How to Save Money and Grow Healthy Organic Blueberry and Huckleberry Bushes

A recent addition to the long list of fruit-crops grown in North America, the blueberry has only been domesticated since the 1920s. Huckleberries are a very close relative that are most often wild-crafted, and have yet to be fully domesticated. The rapidly increasing price of fresh or frozen organic blueberry fruits has prompted many to begin growing this low-maintenance, perennial crop for themselves.

Blueberries are related to rhododendrons, and are one of the very few crops that don’t do well in soils with a neutral pH. In fact, they are best suited to rather acidic soils that range from pH 4.8 to about 5.6 or so. This is done in organic blueberry production by mulching the shallow roots with acidic soil amendments such as used coffee grounds, pine needles, composted sawdust and oak leaves.

Applications of elemental sulfur are also used in organic blueberry production. Be careful that the pH doesn’t drop below 4.8, or metal toxicity can occur. It’s very important to take regular readings, since pH changes in a soil, especially one with a high organic matter content, can change gradually over the year.

There are three common species of blueberries, each suited to different climates. The low-bush types are the smallest and are grown in the far north, with many varieties hearty to USDA zone 2 or 3. These bushes only get about 2 feet (61cm) tall and produce a proliferation of tiny fruits very commonly seen in baked goods.

Most of the US blueberry production comes from high-bush blueberries, that can be as many as 8 feet (2.5m) tall. These berries are most often seen as fresh market blueberries. They are a favorite of u pick blueberry operations. High bush types also tend to dominate the organic blueberry industry in the western US and Canada.

Similarly large are the “rabbit eye” types that are most commonly seen in the south-east that can handle high heat and humidity. Because the texture is not as fine as the other two, rabbit-eye blueberries are a favorite of blueberry syrup producers.

It is important to remember that unlike many other crops that have been domesticated for thousands of years, organic blueberry production is especially well-suited to this crop because it requires very little nitrogen. An application of a low-fertility organic fertilizer when digging the plants in is usually more than enough.

What’s more important is to keep the roots covered in a thick mulch and provide nice, even watering because the roots are fine and very close to the surface. A generous application of compost each year is usually adequate to supply all the nutrition that most blueberries will require. In fact, most commercial grower tend to apply too much.

When planting small blueberry plants, you should expect to wait about three years before you get a good crop. Though they’ll try to bear fruit as soon as they’re planted, it’s best to take the blooms off for the first two years so the plants can put all their energy into vegetative growth.

Perhaps the most difficult part of organic blueberry production is the pruning, which differs from most other crops. Fruit is borne on older wood that’s at least two years old and then those spurs die back.

This means that pruning must be done very carefully to avoid taking off too much fruiting wood, but cannot be ignored, lest the bushes become a mass of dead wood. Pruning is done during the dormant season with the goal of opening up the bush for proper air flow and maximizing the amount of surface area that is covered by fruiting wood.

The other most challenging part of growing organic blueberry bushes is keeping birds off the fruit while they ripen on the bush. Fresh market blueberries are at their most flavorful about five days after the fruit turns fully blue and the skin begins to loosen. Birds, however, will attack the fruit as soon as it turns blue. They are best combated with netting, since even the most sophisticated scare tactics are only marginally effective.

Organic blueberry production has very few pests aside from fruit-stealing birds. While apple maggot, cherry fruit fly and weevils can all be problems in commercial production, providing proper soil pH, even moisture and suitable nutrition is adequate to keep most pests at bay.

Huckleberries are a very similar plant and, while not often grown in the home garden, respond to the same general conditions as their larger cousins. As a general rule, huckleberries are more tolerant of shady conditions than organic blueberry bushes.