Grow Blueberries In Containers the RIGHT Way!

IN THIS VIDEO

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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:44 - Why Blueberries
01:37 - Varieties
03:18 - When To Plant
04:17 - Why In Containers
07:17 - Container Requirements
08:26 - Planting
09:53 - Watering
10:22 - Sunlight
11:05 - Fertilizer
11:39 - Harvest
12:04 - Pests

DISCLAIMER

[meggrowsplants]

Happy to be back as always! Blueberry season is almost upon us 💙

[Raiden]

I'm 14 years old boy, I love gardening since I was a kid, I've grown so many plants, and I like to watch your video for guide, thanks

[JAMAICAN]

I have my blueberries in a whiskey barrel planter, until 3yrs ago I was having one struggle and yellow for years, in various soil mixes and acidifiers but soil tests kept saying it was alkaline (short of dumping vinegar on it nothing helped); then I looked up solutions and long story short, i found one guy who said he grows his in straight up peat moss to fix the alkaline soil problem. Now, both the previously struggling one and the 3yr old bush have grown massively and i get like a quart full of berries each year. Easily was the best advice I found.

[m.mcmullen]

Great content guys! I'm glad you had Meg back. Her delivery, pacing, and sense of humor really sparkles.

[mixingitupwithmina]

Thank you so much for taking the time to make a video for those of us who never thought we could grow anything … ever. You are the best!

[michellem]

I decided I’m growing blueberries & strawberries this year. The prices at supermarket are getting insane. Small container is like $6.99-$12.99

[rherman]

Good video for beginners. Soil acidity is the most important thing to know about taking care of blueberries. Selecting the right container size before you buy the plant is good advice in general, not just with blueberries.

[speakrighttogod]

Thank you, thank you!! No rambling with stuff and nonsense. Meg told us exactly what we needed to know AND her demeanor is very pleasant, and her voice is soothing and enjoyable to listen to. Glad that your video came up.

[annnonomys]

From first hand experience, it is not necessary to limit your plant selection to "container" varieties.
I learned a lot from a professor who taught agriculture at a Texas University specializing in fruits and nuts. And he had a large personal green house. He grew a huge assortment of fruits in containers. Most of those containers were well under 20 gallons. We are talking trees. NOT dwarf varieties. He selected the very best varieties for his purposes. The container naturally limits the size of the plant, but not the size of the fruit itself. The yield matches the plant size.
This was perfect for my purposes. I grew my own "urban orchard" with most of my fruits in containers. I used 14 gallon rubbermaid totes with drain holes drilled in the bottom. For example, I grew 2 full sized varieties of sweet cherries. The containers limited the plant size to short enough that I could tend to them without a ladder. For an experiment, I even grew a full sized variety of mulberry tree in a container and that's amazing given that it has a central tap root. Remember, the variety was full sized, but the container limited the plant growth. For me, blueberries were the easiest fruit to grow of all that I tried. As I recall, I grew around 5 varieties so that I could have ripe blueberries from early until frost. Each one was a full sized variety selected for the very best characteristics for my purpose. At 14 gallon pots, , I doubt that there was much of a dwarfing effect.
Do not limit your choices to "container" varieties. Pick the very best varieties for your purpose. The container will limit root growth. The plant will limit it's canopy size to it's root capacity. Naturally dwarfing the plant if necessary.
Growing fruits in containers causes the plant to fruit early in its lifespan compared to growing in ground. But I never got blueberries until at least year 2. So if your viewers don't get blueberries that first year, don't abandon your plants.
General notes from my experience growing fruits in containers.
1. My plants needed a ton of water. I had to water heavily every day in the summer. (Probably smaller "container" sized plants would need less water. But the selection is limited and the yield is directly related to plant size.)
2. Bird nets were absolutely necessary. But bird net snags on everything it touches and rips up everything it snags. Leaves, fruit, and finger nails. Do not drape your nets directly on the plants because the birds can still sit on the plant and reach much of your fruit from there. But more importantly, you'll rip up your plant and fruit each time you remove the net for harvest. Save yourself a bunch of hassle, save your plant, and save your fruit, build a simple frame over your plant. Wood works. I used pvc pipe. Most of my plants were under a pvc pipe archway. The same frame supported frost cover in spring and fall.
3. Don't rush to harvest. Especially blueberries. Many fruits, including blueberries turn color long before they are ripe. If the berry doesn't release easily from the plant, it's not ripe. And many varieties ripen over a long time window. That is, some of the berries are ripe long before others on the same plant. (This is a poor characteristic for commercial growers who want to harvest the entire field at once, but is often a great characteristic for home growers that wants to eat fresh every day.) For best flavor, pick only the ripe ones. Let the rest hang on the plant For blueberries, there's a long time window to harvest any given ripe berry. As it hangs longer, it gets sweeter, but gets softer. Of course, at some point it becomes mush. Note that berries do NOT ripen once they are removed from the plant.

[kathycannon]

I love the idea of feeding the birds well. What a happy compromise!

[Jun_Kie]

I just bought 4 three year old blueberry shrubs two weeks ago!! Perfect timing. Love this channel more by the day!

[bradhines]

Perfect timing. I have become obsessed with blueberries. My two cattle troughs, along with the raised beds, will be dedicated to blueberries this year. My current in-ground plants were started using sphagnum peat as a base. It sounds like
better control of soil condition can be achieved in a raised bed type environment. Thank you for the great information. The fuse is lit.

[IamSimplicity-bq]

Thank you for posting this video, I've been tote containers for 4 yrs now on my balcony. Meg gave GREAT tips however she did not explain how to over winter the blueberries. I live in Ontario and our winters get quite cold. Thanks again

[ralphsenter]

I love Meg! I am currently only able to container garden and Meg has helped me so much over the years. I don’t know why I haven’t grown any blueberries yet but this has me planning on starting some in the spring! Thanks! :)

[jackrobin]

So glad to see a blueberry video I was wondering where they had gone. I bought a bunch of blueberry plants based on your other videos and wanted to say thank you for sharing your experience with us!

[jessicajordan]

Kevin's container berry video was the first one I ever saw on the Epic Gardening channel a few years ago and I've been subscribed ever since. It is a bucket list garden dream to grow container berries and citrus plants for me! Meg has tickled my dream with her informative delivery and confidence ❤ 🌱

[elizabethrochester]

So excited for this video! I was just telling my gardener coworker yesterday how I wanted to try container blueberries!

[SumaiyaS]

What a wonderful video. A complete guide for growing blueberries answering all of the question a beginner would have. Thanks to Meg for all the information shared.

[marymcandrew]

Perfect timing. I've been thinking about the three bb bushes I planted in big pots two years ago. They have been a bit neglected, this inspires me to move them to a less forgetable area, fertilize and repot bigger! Thanks. Growing in the wet Scottish Borders.

[breonialafayegaming]

Just got 2 pink lemonade blueberry plants that are self pollinating! They were already blooming, i hope they last with these tips!