In My Garden: Blueberries!

Above: Close to two cups of fresh blueberries from my garden!

Some friends came to my house last summer and noticed I had some blueberry plants in pots on the side of the house. They immediately said "You can't grow blueberries in Encinitas, CA, it doesn't get cold enough." That is a widely-held belief that just isn't true. There are at least five or six low-chill blueberries that do very well along the coast and the taste is excellent. 

Blueberry plants need low chill hours, 100 to 300 hours under 45 degrees per year. And the soil needs to be kept acidic, 4.5 to 5.5 ph. I use a peat-moss soil mix similar to the one used for azaleas, and cottonseed meal for fertilizer. Don't use fertilizer that uses a nitrate type of nitrogen. I grow them in large pots (at least 15 to 30 gallon size) because it's easier to maintain an acidic soil.

Right now I am getting bowls of fresh blueberries! Some good varieties are Sunshine Blue, O'neal, Misty, Southmoon, and Sharpblue.

Above: One of three of my blueberry bushes, loaded with berries!