A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Fruit Forum growing blueberries?

Can you grow them indoors,I know you can with strawberries, but what kind of light would you need if you can?I saw two kinds at the store yesterday bluecrop and bluejay anybody recommend which one yields more, or has bigger fruit?I might try outside(but rather indoors I live in an apt)last time I did they dies because of non acidic soil I think. How do I make soil more acidic very quickly,what kind of soil do they prefer?

Can't help you on the issue of growing them indoors but they do like acid soil. You can make your soil more acid by adding lot's of peat.

I'm skeptical about growing them indoors. They need full sun, and I think they also require the winter chilling in order to bloom and set fruit. Marleine is right, use peat moss in the planting mix, and fertilize with Holly-tone. It's for acid loving plants.

I grow blueberries in containers outdoor.

Add this to what Marleine and Terry already posted.

I wouldn't recommend growing them indoors because they need full sun which they won't get if kept indoors. Even those grown outdoors, may tolerate partial shade, but the production of berries will decline as the amount of shade increases. They prefer acidic, sandy loam soil, pH range 4.0 to no more than 5.0.
They are not self-pollinizer. Blueberries begin bearing in the third year; the berries can be harvested 60-80 days after bloom.

Bluecrop for zone 5-8, fruit: mild, excellent flavor

Blueray for zone 5-7, fruit: tart, probably good for pies.

Papito, have you seen those blueberries suitable for southern California growing? Any experience with them?
I saw them offered for sale on QVC by Cottage Gardens.

I've seen them, they look cute..
I believe they are more suited for growing
in containers/pots like on patio's and such..

If you get them Deborah, keep me posted on how they do..
Would love to know...

I think you get 3 of them also..

what is holly tone I went looking couldn't find it?What is the ph of peat naturally, and if I grow in a container what kind of soil should I use the soil we have here(Wisconsin) is kind like clay,so should I mix some potting soil in with extra peat?Do any of you have to use some net to protect from birds?

DeborahL wrote:


Sorry, I missed that program, but I did check their site. There are two MISTY blueberries suitable for USDA hardiness zone 5-10. I buy my blueberries from local nurseries. So, I have no experience with Cottage Farms blueberries offered by QVC.

Have you looked into other [Vaccinium ashei] Rabbiteye blueberries varieties such as "Bluebelle", "Southland" and "Tifblue"? These can also be grown in the Central and Southern California areas. They tolerate heat, have large, light blue berries from May to July.

I just recently planted 4 bare root blueberries "Jersey" and "Climax", 2 bare root raspberries and one bare root blackberry in containers.

Well I went to steins talked a bit with people and I'll probably wait till some more fuller/older ones come in,cause all they have now is cuttings, and rootings.They said that you use peat and soil and can add sulfur to lower the ph they also had cottonseed meal there haven't found hollytone yet, but I'm looking to go organic basically anyway.

Coleus, I went to the Espoma web site and punched in the zip code for Green Bay, and came up with 10 dealers in that general area. Just go to Espoma.com and click on "Find a Dealer"