Highlights from Day One and Two in Kabwe, Zambia

Planting Blueberry Bushes As Fruit and Landscaping

Bush

Did you know that one of the most versatile plants for your home garden and/or landscaping is a blueberry bush? Sounds crazy I know but let me explain; when you look for garden plants you normally think of tomatoes or other vegetables but a blueberry bush is a perennial instead of an annual which means it will be around year after year.

It will not bear fruit the first 1-3 years and do not become fully productive until about the sixth year but after that the Blueberry bush will produce up to 8 quarts of berries for 15-20 years before it will slows down in production. If you want bigger berries and a higher yield of berries then you should plant more than one bush so that you can cross pollinate. You will still get blueberries if you do not cross pollinate just not as much.

It also makes a great landscaping bush because it requires little space, produces beautiful white flowers in the spring along with the green foliage. To help stimulate the growth of the bush you should remove the blossoms for the first two years. Then in the fall after it produces its fruit the leaves change to a beautiful reddish color plus you do not need to prune them for the first three years.

The soil's ph is something thing that you will have to look into. Blueberry bushes require a low ph or acid soil. You will want to test the soil before you plant and if it is not where it should be then you will want to wait until next year and concentrate on changing the ph this year. Some easy natural ways to change the ph is to add coffee grounds, peat moss, compost and manure to the soil. You will want the soil to rest for about 2-3 months before you retest it to make sure it has worked.

Now to figure out which type to blueberry bush to buy; there are a lot of different varieties of blueberry bushes to choose from just make sure that if you pick a bush that is a hybrid it will need to be cross pollinated with another blueberry bush. This is something that does not need to be done with the older varieties.

There are three main types of blueberry bushes: highbush, rabbiteye and southern highbush. If you live in the north you should only plant the highbush. If you live the south then only plant the rabbiteye and the southern highbush. Blueberry bushes are easy to find in your local garden centers in the spring or you can order them from the internet. They will vary in price from $ 15 - $ 35+ due to the age and size of the plant. So, find a spot, grab a soil tester and get started on enjoying your own homegrown blueberries.