Against the better wisdom of the folks at Walter Andersen and Dave Wilson Nurseries, I planted my first blueberry bushes – gasp- right in the ground. I carefully amended the soil with sulfur to lower the pH. Then I mixed in peat moss and small pathway bark for moisture balance.
The plants took off well with lots of new growth, but then… some of the leaves started to turn brown around the edges. They curled and dried up. Some red blotches appeared on the canes. Before too long it was obvious that they were not going to survive. So much for the first attempt.
Second time around, I planted them in containers. They are 2 years old now, happy and thriving. We have two low-chill varieties, Sharpblue and Sunshine Blue. True to the description for the Sharpblue’s -“Bears fruit nearly year-round” – we got a little harvest just this morning.
