This is hard to do but you’ll be rewarded with better crops in later years! In the first year, pick off all the flowers so that the plant can focus its energy on developing a strong root system. With any fruiting plant, avoid overhead watering and sprinkler systems a drip or soaker hose is an excellent watering method. Generally speaking, anticipate that you’ll likely need to water deeply 1-2 times per week.

Although blueberries like moisture, they don’t like to be sitting in soggy soil! Growing TipsĬhoose a location that receives full sun and has well-drained, acidic soil high in organic matter (such as compost). However, we still recommend two plants if you have space because even the self-fertile can produce better yields with two plants. If you only have room for one, choose a self-fertile variety. Typically, you’ll have the best fruit production with two blueberry plants. Think about whether you want blueberries that ripen all at once for freezing or canning, or if you prefer a longer harvest for fresh eating throughout the season. In fall and winter, the leaves and the bark of young branches turn glowing shades of yellows and reds.Īll blueberries will bloom at approximately the same time but the fruit will ripen at different times from July through October depending on the variety. Blueberries will provide more than delicious fruit they offer outstanding ornamental value as well. There are many excellent blueberry varieties the PNW. Tips For Growing Small Fruits & Berries in the PNW If you can devote 4-6 hours a week to your entire garden, that’s pretty great! If you can give a few plants an hour every week, that’s probably sufficient. Consider how much time you can devote to your garden on a regular basis.

Planting and maintaining a fruit garden requires some personal time and energy. Do you want to eat the berries fresh, have them for pies, or for canning? For example, If you will be freezing or canning in large batches, choose varieties that ripen all at once rather than little by little over a long period. Knowing why you’re growing small fruits and berries can help you choose the best varieties. This will help you decide if you have room for multiple grapevines or if a compact, container-friendly blueberry variety would better suit the space you have available. How much light does the area you want to plant in receive? Most fruits and berries need at least 6-8 hours of direct sun daily - what we call a full sun situation - to thrive and produce harvests. Does it hold moisture? Does it drain well? What is the pH? Knowing these details can help you know how to amend your soil to best suit the plants you choose to grow.įor example, did you know blueberries prefer acidic soil? If your pH tends toward alkaline and you would like to grow blueberries, you can add elemental sulfur or acidifying fertilizer to help acidify the soil. If your soil has a lot of clay or is very compacted, add a high-quality compost like G&B Organics Soil Building Conditioner, which helps aerate the soil and helps it retain moisture.

Things to Think About Before Planting Berries Soil Here are some of the many that do well in our climate. We are fortunate that so many small fruits and berries thrive in the Pacific Northwest. Which Berries Can I Grow in the Pacific Northwest?

Growing lingonberry