Vaccinium species
Family: Ericaceae

The blueberry originates from the eastern United States and in earlier times was a popular fruit with the indigenous Americans. It is still popular today and is grown in home gardens as well as commercially. A fast-growing deciduous shrub, it has good autumn leaf colour, small white flowers and shiny black berries.

Species

V. angustifolium is a low-growing species, popularly known as the low-bush blueberry, which has been improved by selection and breeding but not widely cultivated. It grows to about 20 cm (8 in). The tall blueberry, V. corymbosum, more popularly known as the high-bush blueberry, is the most improved species, with many cultivars available, and is also the most widely cultivated. The cultivars grown for fruit are female. They are self-fertile, producing crops with their own pollen, but heavier crops of fruits are produced when two or more cultivars are grown together. Related species include the cranberry, the whortleberry or bilberry, and the huckleberry.

Cultivation

Blueberries do best in moist acidic soils with a pH of about 5. If the soil is not naturally acidic, use a chemical fertilizer to increase the acid content. Propagate by division of the clumps or rootstock, by layering or by cuttings. Seeds are not reliable and do not come true. In the home garden, allow about 2.5 m (8 ft) between the plants and the rows to allow for a 2.5 m (8 ft) growth across. Plant in a hole or trench about 30 cm (12 in) deep. These shrubs will produce fruit in three to four years or less and, if given proper care, should be productive for many more.

Climate

Blueberries are very hardy, surviving in zone 2.