A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Huckleberries in California?

So the other day I acquired some "wild" huckleberry seeds (Vaccinium membranaceum) and I was wondering how well they'd do in Southern California? I believe the seeds I've got are from plants native to the northwest U.S. and are adapted to deal with cold snowy winters, which California totally lacks. Would the mild winters with a complete lack of snow be detrimental to the health of these plants, or affect it negatively in some other way?

There are some native Vaccinium to California. But mostly central to northern. And some that will do well in slightly higher elevations. The only thing you can do with your seeds is try. All of them like acidic soil. I would use pots for that, I think.

I will definitely try to to keep the soil acidic! Would pine needles be enough, or should I use something else/something stronger to keep the soil acidic? I don't drink coffee (no on in my family does) so I don't have easy access to coffee grounds, but there are some pine trees in the area, and after Christmas there are a ton of drying Christmas trees around waiting for the trash truck pickup.

Or vinegar is pretty easy to get a hold of. Would that work?

Thanks for the quick reply!

Any of those things will help a little. Be careful with vinegar as it is used as a weed killer regularly. So a very weak solution and in the soil only. An old farmer told me that rusty nails stuck into the soil around a plant help also. But be careful if you are going to be doing any digging; wear gloves.
If you go into a local coffee place, they may share their used grounds with you. Even a local 7/11. Those are good for more than just acidifying. They are great for snails and slug control too.