Not every hobby gardener has a large garden for growing cultivated blueberries. With a little space on the balcony, you don't have to miss out on the refreshing fruit enjoyment of ripe blueberries in midsummer.
The balcony as a location for growing blueberries
Since some blueberry varieties are somewhat sensitive to windy locations, the balcony can be a good place to grow small blueberries. Since cultivated blueberries, which come from North America, in particular, love full sun and warm locations, you can produce particularly sweet fruits on a balcony facing the sun. However, it should not be forgotten that blueberries can only thrive in acidic soil. In addition, when growing in a container, you should not forget to water the plants regularly, especially shortly before and during the harvest season.
Choosing the right varieties
Not all varieties of cultivated blueberries are suitable for growing in pots. This is also because some blueberry varieties can grow up to 3 meters high and are therefore beyond the dimensions of most balconies. For uncomplicated cultivation on the balcony without constant pruning, you should choose small and stocky growing varieties. On the one hand, this can be a wild wild blueberry variety such as Vaccinium Sylvana. As is usual for wild blueberries, this bears particularly aromatic fruits at harvest time in midsummer. Larger fruits in large quantities, however, promise you varieties like:
- Sunshine Blue
- Northsky
- the potted blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum
Caring for blueberries in the bucket
For the blueberries to thrive optimally in the pot, you should choose planters with sufficient width, as blueberries root more broadly than deeply. This also means that the blueberries in the pot have to be watered almost daily in midsummer. To ensure that waterlogging does not occur, a loose planting substrate with an acidic pH value such as rhododendron and azalea soil should be used, which can be watered from below using a watering saucer.
Tips & Tricks
In the open field, blueberries are generally not too sensitive to frost. Since plants in pots with their roots above the ground are much more sensitive, appropriate frost protection should be provided.
