Grow Bucket Loads of Blueberries Even With No Space By Using Pots!

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Blueberries make the perfect container plant. They like acidic, well-draining soil, which is hard to find in the garden but can be easily created in a pot.

They are also beautiful bushes, even without the harvest. The leaves are bright green in springtime and are soon followed by delicate white blooms.

Then the good part comes, and you get your blueberry supply. But even after the fruit has been picked, your blueberry bush isn’t done, as the leaves turn a beautiful red colour heading into autumn.

How To Grow Blueberries in Pots

Blueberries require a little special attention, so ensure to follow these instructions well.

Pot Size

You will need a reasonably substantial pot to grow blueberries. But they don’t need to start in a huge pot depending on the size of the plant you bought.

You can pot them on for a few years before they make it into their forever pot.

I like to plant them into a large terracotta pot, 40cm in diameter or above. I think terracotta pots look nice while not costing the earth like glazed ceramics can do.

Position

Blueberries like a sunny sheltered spot.

If you have a wall in your garden that gets a lot of sun, then placing them against that is ideal.

Birds can be a problem, so remember that you might have to net your berries during fruiting time when deciding on a position.

How Many?

Some varieties of blueberry are self-fertile and can be grown as a singular bush, but most aren’t. “Bluecrop” is a popular self-fertile blueberry.

Ideally, if you don’t go for a self-fertile type, you want three plants.

Even self-fertile types will produce a bigger harvest when grown in groups rather than on their own.

Potting Up

As you should with almost anything growing in a pot, add some drainage to the bottom. This is usually broken up bits of an old terracotta pot, but it could be large rocks etc.

Use ericaceous compost, blueberries need acidic soil to grow, and pot your plant up with its crown just a little below the surface of the soil.

Then give it a good water. If you have any rainwater stored anywhere, then use that rather than tap water.

Top Tips

• Blueberries like acidic soil, so use mulch like woodchips or pine needles to help preserve the soil’s acidity.
• Water with rainwater rather than tap water wherever possible. Tap water is alkaline and over time will reduce the acidity of the soil.
• Use a blueberry fertiliser to maximise your crop. Never use a fertiliser with lime in as this will reduce the soil’s acidity.

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