Uh oh. Been there, done that....
If I have any weak moments concerning blueberries in the future, I'd do it differently next time...would use raised beds and gobs of peat moss.

Leslie

p.s. And do mean GOBS of peat moss.

I have spent tons of money on weak moments at walmart, lowes, etc and have found the success rate with there plants are not very good. I have a hard time myself seeing all those smiling plants, screaming take me home. I must resist!!!!! All the bluebery, blackberry and yes even raspberries that I have bought from big box stores never made it throught the first winter. Good Luck.

Wow, Les, you're exactly right! Look what I found:

"The good news for blueberry lovers is that, with extra effort, there is a proven way to grow delicious blueberries in your Colorado garden. The keys to success are 1) plant the blueberry bushes in a medium that is primarily (or entirely) composed of sphagnum peat moss. This readily available material has a pH of approximately 5.5, so it is perfect for blueberries. Two further keys to success are: 2) make sure that the root zone always stays moist (even during warm, dry spells in winter), and 3) protect the bushes from drying winds during the winter. This can be done by wrapping the bushes with burlap or old sheets while they are dormant.

Any planting method that incorporates these three key elements should lead to success, so feel free to be creative. For those who want an established recipe for success, follow the instructions below. Keep in mind that you will need to have at least two blueberry plants of different varieties (for cross-pollination purposes) in order for the plants to set good crops.

For each plant:

- Dig a hole that is 20" deep, 30"long and 20" wide.
- Get a plastic-wrapped bale of sphagnum peat moss (3 cubic feet).
- Punch about a dozen holes in the bottom of the plastic wrap.
- Drop the bale, holes down, into your pre-dug hole. You can grow more plants in a row by dropping multiple bales in a trench. Different plants are necessary for cross-pollination as noted above.

- Cut an 8"x 8" "X" in the plastic on top of the bale and fold back flaps.
- Plant a bare-root blueberry plant directly into the peat moss (Do this in early-mid April).
- Re-close the "X" using tape, leaving about a 3" hole in the middle to accommodate the trunk of the bush.
- (optional) Install drip irrigation line by cutting a small hole at either end of the bale and feeding the line through the holes, resulting in an irrigation line that runs on top of the peat but under the plastic.
- Fertilize in early May and early July with a balanced fertilizer for acid-loving plants (i.e. Miracle Grow for Acid Loving Plants).
- Water and provide winter protection as discussed in keys to success above.
- Provide protection from "critters" as animals love blueberries too.
- Enjoy blueberries year after year!"

* Joel Reich is CSU Extension horticulturist at the Boulder County Extension office in Longmont, CO where he trials blueberries and other small fruits.

So it looks like you just dump the whole bail of peat moss in the hole, and plant the bushes into to bail! Amazing.

Here is a link that might be useful: front range gardener

My partner loves blueberries, so we tried to grow some but had no luck. Colorado's alkaline clay soils, lack of rainfall, harsh sunlight and high winds are pretty much the antithesis of the conditions that blueberries need, like and thrive in.

I have seen the above recommendations for growing blueberries in Colorado before but the thought of digging a hole "that is 20" deep, 30"long and 20" wide" in our clay soil for EACH plant appalls me - maybe if I could borrow someone's backhoe!

Good luck, b2alicia - I hope you get to enjoy the fruits of your labor - literally and figuratively. :-D

Holly

I've done three blueberry bushes so far - no dice. b2alicia, you are a better woman than I! I just don't fight acidity, I'm too lazy. :) Good luck!
PS - If anyone wants raspberries they grow like weeds in my yard. Come and dig some up!

I spent years trying to grow them, including the bed of peat moss. Then tried containers. Finally figured out that I'd spend about $100 and eaten a pint of blueberries in 8 years.

These things grow in an acidic swamp. So even if you get the acidity part ok, the soil has to stay pretty darn wet - which isn't all that easy to do in this climate.

Not to discourage anyone, but you'd save an awful lot of time and effort just going straight to the containers - at the link is the container forum here at GW, with the search function set at blue berries.....

Here is a link that might be useful: link

I, too, have tried this serveral times with no luck. I have decided this year to try the "saskatoon blueberry" which is not supposed to need the acid because it is not a true blueberry. We will see if 1. it survives, 2. it grows, and 3. if it produces anything.

Hears to hoping. I will keep you posted.

Billie

Thanks for your experience and encouragement!

Now if it doesn't do well, I won't feel so bad. ;)

So I followed the directions on the package, soaked it in water to loosen the soil , then planted the bare roots in a big pot with about 90% peat moss. I took photos and will post them next time. We'll see!

So here's the little cutting by the time I got it ready to plant.

Following David's advice about growing it in a pot. Mainly peat moss.

Well....:)
We'll see.

I dunno why I'm suddenly thinking of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree.......

You see the same thing up here in Mt with the blue berries,,LOL,, we do have them growing here at the house.I have an old cast iron bathtub reclaimed from a job site.The man about had heart failure when I said I wanted it to plant in,,LOL so it has been very nicely dry stacked with stone to match the rest of the gardens..The bathtub is filled with peat mixed with pulverized pine needles/aged sawdust, a good slow release acid based organic fertilizer, sulpher and Epsom salts are also used occasionally throughout the year since our water tests a bit on the alkaline side.We also have a drip line on them under 4 inches or so of wood based mulch..
Good luck with yours,, ours have been doing pretty well in their little set up,,We watched the kids plant theirs in straw bale 2 years ago not having a clue of what to do with them when they bought them..The plants grew very well..Will have to see how they are looking this year next time we visit their garden...

Ha, David! I agree with you about Charlie Brown's Christmas tree!

Thanks gardenbutt. Good luck with yours too!

i know exactly how you feel. Am trying blueberries now for the 2nd time. First time was in a raised bed at my community garden plot. No matter how much i acidified the soil (peat, etc.), it reverted. They died, and good old Johnny's refunded my money. I think Colorado rain and water is alkaline (anyone know?). But someone i know had success last summer with a blueberry in a container. So am trying again now with 2 big pots, mostly peat mixed with some compost and vermiculite as potting mix. Have been told i may need to sink pots in the ground and mulch heavily to overwinter. Some things you have to try just to get them out of your system, even if you're an environmentalist and they're not very native and the opposite of xeric. But this will be last try.

Oh, i did also get a Saskatoon to plant in ground. It's native and hardy to zone 2! We'll see.

I haven't tried blueberries because I heard the success rate was too low on the front range. However, many people have recommended honeyberries which grow well here. I will buy 2 plants this week so unfortunately I can't inform of any results but the berries' taste is supposed to be a cross between blueberries and cherries. They are soft skinned so not made for supermarkets but you're supposed to be able to cook wi th them as you would blueberries.

I've been growing honeyberries in Colorado Front Range clay for 3 years now, and I have never detected any "cherry" flavor in them. To me they taste more like a cross between blueberries and grapefruit. I think they are delicious and well worth growing, but you have to pick them when they are completely ripe.

Honeyberries turn a nice blue-purple color and look ripe about 10-14 days before they are fully ripe. If you pick one and the inside is still green, it wasn't ripe, and it will have an unpleasantly bitter flavor. Once the pulp turns a nice blue-purple color they are considerably sweeter and tastier. This is also the point where they tend to fall off the bush on their own.

Keep in mind that you must have two different varieties to get sufficient pollination and a decent crop!

Kevin