How to Grow Great-Tasting Blueberries

Check the acidity of your soil. Make sure that your soil has a ph between 4.0 and 5.5. Amend the soil with peat moss if it does not fall within this range.

Plant your blueberry bushes in the spring. Choose a sunny site with good drainage.

Dig a hole about 2 1/2 feet wide and 1 foot deep. Take half of the removed soil and add an equal portion of peat moss. Mix well and use as the planting medium.

Place a bare root plant in the hole. Spread the roots out in the hole and cover with the rest of the soil and peat moss mixture. Water thoroughly.

Remove the blueberry bush from pot if using container stock. Slightly roughen the root ball. Place the plant in the hole and add planting medium 1 to 2 inches higher than the ground. Water generously.

Mulch with pine bark, sawdust or grass clippings. Apply 2 to 4 inches of mulch every other year.

Space your blueberry bushes between 2 1/2 to 6 feet apart. Space row of bushes 8 to 10 feet apart.

Avoid letting the blueberry bushes fruit during the first two years after planting. Remove any blossoms that occur during this time. This will increase the fruit yield in later years.

Apply 2 tbsp. of 10-20-10 fertilizer to each new plant in late spring. Use 1 oz. of fertilizer for each year of age for older bushes, up to a limit of 8 oz. per plant.