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Perennial Berry · zones 3–8 · 58 varieties

Blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosum

Ericaceae — the only crop in its plant family here.

Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) is a perennial berry for USDA zones 3–8. It wants full sun and pH 4.5–5.5 soil, with about 1–2 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 2–3 yr. Watch for spotted wing drosophila and mummy berry. Below: its full sourced profile from 13 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 3–8 — USDA USDA
Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
First harvest 2–3 yr
Mature size 6–12 ft
Spacing 36–60 in
Soil pH 4.5–5.5
Frost Hardy
When to plant blueberrytypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Dormant
Establishing
Flowering
Fruit set
Ripening
Harvest

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing blueberryevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones
3–8
Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
4.5–5.5
Soil texture
Sandy, Loam, Well drained, High organic matter
Frost tolerance
Hardy

The plant

Mature height
6–12 ft
Mature spread
6–10 ft
Growth rate
Slowest
Spacing in row
36–60 in
Between rows
72–120 in
Planting depth
At soil level
Container size
15 gal
Container depth
24 in
Support
Self-supportingest
Grown from
Transplant, Cutting, Seed

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1–2 in/wk
Critical water
Establishment, Fruit setest
Feeding
Low

Timing & fruiting

Years to first harvest
2–3 yr
Chill hours
150–1000 hrs
Pollination
Partially self fertile
Harvest cues
Fruit coloring
Open blossoms damaged at
29 °F
Open blossoms killed at
28 °F

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsSpotted wing drosophilaJapanese beetleBirdsBlueberry maggotScaleCranberry fruitworm
DiseasesMummy berryGray moldAnthracnoseStem blightLeaf spotRoot rot

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

All 58 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety Type DaysColorSizeWhat it is known for
Alapaha Rabbiteye — Medium
Aurora Highbush — Large
Austin Rabbiteye — Medium
Berkeley Highbush — Very Large
Blue Suede Southern Highbush — Large University of Georgia CAES Field Report records this asgrown to look at · happy in a pot
Blueberry Glaze — Small Bushel and Berry (Star Roses and Plants) describes this ashappy in a pot · grown to look at
Bluecrop Highbush —
Bluejay — Medium
Blueray — Very Large Cornell University – Cornell Cooperative Extension (Berry Resources) records this astakes the cold
Bluetta — Small Cornell University – Cornell Cooperative Extension (Berry Resources) records this astakes the cold
Brightwell Rabbiteye — Medium
Camellia Southern Highbush — Large
Cape Fear Southern Highbush — Large
Centurion Rabbiteye — Medium
Chandler Highbush — Very Large
Chippewa Half High — Large Cornell University – Cornell Cooperative Extension (Berry Resources) records this astakes the cold
Climax Rabbiteye — Small
Collins Highbush — Medium
Coville Highbush — Large
Darrow Highbush — Large
Draper Highbush —
Duke Highbush —
Earliblue Heirloom Highbush — Medium
Elliott Highbush — Large
Emerald Southern Highbush — Very Large
Friendship Half High — Medium
Herbert Heirloom — Large
Jelly Bean — Medium Bushel and Berry (Star Roses and Plants) describes this ashappy in a pot
Jersey Heirloom — Small Cornell University – Cornell Cooperative Extension (Berry Resources) records this astakes the cold
Jubilee Southern Highbush —
Legacy Highbush —
Liberty Highbush —
Misty Southern Highbush — Medium
Nelson Highbush —
Northblue Half High — Large
Northcountry Half High —
Northland Half High — Cornell University – Cornell Cooperative Extension (Berry Resources) records this astakes the cold
Northsky Half High —
O'Neal Southern Highbush — Large
Ozarkblue Southern Highbush — Large
Patriot Highbush — Large
Peach Sorbet — Medium Bushel and Berry (Star Roses and Plants) describes this ashappy in a pot · grown to look at
Perpetua — Small
Pink Lemonade Rabbiteye — Pink Medium USDA Agricultural Research Service records this asan unusual color · grown to look at
Polaris Half High —
Powderblue Rabbiteye — Medium
Premier Rabbiteye — Medium
Rebel Southern Highbush — Large
Reka Highbush —
Southmoon Southern Highbush —
Spartan — Very Large
St. Cloud Half High —
Star Southern Highbush — Medium
Sunshine Blue Southern Highbush — Medium Raintree Nursery describes this ashappy in a pot
Tifblue Rabbiteye — Small
Top Hat Half High — Minnetonka Orchards describes this astakes the cold
Toro Highbush — Very Large
Woodard Rabbiteye — Medium
Sources13 cited · 10 organizations
  • Alabama Cooperative Extension System
  • Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
  • Mississippi State University Extension
  • Mississippi State University Extension Service
  • NC State Extension
  • Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension
  • University of Connecticut Home & Garden Education Center
  • University of Illinois Extension
  • University of Maryland Extension
  • University of Minnesota Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 22 of the 25 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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