Aside from being absolutely delicious, blueberries are full of antioxidants and vitamins that your body needs. They are probably one of the few treats that you can really enjoy without the guilt. In fact, I think the more you eat these awesome berries, the healthier you’ll be.
The only problem – in the grocery store, they can be quite expensive. You could pay around $5 for a small container. That’s just insane, especially when you can grow your own. You can find a blueberry bush for less than $10 – pay that one time and you can grow an unlimited amount of berries – free blueberries – imagine that!
If space is your issue or you don’t have a lot of open yard to plant in, you can plant your blueberries in pots.
Planting Blueberries in Buckets
To help you get started, here’s a step by step guide that will show you how to plant your new blueberry bushes in a pot or a bucket.
Tip: Before reading our instructions, it’s always wise to read the instructions that have been provided with your package. There are different varieties of blueberries and yours may call for something different. So take a moment to read and then follow these general steps.
1. Choose your pot carefully. You want it to be at least 2 X’s the size of the root ball. DO NOT try to put the plant in the same size pot that it came out of. This stunts the growth of the plant.
2. Drill holes in the pot or bucket if it does not already have them. You want good drainage so you don’t rot the roots with too much moisture.
3. Fill the pot with potting the soil of your choice. Quick Tip: If you have pine needles around your home, mix a few handfuls into your potting soil because blueberries love very acidic soil which pine straw naturally provides.
4. Make a hole in the soil inside of the pot and place your plant inside. Don’t be afraid to loosen the roots a little even if they tear a little. This lets the plant know that it’s in a bigger house now and it’s time to grow.
5. Fill and cover root ball up only to the top of the root ball or to the bottom of the plant.
6. Place more pine straw on top around the plant as a mulch/ fertilizer.
7. Water thoroughly (soak it) and place it in full sun outside, on a patio or big nice sunny window and soon you will be making pies in no time.
That’s it! Set it in a place where it will get plenty of sun and soon you’ll begin to see flower buds. When those flowers get pollinated, they’ll begin to grow fruits that will mature in mid-summer. It will vary depending on the variety you’ve chosen.
