce plenty of fruit or not. Not only do they produce delicious, juicy berries year after year, but their delicate white spring flowers and fiery autumn foliage make them lovely to look at all year-round.
If you’ve been looking up how to grow blueberries, one of the first things you’ll quickly realise is that timing matters. Get it right, and your blueberry bushes will establish quickly, grow more vigorously, and you’ll reap generous harvests for years to come.
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What you’ll need to plant blueberries
Thompson & Morgan
Blueberry ‘darrow’
This ‘Darrow’ variety produces exceptionally large fruit, has stunning autumn foliage and pollinators will love it.
Crocus
Melcourt Rhs Sylvagrow Ericaceous Compost
The experts recommend ericaceous compost for preparing the soil to set up the perfect pH before planting. This top rated buy will help create the perfect conditions for growth.
elho
Amber Grail 30 plant pot, in blue, Ø 29.5 X H 28.3 cm
If you’re growing your blueberries in a pot, it will require a pot with a diameter of 30cm or more. This bright blue Elho pot, available in 30cm diameter and up, is not only stylish but super-practical to house your growing bush.
According to Liam Clearly, gardening expert at Old Railway Line Garden Centre, blueberries are one of the best and easiest fruits to grow in the UK, as long as they are planted at the right time and in the right conditions.
‘The best time to plant them is usually early spring when the soil has started to warm, and the plants have a chance to settle in before the growing season begins,’ he says.
Autumn also works, explains Liam, and Richard Barker, horticulture expert at LBS Horticulture, agrees that blueberries are best planted between October and March, ‘as this is when they are dormant, and the plants will settle.’
However, Richard explains that they can be planted at any point during the year, except in hot, dry weather or when the ground is frozen, with October being optimal as the soil is still warm and moist for the plants to establish before winter and have a head start on the following year’s growth.
He adds that although planting them in spring is near the end of the ideal planting season, the roots will still have enough time to establish before the warmer months come along, giving the plant a strong start for future crops. So you can certainly add them to the list of things to plant in March, but I wouldn’t wait about.
And if you’re looking for a good variety to plant, the Blueberry ‘Darrow’, from £12.99 for a 9cm pot, from Thompson & Morgan, is the perfect choice, as it produces good crops of large berries and the foliage will look great all year round, changing into orange in autumn and producing a flush of pink flowers in spring.
To set your blueberry bush up for maximum yield, both experts recommend planting it in acidic or ericaceous compost (like Melcourt RHS Sylvagrow compost, from £6.99 at Crocus) that ideally has a pH of between 4.5 and 5.5.
Richards explains that ‘Acidic soils usually do not need to be prepared before planting; however, poor soils should be improved using organic matter that has a low pH.’ You can test your soil’s pH easily with a Garden Tutor soil pH test kit, £12.99, from Amazon and change its pH for the best conditions.
Liam agrees that they like acidic conditions, which can be different from most garden soils, but this makes them ideal for containers (this LBS Horticulture heavy duty tree pot container pot, £11.55 from Amazon is a good choice for larger bushes) or raised beds with ericaceous compost.
‘Once the soil is right, they are not demanding plants. They take up little space, look attractive through the seasons, and eventually produce fruit in summer,’ he adds.
Richard advises that if you are growing a blueberry bush in the ground, they should be watered regularly with rainwater where possible in dry spells, for their first few years, as tap water can make the soil more alkaline over time.
He adds that during the first two years, you only need to prune blueberries when branches are crossing, damaged or rubbing and remove any fruit buds so the plant diverts its energy into growth. ‘After this, you only need to prune blueberry bushes to keep them healthy and productive, usually when the plants are dormant in winter.’
Then it’s just a waiting game for the berries to appear…
FAQs
How long do blueberries take to grow?
A blueberry bush usually takes around two to three years to establish and begin producing a small crop, explains Richard Barker from LBS Horticulture. ‘After five or six years, the plant will have reached full maturity and should produce its maximum expected yield,’ he adds.
Once settled, blueberry bushes can continue producing for many years, says Liam Clearly, from Old Railway Line Garden Centre. ‘A little attention with watering during drier months, occasional feeding, and pruning at the right time helps keep the plants healthy and productive.’
So if you’re wondering when to plant blueberries, you shouldn’t wait much longer as early spring is the cut off for the year, until October.
Experts say that planting them between October and March sets them up for a strong season and gives them the best chance to grow steadily and start producing fruit sooner, making it well worth acting before the window closes. Happy planting!
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