How to Grow an Unlimited Amount of Blueberries in Your Backyard

What could be better than an endless supply of blueberries right outside your front door? There is no better fruit than the little blueberry. Whether eaten raw as a snack or baked into a dessert, you can’t go wrong.

Not to mention how incredibly healthy they are for us, too. It is no shock that you are interested in planting your own blueberry bush! Follow the instructions that we lay out below and pretty soon, you will be enjoying blueberries with every meal.

Benefits of Blueberries

Here are the top health benefits of blueberries:

• Contain plenty of antioxidants that help prevent aging and cell damage. In addition, they can also prevent damage to your DNA which could cause cancer. In fact, recent studies have shown that by consuming blueberry juice, you can reduce any damage to your DNA by 20 percent.
• They are high in nutrients, but low in calories. By simply eating one cup of blueberries a day, you can consume nearly 3.6 grams of fiber. In addition, this roughly equals out to 36 percent of Vitamin K and 24 percent of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin C.
• Greatly reduces blood pressure for those suffering from Diabetes or other blood pressure-related health issues.
• Helps prevent damage to your blood cholesterol.
• Improves memory and daily brain function.

UCLA recently ranked the top 10 healthiest juices on the planet and blueberry juice came in 3rd. Needless to say, blueberry juice is pretty darn healthy for you! If you’re wondering, pomegranate juice was ranked #1 and concord grape juice came in 2nd.

To learn more about the many healthy benefits of eating blueberries, watch this video!

How to Grow Blueberries

Believe it or not, growing blueberries has never been easier. Although some types of blueberries can take up to three months to start growing fruit, some can only take weeks to start developing delicious blueberries. Here are some prime tips to help you grow some of your own!

Planting Blueberries

Similar to just about any plant, blueberry bushes require tons of sunlight and healthy soil. The soil will help influence growth where sunlight can help the bush develop photosynthesis, which is important to its growth.

Also, if you reside in a home with a garden, try using raised beds. This way, the water from the bush can seep through the soil evenly. However, even if you live in an apartment you can grow blueberries. Simply purchase a patio container and start planting!

In addition, it’s never a bad idea to invest in a dwarf blueberry plant for your apartment since they grow to 2 feet, rather than a full 8 feet. Your landlord may appreciate it!

Growing Blueberries

Since just one blueberry bush can take up to 6 feet of growing space, make sure you don’t cramp it. Instead, allow it to naturally grow to it’s fullest potential. If you plan to grow more than one, make sure there is plenty of space between the plants as well. However, keep in mind that both plants need plenty of sunlight each, so be careful where you place each one. Make sure none of your blueberry bushes are blocked from the sun.

The Process Of Planting

Your location will determine the optimal time of year to plant your new blueberry bush. In most areas, blueberry bushes should be planted in the spring time. This way, your plant will be ready to be harvested in July or August.

If you choose to purchase a baby blueberry plant rather than planting seeds, make sure you remove it from its packaging before your place it in the ground. Ruffle the roots with your hand before placing them in the soil. Add more and more soil surrounding the roots and base of the plant until it is able to stand on its own. Give the soil a good pat down to ensure the plant will stay in place. And don’t forget to give it plenty of water!

Mulching

When choosing mulch for your blueberry bush, your top choice should be sawdust. If you are unable to get sawdust mulch, use grass clipping, pine bark, or rind mulch instead. Place a layer of mulch around the bush that measures two to four inches thick. But, don’t clump up too much mulch around your blueberry bush, since it could affect the growing process.

Pruning

Once your blueberry bush grows and becomes more mature, you should start pruning it. Pruning actually encourages your plant to survive, thrive, and produce the maximum output of fruit. According to a recent research study, pruning lets the strongest branches on the plant continue to grow energetically, regardless of where they are on the plant.

Pruning is simple. Using garden clippers or very strong scissors, trim a few of the branches back. Focus on chopping any dead branches. Doing so will allow more berries to grow. Don’t forget to clean up your trimmings after you are done.

Fertilizing

Fertilization is one of the most crucial parts of growing any plant, especially blueberries. You should always try to use organic fertilizers if you can. They are nontoxic and they are better for the environment.

Also, they generally will keep your plants fertilized for longer. Two great types of organic fertilizer that you should consider using are Cottonseed and Bloodmeal. Inorganic fertilizers can actually do more damage to your plant than good.

Keep in mind, too, that blueberry bushes may take up to three years to fully mature and produce berries. This fact is important, especially when you are deciding whether to plant your bush from seeds or from an already sprouted plant.

Now all that’s left to do is relax and wait for your blueberry bush to mature and grow each day. And you will have plenty of time to perfect your recipe for organic blueberry syrup in the meantime. So get out and grow!

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