Place the pots fairly close together, about 2 to 3 feet apart. NFT is a growing technique that works well for plants that are grown in rich soil. And our new Tower Garden HOME lets you grow greens and herbs indoors, year-round. Kerry Michaels is a container gardening expert with over 20 years of experience maintaining container gardens in Maine. Blueberries, Vaccinium corybosum, taste delicious . Sulfur is preferred, because the environmental consequences of sphagnum peat mining are becoming an increasing concern. Are there any self-pollinating blueberries? However, for best results, plant two or more bushestwo is good, but three is better. Immediately water the pot thoroughly to settle the soil and eliminate any air gaps around the plant's roots. The leaves of the blueberry plant can act as an umbrella, preventing water from making it to the base of the plant and into the container. Mix equal parts peat moss and vermiculite, then add in a granular 11-5-11 fertilizer. As thesoil settles and decomposes over the years, you will need to continue adding sulfur to the planting bed. Remove weeds regularly to keep your planting neat and clean and to prevent competition for water and nutrients. This means at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight on most days. Ripenearly. Continue with Recommended Cookies. New York State Horticulture Society. Firm texture, sweet flavor. After gently placing the roots, backfill the area with native soil mixed with compost or other mulch high in organic matter. Plant blueberries in containers in the spring or late fall in most areas. Its also a good idea to grow different varieties of blueberries that produce fruit at different times of the growing season to extend your blueberry harvests. Avoid dark plastic containers, as this can overheat the roots. Southern highbush is a cross between northern highbush and V. darrowii, which is a southeastern US native. Shrubs growing in the ground need about an inch of water per week, but container soil tends to dry out quicker, so keep an eye on them. We support the SAFE SEED PLEDGE UN-TREATED PURE / RAW / NATURAL NON-GENETICALLY MODIFIED (GMO-FREE) OPEN-POLLINATED (OP) Learn more about our seeds LOVE SEEDS as much as we do? They usually come as small starter plants, so you may want to get three plants to fill up a 12 to 16-inch hanging basket at first. (Read This First! While most northern highbush and some southern highbush cultivars are self fertile, placing another variety nearby that blooms at a similar time allows for cross pollination. Hold a container under berry clusters, then gently pick them off with your other hand to drop the fruits into the container. Product photos via Arbico Organics and Nature Hills Nursery. This may drastically stunt the plant. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(02)00360-9, Large, mild-sweet berries.