Blueberries are an excellent food plants. They are one of the easiest fruit to grow in the home garden. They can be grown in containers and don’t take up much space. They are super healthy and really low in calories. They help in regulating heart and brain health and regulate blood sugar. They are also called Superfoods.
We will talk about its health benefits later below, for now, let’s learn about how to plant and grow them in your gardens and how easy it can be.
Where to grow:
For optimal fruiting, they should be best grown in full sun. They can also tolerate partial shade, but only partial. They grow well in containers or in raised soil beds.
If you want blueberries to be happy, provide them with soil that is well-drained, acidic, and moist, they really prefer that. You can add certain things if you need to make your soil acidic. There are things like peat moss, coffee grounds, and pine needles, you can add them and they will do the job.
Blueberries plantation:
You can purchase blueberries as potted plants, throughout the growing season. The best time to plant them is in early spring or fall. Just plant them at the same depth as they were planted in the original container. For your reference, if you are looking to grow blueberries, choose a container that can support outdoor winter conditions and is at least 18 inches deep.
How to grow Blueberries:
Once you have planted blueberries, taking care of them is relatively easy. To maintain your soil acidity, you have to do topdressing of the soil with peat moss, coffee grounds, and pine needles. Either of them will work.
Blueberries should be fed when the buds are beginning to burst and when fruits are setting. You can use compost or manure tea or fish emulsion for feeding purposes. Another thing to keep track of is to make sure that your blueberry plants are getting an inch of water every week. Mulch can be put around plants to retain soil moisture.
Disease and Pests:
The good news here, blueberries don’t have many diseases or pests. Mainly you will be dealing with birds as the main problem and some issues can be related to powdery mildew, scale, and rust.
There are several ways you can save your berries from birds like Flash tape, CDs, or Aluminum plates on strings. The idea behind these two is simply a moving object to scare off birds and they also don’t like the shine that flutters in the breeze. Other effective methods are Netting, Scarecrows, Bird feeders, and birdbath.
Blueberries varieties:
There are basically two types of blueberries, namely Lowbush and Highbush.
Lowbush, as the name suggests is low and bushy. They can spread 1 to 2 feet and can grow 4 to 24 inches tall. They ripen in mid-summer and are colder tolerant. They are well suited in front of a border or edge of a garden bed.
Highbush can grow 3 to 5 feet in height. Dwarf Northblue and Patio Blueberry are two famous varieties of Highbush.
Health benefits of Blueberries
Summer season is upon us and Blueberries can be found in markets very easily. Apart from being delicious, it provides various health benefits and helps in saving you from many diseases. Apart from eating them raw, many people have blueberries as a smoothie.
Below are some benefits of consuming blueberries:
For digestion:
It is really important that you maintain quantity for maintaining proper digestive health. Blueberries are filled with fiber and consuming them will help you in many problems related to digestion and stomach.
Anti-aging:
Blueberry consumption is considered really helpful in controlling the aging process. Scientific studies show that blueberries contain antioxidants that help in the anti-aging process.
Controlling and removing acne:
Every anti-acne diet should include blueberries. It has anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce skin swelling and can help in removing acne.
For eyes and hair:
Blueberries contain vitamin A, which is considered very crucial for eyes health. For hair growth, you need biotin and some other minerals. It can be fulfilled by consuming blueberries. According to scientific studies, blueberries help in fighting dandruff and make hair strong.
