So you want to grow blueberries? Great! There is nothing like picking them at their peak of ripeness straight from the bush, and popping them into your mouth, scattering them over cereal, or adding them to pancakes or muffins. But let’s just check a few things, because there are several types of blueberries, and you need the right one for your area. Do you live in the north? If you do, you are looking at the right kind of bush for you – a northern highbush blueberry developed from native plants that grow wild in your general area. Do you have acidic soil? If you do just plant straight into the ground, but if you don’t it is best to grow your bushes in pots with the right kind of soil – we’ll explain more later. Finally, do you want a bush that has big juicy berries, even when grown as a single plant, and that is America’s most popular blueberry variety for home growing? Sure you do, and the Bluecrop Blueberry is exactly what you are looking for. Let’s check out some more details.

Growing the Bluecrop Blueberry

Size and Appearance

The Bluecrop Blueberry is a northern highbush type of blueberry bush that grows into an upright deciduous shrub between 4 and 6 feet tall and wide. Besides producing fruit, it is an attractive garden shrub, with leaves that turn bright red in fall, making it a colorful addition to your beds. In spring, after the new green leaves appear, you will see attractive clusters of flowers at the ends of the branches. These are small, shaped like upside down urns, and they are pink in bud, turning white as they open. These develop into large berries which ripen in the middle of the blueberry season, around mid-July, depending on exactly where you are. The berries ripen to a good blue color, with the characteristic white powdery ‘bloom’ we look for. They are sweet and firm, with just the right touch of acidity, and they don’t crack or split, as some other types unfortunately do. Blueberries are a very healthy berry, rich in vitamins, minerals and bioflavonoids, which are antioxidants believed to help with everything from asthma and arthritis to viral infections.

Using the Bluecrop Blueberry in Your Garden

Besides eating them, one of the great things about blueberries is that they are attractive shrubs, and you can grow them right among your other plants, in the garden. You don’t need to banish them to a berry garden, although of course you certainly can set aside part of your garden for fruit bushes. With its upright rounded form, glossy leaves, attractive flowers, colorful berries and wonderful red fall colors, this is a worthy decorative plant to grow anywhere you need an attractive 6-foot shrub.

Hardiness

This is an extremely hardy blueberry variety, and it can be grown in zone 4 with ease. It will grow in zones 5, 6 and 7 too. In warmer areas we recommend you choose one of the rabbiteye blueberry or southern highbush types – check our current stock.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

You will grow the heaviest crop if your bush is in full sun, but a few hours of shade a day is acceptable. The soil must be acidic, with a pH value below 6.0, and preferably lower, between 4.5 and 5.5. This is important, so don’t plant into alkaline soil. The soil should be well-drained, but moist and rich in organic material. If you don’t have suitable soil, plant in a large pot, tub or box, using potting soil blended for acid loving plants. An ideal mix is 1-part lime-free potting soil, 1-part shredded pine bark, and 1-part sphagnum peat moss (sometimes called Canadian peat moss). Mulch the top of the pot with more shredded pine bark.

Pollination

The Bluecrop Blueberry is a self-pollinating variety – it will carry a big crop even if it is the only blueberry bush you have. If you do have space to grow another variety, we recommend you plant the Bluegold Blueberry, an attractive compact bush that ripens its fruit about 2 weeks earlier, and so extends your harvest season. If you grow two different varieties, both of them will carry a larger crop.

Maintenance and Pruning

The Bluecrop Blueberry is usually free of pests or diseases if grown in suitable soil, but deer and rabbits may eat the leaves. Water regularly, and don’t allow your plant to dry out. In the first season of planting, it is best to remove all the flower buds, as you want your bush to put its energy into growing branches and leaves, not fruit. This is a tough thing to make yourself do, but it is worth it for bigger crops in the future, and a strong, healthy bush. Use a blended blueberry fertilizer for the best results, applied in spring and again 6 weeks later until mid-summer. Prune in late winter once your bushes are well established. Remove weak, thin shoots from low down, and shorten back the strongest shoots. The goal in pruning is to control the size of the crop, and to encourage new growth that will flower in future years.

History and Origin of the Bluecrop Blueberry

The northern highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum, is native to North America, growing in eastern Canada and through the east and south of the USA. It can be found from Ontario to Nova Scotia, and southwards, even into Florida and parts of Texas. It is an important food for bears and birds, and it has been used by Native Americans for thousands of years. They used to burn areas of forest to encourage its spread and growth. Many varieties have been selected and bred for larger berries and heavier crops, and the variety called ‘Bluecrop’ is the most popular for home gardens, ripening its fruit in the middle of the season.

Buying the Bluecrop Blueberry at The Tree Center

The trend towards growing your own food is gaining strength every year, as more and more people discover how easy it is, and how satisfying it is to harvest your own food. Since blueberries are also ornamental, they are an easy way to have beauty and food from your garden – so order your bushes right away and start picking blue gold. Don’t wait, our plants sell out very fast.