Blueberries in the frozen North

[binco]

Is it possible to grow Blueberry bushes successfully in the North of England, my allotment is in County Durham.

If so when is the best time to plant them?

[Potstubsdustbins]

I would thing it is perfectly feasible after all there are a moorland plant so used to bad weather. You would need to check your soil first though as they are a lime hater.

Potty

[BUFFS]

we have been growing blueberries for the last 3/4 years and each year the crop improves as the plants get more mature,so there should be no problem for southerners like yourself.........enjoy..

[JoeDaStudd]

If you have some moors close to you its worth foraging some bilberrys.
They are the smaller, taster cousin of the blueberry. Once you've tried them its hard to go back.

[BUFFS]

If you have some moors close to you its worth foraging some bilberrys.
They are the smaller, taster cousin of the blueberry. Once you've tried them its hard to go back.

and they must never go short of water(lime free),i give mine(in tubs) a handful of ericasius fertiliser in march/feb each year and thats it..

[Aberdeenplotter]

they grow fine on my plot which is much closer to the arctic than most

[Penellype]

I grow blueberries (Bluecrop) very successfully in 16 inch pots in Yorkshire. The only issue I have had has been birds and i've had to use a fruit cage. I use rain water to water with and I mulch the pots (originally ericaceous compost) with cocoashell which is slightly acidic.

[Inastate]

Definitely high up on my plating list. Gorgeous food

[spanish_gardener]

Is it possible to grow Blueberry bushes successfully in the North of England, my allotment is in County Durham.

If so when is the best time to plant them?

I am in the North West of Ireland, close to the Irish Sea.

I have blueberry, raspberry, redcurrant, blackcurrant, gooseberry and other bushes. They fruit really well.

We have apple and pear trees in the allotment too. Although the apples and pears must be cook. Otherwise they don't taste nice.

[darloboy]

Binco, I am also in County Durham (Newton Aycliffe) and my blueberries do just fine. Don't have any real problems with them, had a decent crop this year.

[Sylvan]

If we could grow them successfully up near Killhope I can't imagine they wouldn't grow anywhere else in County Durham.
Just watch out for the blackbirds.

[JoeDaStudd]

Seen as this thread is still active and the OP might still be looking for a deal on blueberry plants I thought I'd post this link
Buy Plants, Seeds, Fruit Trees & Seed Potatoes | Telegraph Plants
Two blueberry plants and fertiliser for £5.65 delivered from the Telegraph. One is a pinkberry variety if that matters.

[BionicBarb]

The best blueberries that I've ever tasted were grown in the far north of Maine, on the eastern seaboard of USA. They are a lot smaller than the over-bred big ones that we get here and much, much sweeter. There are apparentley 2 types of blues, high-bush and low-bush . Try this US site for tips. How to Grow Blueberries: Organic Gardening