🫐 Blueberry

Blueberries are attractive shrubs with white spring flowers, fine autumn colour and generous crops of nutrient-packed berries. They need acid soil, but grow very happily in pots of ericaceous compost, so any gardener can grow them.

Plant two different varieties for better pollination and bigger crops. Choose early, mid and late varieties for a long season. Compact varieties such as Sunshine Blue and Top Hat are ideal for patios.

Varieties to try

Bluecrop (reliable, mid-season)Duke (early, upright)Chandler (very large berries, late)Sunshine Blue (compact, good for pots)Top Hat (dwarf, ideal for containers)Brigitta (late, heavy)

Plant in autumn or spring in a sunny site. Blueberries need acid soil with a pH of 4.5–5.5; if your soil is neutral or alkaline, grow them in pots of ericaceous (peat-free) compost, in containers of at least 40 cm. Plant two or more varieties for cross-pollination.

In pots, use a mix of ericaceous compost with a layer of crocks for drainage, and plant at the same depth as in the nursery pot. Mulch with pine bark or composted bracken. Water with rainwater, as tap water in hard-water areas gradually raises the pH.

Top tips

• Use ericaceous compost in pots.
• Water with rainwater where possible.
• Plant two varieties.
• Mulch with bark.

Keep the soil constantly moist, but not waterlogged, especially while the fruit swells; shallow roots dry out quickly in pots. Feed with an ericaceous fertiliser in spring. Pick off the flowers in the first year to build a stronger bush.

Prune lightly in the first years. From year four, in winter, remove a quarter of the oldest stems to the base, and any weak or crossing growth. Net the bushes as soon as fruit forms, since birds love blueberries. Yellow leaves with green veins signal iron deficiency from high pH.

Top tips

• Never let pots dry out.
• Feed with ericaceous fertiliser.
• Remove old stems in winter.
• Net against birds.

Watch out for

BirdsChlorosis (yellow leaves from high pH)Vine weevil in potsBotrytis in damp summers

Berries ripen over several weeks from July, in succession. Wait until they are fully blue all over, with no red tinge, then wait another few days for the best flavour, as they sweeten after turning blue. Ripe berries come off with a gentle roll of the thumb.

Pick every few days. Berries from the top of the bush ripen first. Net the fruit before it starts to colour. Autumn leaf colour in October is a bonus.

Top tips

• Wait a few days after they turn blue.
• Pick every few days.
• Net early.
• Roll berries off with your thumb.

Eat fresh, add to porridge and yoghurt, bake in muffins, pancakes and pies, or cook into jam, compote and sauces. Blueberries pair with lemon, vanilla, almonds and cream. Their skins are rich in antioxidants and hold their shape when cooked.

Fresh blueberries keep for up to two weeks in the fridge, longer than most fruit. They freeze very well: spread unwashed on a tray, freeze, and bag for up to a year. Dried blueberries are a healthy snack.

Top tips

• Freeze unwashed on a tray.
• Toss in flour before baking.
• Store dry in the fridge.
• Pair with lemon in cakes.