Blueberry Plant

[marmalade]

Hiya

Is it possible to get a good crop off a blueberry plant in a pot in a back yard?

I love blueberries and they're so expensive!!!

thanks x

[Capsid]

Yes, I grow mine in pots on the patio. I would recommend having more than one plant as they cross pollinate giving higher yields.

[bluemoon]

You'll get a great crop eventually, but even from the first year you'll have some berries. Garden centres will try to tell you that you need two bushes, but that's just a ruse to sell more, they're largely self-fertile and will produce quite happily alone. True they'll have slightly bigger crops if you buy another one, but I don't think it makes that much difference. Now, if yours has blossom already, go outside and sniff it. In addition to producing delicious fruit the blueberry has one of the nicest scented flowers ever.

[marmalade]

ooo thank you both of you

I would love 2 plants but having a very small yard I think maybe just the one will fit

I'll work on that though

how far do they need to be away from each other? do you have any recommendations of type?

[TEB]

Don't forget (sorry if you already know) that blueberries are acid loving plants and will need Ericaceous type soil, and you may have to water with rain water instead of tap, me mum reckons she waters from the tap no problem but I cannot do that with my tap water.

[marmalade]

oooo no i didn't know that about the water thanks

[bluemoon]

I stack my pots as close together as they will fit, I don't think there's an optimum spacing when they are in pots, in fact the closer they are the better chance of cross pollination, I would have thought. My favourite variety is called 'Chandler' which has lovely, large juicy berries, but it's not one of the easiest to obtain. Most places will stock 'Earliblue' and 'Bluecrop' and these are good varieties too. As long as you put them in ericaceous compost (sold in most garden centres and places like B&Q, so it's not difficult to get hold of) and try to water them with rainwater then they should be fine. They originate in marshy areas though, so if it's a choice between letting them go dry or using water from the tap then use the tap water. If you also like cranberries then these like the same conditions and are small and trailing so would happily share a pot with your blueberry.

[teakdesk]

Marmalade, all the above is good advice but don't worry if you do things a bit different from what is said - you can still get good crops.

I bought 3 very small plants 4 years ago and planted them in 3 big (2 foot) pots. I bought a bag of ericaceous compost but it was costly and I didn't get enough so I added general multi-purpose and garden soil.

I water with lots of tap water which is soft (thankfully!!) - you may not be so lucky but even hard water is better than drought.

1st year nothing but the plant was only a baby when I bought it.
2nd year a few berries.
Moved into a sunnier position.
3rd and 4th year tons and tons and tons of berries!!!!!!!!!!

One bush has now completely died over winter and another has a couple of dead branches but the two remaining are full of buds


I think poor drainage in my pots coupled with the exposed, windy position did for the unluckly bush over winter so I will move them at the end of this year.