Not only is this shrub grown for its berries but it is also grown for its good looks!
Blueberries have long been a favourite berry among Americans, coming in second only to strawberries.
Although small in size, the blueberry has a large reputation of being one of the healthiest fruits or vegetables.
It is high in antioxidants, potassium, and dietary fibre and low in sodium and calories (40 calories per cup). The early settlers valued the blueberry as an important part of their diet. They ate the berries fresh, then dryed them to mix with other foods, the juice was used for medicine and blueberries were boiled with milk to make grey paint, a very versatile berry.
Native to North America, blueberries are an important crop to British Columbia, with B.C. being the second largest producer of cultivated blueberries in the world.
Although not all varieties are hardy enough to withstand our Prince George, Zone 3, climate, there are several good varieties available that do very well, such as NorthSky, considered the hardiest hardiest off all blueberries. Ithas a nice compact shape, growing 10-18 inches high, making it ideal for small spaces.
It has dense blue-green foliage that turns a brilliant red in fall and in spring the plant is covered with white flowers, which in mid -eason produces very tasty, sky-blue, small berries.
Northland is a nice looking bush growing three-to-four feet tall and is the hardiest of the high bush varieties. It is very productive, producing medium-sized berries that have a mild, sweet flavour with a high sugar content making them ideal for jams and baking.
Northcountry produces a medium-sized berry that has sweetm wild-fruit flavour. This early, highly-productive plant grows 18-24 inches tall and has glossy, green foliage turns scarlet red in fall, similar to NorthBlue, which is little taller growing 20-30 inches and producing an abundance of large, dark-blue fruit that has a slight tart taste, which are good fresh or in preserves.
Hardy Blue has been a long-established variety for the Northwest and as the name indicates is very hardy. It grows 20-30 inches high and wide and is more adaptable to soil types than some of the other blueberry varieties.
This plant produces heavy crops of medium-sized, very flavorable, fruit that are very sweet.
In fall, the foliage turns a brilliant yellow-orange and the dark, red wood stands out in the winter.
An early season variety, Patriot produces a high yield of large, dark-blue, highly-flavoured berries and, when the plant is mature, can produce anywhere from 10-20 pounds of fruit per year.
The plant grows 40-50-inches tall and wide and has dark green foliage that turns a bright orange.
Polaris is another early producer and produces excellent fruit that is light blue, moderate sized, aromatic and very firm, and crisp, making them excellent for storage.
It turns red in the fall and grows 40-50-inches tall, similar to Chippewa, which is a mid-season producer.
Chippewa produces firm, medium- to large-sized, very light-blue berries that have a nice sweet flavour. It is very hardy and has a nice compact growing habit.
When growing blueberries, choose a sunny location as shade will affect the amount of berries the plant will produce. Soil is very important. It must be well-drained, as blueberries have a very fine and shallow root system.
If the roots sit in water for any length of time they will suffocate and it will kill the plant.
However, they do require uniform moisture during the berry-development stage, so extra mulch, such as wood chips, would be beneficial.
If drainage is a problem, then plant blueberries on raised beds and use mulch on top of the soil.
Blueberries require an acidic soil with pH levels of 4.5-5.5. This is important so do a soil test and if the soil is not acidic enough, sulphur can be used to raise the acidity.
Peat moss mixed into the soil will also help in raising the acidity levels. Once they are growing, they do not require a lot of work.
There is no need to prune them (unless there is dead or broken branches) until they are five years old. Pruning is done in spring and is done to stimulate the growth of new shoots, which in turn will produce fruit the following year.
Although many varieties of blueberries are self -ertile, you benefit by planting two or more varieties of blueberries, as this will increase crop yields and will also extend the season as they ripen at different times.
They are such an attractive plant and produce a healthy and tasty food, that you will want to have more than one anyway!
