Start growing
Must have acidic soil (pH 4.5-5.2). Use peat moss and pine mulch. Prefers full sun.
GROW SOMETHING WONDERFUL
Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
Your guide to planting, growing, and getting to know this plant.
THE PLANT NOTEBOOK
Blueberry care, from seed onward.
- Botanical name
- Vaccinium corymbosum
- Common names
- Highbush Blueberry
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Genus
- Vaccinium
- Species
- V. corymbosum
Growing with your kit
Seeds In A Cup® potting mix is specially acidified for these blueberry seedlings' first season.
Propagation
By seed, softwood cuttings, or division.
Seasonal growth & harvest
Requires a specific number of 'chill hours' in winter to produce fruit in spring.
Growing conditions
Bogs, swamps, and moist woods with acidic soil.
Weather & tolerances
Cold hardy; sensitive to alkaline soil (leaves turn yellow/chlorotic).
Pests & plant health
Blueberry maggot and Mummy berry disease.
Plant safety
Safe and highly nutritious.
Botanical features
A deciduous shrub with bell-shaped white flowers and glaucous blue fruit. Leaves turn fiery red in fall.
Varieties
‘Bluecrop’, ‘Duke’, ‘Pink Lemonade’.
Garden & everyday uses
Global superfood. fresh eating, muffins, and antioxidants
Native range & distribution
Native to Eastern North America.
Conservation
Secure.
Name origins
Named for its distinctive blue-colored fruit.
History
Indigenous Americans called them 'Starberries' because the blossom end of the berry looks like a five-pointed star.