This is where it all started. It was Mid-August 2023 when I started this ‘experiment’. I call it an experiment because I really have no idea how this will turn out over the long-haul. I am hoping for success.

I went to the local big-box hardware stores by me to see if they still had a blueberry plants in the garden section. Menards had an ‘Elliott’ and Home Depot had a ‘Bluecrop’ and a ‘Sweetheart’. I bought all 3 of them.

The Sweetheart was fairly well water-logged and I had to set it out for about a week to get it to dry out enough to transplant it.

The plan was to grow these in 20 inch planters. So back to Menards to buy some planters.

Elliott and Bluecrop were planted in a mixture of 2-parts potting soil, 1-part pine bark chips, and 1/2 cup of organic soil acidifier in each pot. These were mulched with the Pine bark chips. The Ph is high now but hopefully this mix will bring it down this Fall and Winter.

After it dried out substantially the Sweetheart was planted in a pot of with a mix of potting soil, perlite, and the organic soil acidifier. I then mulched it with the Pine bark chips.

2024

Last fall I made a 2′ x 4′ raised bed for the blueberries. I thought they may grow better in a raised bed than the planters. More experimenting.

When I made the bed I filled it with 2/3 potting soil, 1/3 peat moss, and some acidifier, surrounded it with a lattice to keep the critters out of it, but let the snow and water in.

Because I am still concerned about ‘Elliott’ I bought a ‘Patriot’ from Home Depot for the new bed. I planted it, and transplanted the ‘Sweetheart’ into the bed. Once I had them planted I added some acidifier at the drip-line, watered everything and covered it with pine bark mulch.

The Sweetheart wasn’t doing real well in this bed so I transplanted it to a different planter and replaced it with a “Duke”. In the picture above you see the Patriot and the Sweetheart. In the picture below you see Patriot and Duke.

I added some Marigolds to this bed to help keep critters and bugs away and it seems to be working,

6-15-24. After seeing this bed with the white lattice around it all year I thought I should change out the lattice to get more sun and air circulation on the plants, and make it more pleasing to the eye. So I went to Menards this morning and bought green plastic fence material. It looks much better now.