Collecting blueberries in the forest is one of the ways many people cool off on hot midsummer days. However, cultivated blueberries grown for the garden also offer fruity refreshment in the heat.
Differences between wild blueberries and cultivated blueberries
The cultivated blueberries offered by specialist retailers are actually only very distantly botanically related to the blueberries found in the forests in this country. There are also clear differences between the varieties in terms of the growth habit of the bushes and the size and color of the fruits. While wild blueberries rarely grow higher than around 40 centimeters, cultivated blueberries can grow bushes up to 2, 5 and 3 meters high. Not only can you pick significantly more fruit from cultivated blueberries, you can also find most of them at eye level on the loosely protruding branches. In contrast to wild blueberries, the flesh of cultivated blueberries is almost white, so the juice does not turn fingers and tongue blue. Wild blueberries taste a little more aromatic than cultivated blueberries, but they can hardly keep up with the plump and juicy fruits of the cultivated varieties. Particularly proven varieties among cultivated blueberries are:
- Northland
- Pilot
- Bluecrop
The demands of cultivated blueberries on the location
Despite all the differences, wild blueberries and cultivated blueberries are very similar in some things. Cultivated blueberries cannot tolerate soil that is too calcareous in their location and require a rather acidic soil environment with a pH value between 4.0 and 5.0. In contrast to wild wild blueberries, cultivated blueberries prefer a location in full sun, but they also need to be planted regularly during the harvest season be watered well. However, they tolerate waterlogging poorly, which is why particular attention must be paid to a loose surface. If you do not have acidic soil in your garden, you can line the planting hole for cultivated blueberries with special rhododendron and azalea soil.
Properly care for and fertilize cultivated blueberries
In general, even mature blueberry bushes do not require regular pruning to maintain their shape. However, removing particularly old shoots can stimulate new growth and thus lead to a higher fruit population in the following year. If you want to prune, you should do so in the fall after the harvest. This will prevent the bushes from drying out too much during hot weather periods in summer. Otherwise, caring for cultivated blueberries only involves watering when necessary and fertilizing in two phases. You can increase harvest success if you give your plants a portion of lime-free fertilizer in early spring and towards the end of May.
Harvesting and processing cultivated blueberries
The harvest time for blueberries in the garden begins around the beginning of July and sometimes extends into September due to the continuous ripening of fruits. Since blueberries only have a very limited shelf life for fresh consumption, we recommend freezing or preserving them for later use.
Tips & Tricks
You can easily avoid waterlogging of the blueberry roots by creating a slightly raised earth bank in the planting row when planting blueberries.
