Grow Blueberries In Containers the RIGHT Way!
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- Опубликовано: 7 июн 2024
- Blueberries are an intimidating plant to grow due to some of their 'unique' growing requirements. But today, all of that goes away, because @meggrowsplants is joining the Epic Ecosystem to drop her expert blueberry knowledge so you know exactly what to do, and what NOT to do! Thanks to our friends at Bushel and Berry for sponsoring this video! Check out their extensive berry selection: www.bushelandberry.com/
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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
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Epic Gardening occasionally links to goods or services offered by vendors to help you find the best products to care for plants. Some of these may be affiliate links, meaning we earn a small commission if items are purchased. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. More info on our process: www.epicgardening.com/disclai... 
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Thank you to www.bushelandberry.com/ for sponsoring this video, and let us know what you think of Meg's tips!
Nice content and addition to your channel. However, not a fan of the ASMR style microphone. Too sterile for a garden. The whole point of gardening for *me, is to be with nature & hear the outdoor sounds.
So glad to hear Meg’s suggestions. Looking forward to seeing her more too!
She is really annoying
I just bought 2 blueberry bushes for this company. Can you tell me if I can add bone meal when planting? They are quite small. Want to make sure they are healthy and don’t want to over fertilize. I also bought some of the 20 gallon lines grow bags from you as well Kevin to plant my blueberries in! Thanks for the feedback
Very informative and right when I needed it as I'm planting blueberries today or tomorrow.
Happy to be back as always! Blueberry season is almost upon us 💙
Just subscribed! Looking forward to learning from your great videos.
You mentioned you used a local sourced potting mix, can you let me know what that is? I think I'm close to your area and I'd love to have a good recommendation on locally sourced mix. One of my goals for this year was to have a couple blueberry plants in my container garden so thank you for this video! Other than BerryBux, do you have any other favorites for our area?
Love having you :)
Also FYI, since vinegar (5% storebought) has a pH around 3, you can do a 1 in 100ish dilution and land at pH 5. Ends up being around 1fluid ounce per gallon of water.
Berry well done. I always enjoy your EG content.
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
Keep it up, young man. Learning to grow your own food is highly rewarding and valuable.
Same dude but I'm 30 now🥲
Since I was a kid?? 😂😂😂
I mean you still 😂😂😂
Good for you. My nephew started out like you. As a kid he loved plants and always said he wanted to be a farmer. As a teen he started to work at a green house nursery. His boss recognizes his potential and advised him to study horticulture (plant specialist, gardening etc). Well eventually he get a degree in horticulture. He met his future wife also at the greenhouse. He helps manage it too:. He has fabulous. container gardens in his back yard . Stick with it. Growing food never goes out of style. It’s really cool when grow it yourself:) Good luck!
My old neighbor gardened till the day he died. He was tough as nails and grew the best dahlias and chrysanthemum in our area. I watched this guy at 95 years old turn his garden over with a shovel. Heck I couldn't even do that.
Great content guys! I'm glad you had Meg back. Her delivery, pacing, and sense of humor really sparkles.
Thank you so much for the kind words! ❤
Totally agree!
So glad you enjoyed!
I love her voice. I’m so relaxed.
Yep, Meg’s a keeper. Lovely voice and presence.
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!
You are so welcome!
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.
No other nutrients?
@@rhb30001 well yeah add fertilizer, but no soil mixes. Just peat moss.
How does watering work with only having peat moss as the growing medium?
@@Jules-740 I never let it dry out. I give it a soak every 2 days (3 if its been a cool week) , plus I use straw mulch to keep the top from drying out. Sure the straw will also clump and get hydrophobic too when it gets dry as well. But i just use my fingers to agitate and de-thatch it before I water. This spring tho, I topped it with compost (since I was topping off my fruit trees with it), then added new straw mulch because the squirrels kicked all the old straw out of the pot all winter and early spring. The yield now is much more than I’ve ever had.
Instead of straw, would pine bark mulch work too?
I decided I’m growing blueberries & strawberries this year. The prices at supermarket are getting insane. Small container is like $6.99-$12.99
Welcome to price gouging
Same. Fruit shouldn't be a luxury
Exactly it's worth trying
Hubby just bought me early birthday gift plants. I planted a nice healthy looking blueberry in a big pot from some other plant. I hope it will do well. I used a mixture of top soil, manure and potting soil and citrus soil. Now I just need to be patient. It looks happy so far. I also got a pink flowering strawberry:)
@@angelaackerman8934 that's a good hubby right there!
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.
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.
Im testing my soil tomorrow . I don't want a blueberry funeral . Thanks !!! Great video !!!
I love the idea of feeding the birds well. What a happy compromise!
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 ❤ 🌱
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.
I just bought 4 three year old blueberry shrubs two weeks ago!! Perfect timing. Love this channel more by the day!
So excited for this video! I was just telling my gardener coworker yesterday how I wanted to try container blueberries!
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! :)
I have watched and loved so many of your wonderful videos, thanks! Meg is a great teacher and explained some things this old gardener has never heard explained before. I hope we can see more of her, and always more of you. Very much appreciated!
Thank you Kevin for having Meg teach us the blueberry magic. As a good host, never forget to thank your contributors/partners at the end of the video for their contribution to your channel. This came at a perfect time as I want to grow blueberries this year.🌿
This has gotten me very excited to try planting some Blueberries this spring. I know I likely won't have a harvest this year, but good things come to those who wait, and those who work for the results! Thanks for another awesome video!
Thank you!!
This is so timely for me. I was wondering just this morning if my blueberry plants were really okay (they look okay, for now) and what I could do to ensure they stay healthy. Thanks for reminding me to test the soil.
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!
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.
Great job educating us in tasty blueberries! So encouraging
Such helpful tips! Thank you for sharing this Meg. Learned so much! Can't wait to start planting my berries. 👍❤️
Even though we lost a few blueberry bushels here, it seems like a great starter plant for new gardeners. Great info! I haven't started gardening, but this definitely gives me the encouragement to try them in the fall.
Wow! What a great video! Meg is so pleasant to listen to.. great voice!
I've been loving every addition to the Epic team! I'd love for Chris to do more again, I love her style!
I've seen quite a few not so helpful videos. This was very helpful. Thanks.
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.
Let's see those berries!
That was a great video and I love every thing I see with Meg because she is in my zone and she makes everything so easy to understand! I might just try my hand at container blueberries this year! Love those containers too!!
Aww thank you!!
I bought a bare-rooted Blueberry in San Marcos CA. Planted it in a large pot, good soil, and mulch, and 8 days later fed it. Before long Marcos CA. Before long new branches; and lovely leaves began the show. By December even those terrible winds did not hurt it, but broke two 6" avocado trees! Now it is full of blossoms and I love this new addition to my garden. It is going to have a large amount of fruit to enjoy.
Just got 2 pink lemonade blueberry plants that are self pollinating! They were already blooming, i hope they last with these tips!
My Book arrived today!!! I am VERY impressed and already love it! Thank you for publishing your wisdom.
I just bought a couple of Blueberry plants and getting ready to plant them in containers. I was already to plant them, once I get some acidic soil or amendments, in a couple containers I had used before. Then you brought up making sure to have a large container to put them in. Mine were probably about 5 gallon. That's probably why my blueberries before didn't make it before. So, will be picking up a couple more pots as well. Very informative video! Thank you!!
Thank you Meg! I’ve wanted to try growing blueberries for a while and hoped this would be the year, so your video is perfect timing and maybe the inspiration I need!! I’m also in NC so yeah, that clay soil is terrible and I only use containers, so again perfect video for me!🎉 Great tips! ❤ Also love how you mentioned feed the birds. I do as well to deter them from my garden. Also adding a bird bath especially helps in the summer to keep them from poking my tomatoes.😅
My mom bought two blueberry plants 2 years ago cause she loves them, I do not. Well my mom promptly forget about them and it fell to my responsibility to care for them. I managed to get them in large containers and they have survived, but barely produced. Probably because after watering them and giving them soil acidifier and berry tone stuff, I promptly ignore them to take care of the plants that are for me. 😆 With this video, I have a better understanding on how to care for them, and I will try to be better at taking care of them.
This is such an incredibly helpful video. You guys nailed it!
This video is so helpful. We put pine or fir sawdust around our plants each year (in ground). Ours have been happy for many years. The pH is important.
Easily one of the best videos on blueberries I have ever seen! Thank you!
Love the way she presents. Great information.
I first got the idea that blueberries would be a good idea to plant when I saw numerous wild blueberries growing everywhere around here. Apparently, they just love the native soil that also has a ton of red oaks growing nearby. Two years after planting to large bushes that were suited towards our zone 6A (Now 6B) climate, the became flush with blueberries! The first year I learned just how much birds and deer love them too, because despite the flush, I must have only had a few off of the bush! Every June I apply some netting and it seems to solve the pest problem!
I agree! They do far better in the ground if you have acid soil and I got blueberries the first year!
The ones in containers took forever but took off once in the ground.
Leaf mold is good for them too from my oak trees!
This was an amazing video..thanks for sharing your knowledge. 🙏🏼
Great video and explanations. I’m definitely doing this method this year
Perfect timing! My mom's blueberry plant is growing in a container and losing its leaves, so I started panicking! Going to get a soil test kit now! 🏃♀
Perfect timing on this video! Exactly what I was looking for!
Perfect!
Really wonderful information, thanks for sharing!
I love Meg. She is so calm, beautiful and this video is full of great tips! Loved it ❤
Great video. And yes, me too. I grow everything in fabric. I love those things!
Very well explained. Thank you. Now I’m looking forward to trying to grow them.
I really appreciate this video as I want to plant berry bushes this coming spring, At 60 years old I have never grown berries, yet 😊
I just recently subscribed, because the videos are very informative, well organized and nicely presented. This one was excellent. I’ve been looking into growing blueberries and am partial to containers, and she gave me plenty to get started on (and some info I didn’t get in similar videos). You really have a great channel! I also sub’d to Meg’s, too!
i was just considering planting a blueberry bush in a container a couple days ago. impeccable timing, as always
Definitely some great ideas and very thorough information
I loved this video! Thanks for the wealth of information!
Great tutorial! I don’t have any questions. U answered them all!! Ty😊
Thank you Kevin And Meg!
Very information
Didn’t think much when she was using your grow bag, over the 20 inch container I already have until she showed the little pocket that is for the drip line OMG, so excited definitely buying your grow bags!! I had it duct, taped, Jimmy rigged, you name it could not get my drip line to stay on my big containers for nothing. L O L.
Once again, Thank you both. Hope to see more videos with you both
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
Great video, but wanted to offer a friendly correction that could really bum someone out if left unnoticed: she said to not worry about checking chill hours if you go to your local garden center, because they would only have stuff suited for your area. Hah, I wish 🥲 Home Depot and Lowe’s are notorious for shipping the same stuff everywhere. Here in SoCal they routinely sell lilacs, even near the ocean. Same with stone fruits that require like 800+ chill hours. Please check for what varieties work in your area before heading to the store!!!
My story is just like yours! Four dead bushes. So they were felled and I added soil acidifier. I have a 6' x 3' raised bed that I will plant two bushes in. Until they fill the bed I will plant some other things with them. Great video and very informative. I will say that irrigation is very important and, in my 6B-7 zone I might actually need shade cloth during the harshest of the summer sun.
I'm in the same zone & mine LOVE the scorching summer sun when everything else but the sunflowers hate it.
They got all but early morning sun.
But they're also 10' away from the pine trees so it's naturally acidic there.
They handled the drought this year beautifully (heavy clay soil) & I only watered them 3x.
Getting babies established, I'd use the shadecloth for sure, but for the most intense part of the day.
Great vid. Nice concise, detailed. Definitely, beginner friendly. I left feeling confident that I could buy a blueberry bush and be successful in my area. Very valuable!
Great video!! I loved every thing she recommended and needed that advice!
They are my favorite. I'm just learning all this but I cant wait to start! Perennial Power! Blueberry fields FOREVER
This will be the first time trying to keep my first blueberry container alive over winter. 🤞🫐
Fingers crossed!
Good luck! You got this 🤞🏼
Me too
I've never seen a video with Meg before. Great job! Straight to the point with a joke here and there. Perfect! Keep up the great work folks!
Thank you so much for the kind words! Much appreciated ❤
Perfect timing! I just bought a blackberry plant a few days ago❤I want a blueberry too and this helps make my decision ❤
Amazing video! Thanks for tips
Just ordered grow bags from your store. I've been wanting to grow blueberries. I've been doing container gardening, but only have 5 gallons containers. The tips shared are greatly appreciated. Now to wait to find blueberry bushes for sale.
Thankyou so much. There is really some good education 🙏
Thank you for the helpful hints!!!!
Very informative. Thank you! 💙
Thank you for sharing! I needed this video!
This was cool, Thank-you. My blueberries are in an established raised bed👍🏾
Waiting for the video on pruning your pomegranate tree 😊
Meg is great. Blueberry containers is my next goal, thank you!
Excellent advice. I have blueberries in whiskey barrels. The acidifier shown is what I use and it’s really simple to use. I was advised to use a berry tone from the same brand but haven’t tried it yet. I had a small harvest my second year but the birds got to them first. I’ll be adding a net when the berries start forming. I do feed the birds and have a native plant bed for foraging options for birds but they took the berries anyway. I’ll see about adding more bird feeders as well. I have early bloomers. They bloom and harvest in early spring. I have the regular blue and also a pink lemonade. The fall colors they bring are really beautiful and are different depending on the variety. A really stunning show and well worth the bird issue.
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.
Great information. What soil do you use in your pots? Do you use drain pans for the pots?
@@firecloud77 equal parts 1) pine bark fines . Usually packaged as SMALL pine bark mulch. Not large chunks.
2) peat. Available at walmart, home depot, etc.
3) compost. NOT composted manure. Probably not mushroom compost.
Controlled release fertilizer ** for acid loving plants **. 1 tbsp / gallon of soil.
gypsum. 1 tbsp gypsum/ gallon (adds Ca, S)
epsom salts. 1 tbsp /gallon. (adds mg, S)
I use 14 gallon rubbermaid totes with a few drain holes. Blueberries need full sun. Their roots need to stay damp but not wet. Don't rush to pick when they turn blue. Wait until they easily roll off when you pick. B blueberries have a long window during which to harvest it's berries. Pick what you want for the day, leave the rest for the next day. To get fruit, you'll need two plants of different varieties of the same type. Maybe wo different northern high bush varieties, for example (depending upon where you live.)
For maintenance, when the buds swell in the spring, sprinkle time controlled release fertilizer for ACID LOVING plants. Fertilize with epsom salts a few times per year. Add gypsum in August. In fall, add a handful of garden sulfer.
Blueberries are really easy to grow and if you wait until they are ripe to pick, they are far better than grocery store blueberries.
I also would like to hear about the type of soil used in those pots.
@@mistyblu4485 Sorry, my previous reply must have not saved correctly. Equal parts 1) pine bark fines. Usually packaged as *SMALL* pine bark mulch. 2) peat moss. 3) Compost. NOT composted manure. Then add 1 tbsp / gallon each of A) controlled release fertilizer for acid loving plants. B) gypsum. C) epsom salts.
Ongoing fertilizer: in spring add controlled release fertilizer for acid loving plants. Add epsom salts a few times per year. More fertilizer after harvest. Add gypsum late summer. In fall, add garden sulfer.
@@firecloud77 Sorry, I posted an answer, but perhaps I didn't save it right? I posted again in response to mistyblu
Fantastic video - lots of great information - saving this video to watch again!
Meg, this is exactly what I was hoping for! I learn best visually, so actually seeing you plant, fertilize, acidify, pick the right container, talk about what you’ve learned, etc. is SO helpful! I’d sworn off blueberries, until I saw a VERY few of them at my Costco today, for a killer price. I just had to grab a couple up. Wish me luck!!! 🫐🫐🫐
I'm so glad you shared this! We moved to a new home only to find out that squirrels and birds are our new friend, but not such good friends for our garden!
Loved this video, thanks for sharing!!
This is sooo helpful! Thank you!
Thank you... Very informative, especially since I live in NC!
Love this video, she made it so clear on how to grow blueberries, but I was wondering what was the variety that can grow by itself without having to buy other varieties for pollination, thank you
Giving this a try in Zone 5 just above Michigan in Ontario. My kids LOVE blueberries. We planted raspberries last year and it was a total hit.
Epic lesson on Blueberry growing! Thanks!!!!
Thank you for all of your blueberry tips, your successes as well as your failures. 😊
I was looking for new plants to grow perfect timing! ❤
Just got me some bushel and berry blueberries. Glad I found you as a video option. Been watching your videos for a while. Specially since I started growing dragon fruit that I saw your background 😃
Meg is awesome. Really good video. Mom and I just got some blueberries a few months ago so this was great.
Yum!!!! I LOVE this brand I have their berries all over my garden!
Perfect video and information. Thanks!
Awesome video!❤
Thank you Guys for all the info. Have a blessed Harvest and don't forget to Enjoy Life. From Bridgeport Connecticut.
Awesome tips!! Thank you.
I had a pollinator/fruit/edible garden installed in a small part of my front yard by a local company this fall and they added 3 native blueberries. Very excited!! These will be my first blueberries but I expect not my last.
Mulberry my friend, they grow so well, produce heaps and here in sub tropical Queensland we get two seasons for them spring and autumn!
@@redstarling5171 I got a big cutting (which I turned into several smaller ones) from my boyfriends mulberry tree this fall too! Going to have all the berries!
Top hat variety worked really well for me when I was growing on the east Coast 👍 produces nice size clusters of berries and is pretty good if you don't have a lot of space
SUPER helpful! Thank you!
Fantastic information, thank you!
Thank you for this video. I can only grow in containers on an enclosed patio. With this information I think I might try again if there is a variety for South Florida.
This is the best video I have seen so far!! Very informative! More Meg please! I subscribed. 😁
Edit: I bought a bushel and berry plant from tractor supply, the berry tone, and now looking for the acidifier, I’m super excited! The only question I have now is do the plants need those chill hours every year? I’m in zone 8 in South Carolina, it’s been pretty cold at night lately.
Love Meg! Great info. Thanks.