Can You Plant Blueberries in Winter?

Spring Planting

• Early spring is the best time to plant almost any dormant plant. This is because the plant is not actively growing and will not experience shock from the process. Also, the warmer temperatures and plentiful rainfall help the plant establish itself. Nutrients leach into the soil after organic mulches begin to compost in spring. This leaves the soil rich and full of minerals and food for the blueberry. Bare root plants have exposed root systems that need every advantage to establish without extra stress.

Winter Planting

• Plant blueberries in winter in temperate zones like the Pacific Northwest and in warmer zones with little winter cold. Wait until the soil is warm enough to work with no cold snaps expected. The danger in winter planting is root damage from extreme cold, which is why it is only appropriate where temperatures don't dip to freezing. The blueberry is dormant in winter and will awaken as soil temperatures climb. In these warmer zones, winter planting will actually give a blueberry a quick start.

How to Plant in Winter

• Bare root plants are too tender to plant in winter and would likely fail or experience severe cold injury, so choose a balled or burlapped plant, which has a cushion of soil or clay around it that will protect the roots. This type of root treatment transplants best in fall or winter. Dig the hole at least twice as wide and deep. The entire ball goes in the hole with the burlap on it. Remove any ties and then back filled the hole and compress the soil.

Winter Care of Blueberries

• Blueberries profit from a little extra winter protection. A mulch spread 4 to 5 inches around the base of the plant out to the edges of the roots creates a blanket of warmth around this sensitive area. The plant will lose its leaves and go dormant as a method of protecting itself. In severe weather, drape a piece of burlap over the frame of the bush to prevent winter burn on the twigs and smaller growth.