A grow, harvest, and cook blueberry guide, with garden tips as well as recipes for cooking, baking, and preserving your blueberries.
This blueberry guide is a part of a continuing series of Ultimate Guides where you can find all kinds of growing information and delicious recipes for cooking – both fresh and preserving – a specific fruit or vegetable. See more fruit and vegetable guides here. Some links in this article are affiliate links and if you click on them and purchase I will receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Blueberries - and blueberry bushes - may be some of the most versatile fruits out there. The bushes are actually beautiful in themselves and are well-behaved, making them perfect in either rows or in mixed shrub borders. That means it's easy to grow a couple of blueberry bushes no matter where you live - they even have varieties specifically for growing in containers. No excuses, right?
Why would you want to? Well, obviously blueberries taste delicious - that's a given. But they are also super easy to preserve when they're in season and of course you've probably read how good blueberries are for you. So good in fact, that there are more and more acres of land being put into growing blueberries in my part of the world every year (and maybe yours, too).
Maybe that's why it seems that there are more recipes using blueberries coming out, too, that are beyond the usual muffin or pancake (though there's nothing wrong with those...). So the case for growing at least 2-3 blueberry plants is strong!
Ultimate Blueberry Guide: Grow & Harvest
Types of Blueberries to Grow
There are a lot of varieties of blueberry plants and where you live or how you want to grow them will determine what varieties you choose.
You'll find basically three main types: highbush (5-9 ft. tall), lowbush (a groundcover type at 1.5 ft. tall), and half-high (3-4 ft. tall). Both lowbush and half-high blueberries are good for containers, with Top Hat, Northsky, and Patriot (3-4 ft.) being a couple of stand-out varieties.
Within these types, there are varieties bred for either northern or southern climates. And while most blueberries are considered self-pollinating, you will get a bigger and more reliable harvest by planting 2-3 varieties. This is also a way to extend your harvest through out the summer.
As examples, here are three of the some of the best varieties for both northern and southern climates that grown together will ensure a harvest of berries for 3 months:
Northern:
- Duke, June harvest, 4-5 ft. tall & wide
- Bluecrop, July harvest, 5-6 ft. tall, 3-4 ft. wide
- Jersey, August harvest, 6-7 tall; 5 ft. wide
Southern:
- Biloxi, May-June harvest 5-6 ft. tall, 3-4 wide
- Misty, June harvest, 4-6 ft. tall, 4-5 wide
- Sunshine Blue, June-July harvest, 3-4 ft. tall, 3-4 wide
Blueberry Guide Growing Tips
Once you have your plants chosen, you'll want to choose a spot that gets the most sun possible. In both rows and planting with other shrubs in a border, give blueberries more room between shrubs to make picking easier (a good 4-5 feet between plants).
Blueberries like acidic soil, so adding a large amount of compost and mulch will go a long way to growing healthy plants. You'll need to give them consistent water - I use a soaker hose turned on once a week for 3-4 hours - and add a mulch of pine needles, saw dust or pine bark. Apply an organic fertilizer yearly (my favorite is a simple garden compost).
After about four years, you'll need to prune to keep the plant healthy, but it's a light pruning. In early spring, look for dead and old branches to cut out, as well as any that are touching the ground or crossing and crowding others.
Blueberry Guide: Harvesting
There are two keys to harvesting blueberries: keeping the birds away and picking often.
You can cover the plants completely with bird netting, draped on the plants or stapled to a wood frame. Or you can use these Dollar Store finds to keep birds away long enough to harvest. I found them much easier to deal with than bird netting, though I had a lot of plants and didn't mind if the birds took some.
Other than this, growing and harvesting blueberries is a breeze - almost a plant-it-and-forget-it food that comes back reliably each year when planted in the right spot. You can read more about planting and growing blueberries here.
And here are a few books I've found helpful in growing backyard fruits and vegetables:
- Homegrown Berries: Successfully Grow Your Own Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, and More
- The Fruit Gardener's Bible: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruits and Nuts in the Home Garden
- The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible: How to Grow a Bounty of Food in Pots, Tubs, and Other Containers
Preserving & Cooking Blueberry Guide
How to Freeze Blueberries
- Wash and dry if needed (if grown organically and picked yourself, there's no need).
- Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet. As single as possible - as you can see in the photo on the left, there are some berries on top and that's okay.
- Freeze until solid, 12 hours or overnight.
- Place frozen berries in a freezer bag or freezer container, label, and return to freezer to storage. Blueberries prepared this way have lasted as long as 2 years in our freezer!
How To Dry Blueberries - (the easy way*)
- Wash and dry blueberries, if needed.
- Lay the berries on a tray of a food dehydrator in a single layer (I have an Excalibur Food Dehydrator, which I really love). If you want to take the time, you can save out all the big blueberries for eating and try to dry berries of roughly the same size so they'll be done together. Or not - you can see above I usually don't.
- Dry the berries at 125 degrees (or recommended setting for fruit for your dehydrator model) for 4-5 hours before doing the first check. I pull out berries that are dried (no moisture remaining when pressed) and place into a freezer bag or mason jar, before continuing to dry the rest. Check every 2-3 hours after the first check.
- If you are absolutely sure the berries are all dry you can store at room temperature. Since I'm taking the easy way and drying all different sizes without blanching, I choose to store dried blueberries in the freezer. They are perfect on cereal and in baked goods directly from the freezer where I can be sure they will last.
*The 'official' way to dry blueberries is to blanch them first to break the skins, but since I'm not a fan of blanching (like beans or snap peas), you can guess I don't go to the trouble. I'm okay with the slightly more papery end-product without blanching, but if you want a chewier dried blueberry, follow the steps outlined here (which also has oven drying directions if you don't have a food dryer).
Blueberry Guide Recipes
Blueberry Jam & Sauces for Canning, Fridge or Freezer
Most of our berries are either frozen or dried, but last year I made a jam/syrup we enjoyed:
Blueberry Maple Sweetened Jam (used this recipe, but replaced the strawberries with blueberries) - it makes a loose jam that works as a syrup, too, and we like that it's only sweetened with maple syrup.
Canned Blueberries in Syrup @Pick Your Own
Pickled Blueberries @Saveur
Blueberry Compote @Wild Wild Whisk
Refrigerator Blueberry Jam @Recipe Girl
Refrigerator Blueberry Chipotle Chutney @Cooking Light
Easy Blueberry Freezer Jam @She Wears Many Hats
Lemon Blueberry Jam @Butter with a Side of Bread
Instant Pot Blueberry Jam @The Frugal Navy Wife
Blueberry-Lime Chia Seed Jam @Low Carb Maven
Fresh Blueberry Sauce or Syrup @Carlsbad Cravings
Fresh Blueberry Recipes
-Baked Goods-
No Bake Blueberry Pie (No Refined Sugar) @ AOC
Blueberry Muffin Bread @Frugal Mom-eh!
Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes @Annie's Eats
White Chocolate Blueberry Bars @This Gal Cooks
Blueberry Crumble Bars @ Just So Tasty
Blueberry Bakery Style Muffins @Little Sweet Baker
Easy Blueberry Crisp @Sugar Apron
Blueberry Crumble Pie @Saving Room for Dessert
Blueberry Baked Oatmeal @Lynn's Kitchen Adventures
Oven-Baked Blueberry Donuts @Spoon Fork Bacon
Blueberry Cobbler @Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
-Savory-
Blueberry-Ginger Relish for Pork @Eating Well
Blueberry, Watermelon, Feta Salad @Running with a Skirt
Grilled Salmon Flatbreads with Fresh Blueberry Salsa @Blueberry Council
Blueberry Pecan Chicken Salad @Renee's Kitchen Adventures
Blueberry Broccoli Spinach Salad @Peas and Crayons
Blueberry and Red Bell Pepper Salsa @The Stay At Home Chef
-Other Fun Recipes-
Blueberry Lemonade @Julie's Eats and Treats
Blueberry Frozen Yogurt @Simply Recipes
Frozen Blueberry Yogurt Pops @All Recipes
Blueberry Ice Cream @Baked By Rachel
Chocolate Covered Blueberries @Ricardo Cuisine
Frozen Yogurt Covered Blueberries @Family Fresh Meals
Blueberry Margaritas @Gimme Some Oven
What are your favorite blueberry recipes? Feel free to leave a link in the comments to share!
Check out these Ultimate Guides, too (or see them all here):
Ultimate Caneberry Guide for Blackberries & Raspberries
Note: this article has been updated - it was originally published in June 2013.
Disclosure: affiliate links in this article will earn commission based on sales, but it doesn't change your price. Click here to read my full disclaimer and advertising disclosure.
Joe = says
Unless you know, chances are the organic blueberries also require washing. Most organic blueberry growers spray, but with organically approved pesticides. Other than that, I really love the article. Very well written & informative.
Jami says
Good point. I mostly used my own berries, but now I moved so will be using others.
Chris Woods says
We've been growing 12 varieties organic fruits 34yrs. Right now due to very wet spring/warm temps we're picking 4-5 gallons daily of blueberries. So far we've picked 14.5lbs of red currants. Red raspberries have started & picking 2 qts a day. Wet spring didn't help them so much. Gooseberries just came on & rhubarb's almost done. Strawberries are done for season. Blackberries are going to be incredible-ripe mid-July. We pick anywhere from 35-50 gallons a season. I give away lots to friends & neighbors & sell to local bakery. Yesterday I made red currant liqueur with premium vodka & am doing same with some blueberries today. It's lovely to have a decanter full of homegrown organic liqueurs to share with friends at Christmas. Next I'm getting out my steamer/juicer (highly recommend!) to juice a batch of red currants. No need to stem or seed, just wash & put in juicer and 45 minutes later I've got fresh, bright red currant juice which is ready to can up as juice. When I have more time in winter I'll make red currant jelly & a sauce which I use to glaze our venison, chicken & lamb. Delish! Then I'll start freezing blueberries to use in my daily smoothies & do a 7 quart canner of ready-to-pour blueberry pie filling. I just make my crusts, open quart of filling & pour in &top with crust & bake. So easy. I use Amish Thermoflo instead of ClearJel for all my canned pie fillings. Much less expensive then Pomona, Sure-Jel or ClearJel pectins (half the cost) & works perfectly. I teach home preservation/bread baking to new gardeners & brides & the product works consistently well. Having won my local county/state fair entries over the years I stopped exhibiting when asked to judge at state fair level. It's heartening to see so many young people getting into gardening, homesteading, chicken raising & beekeeping. I love enjoy judging mini-4H-they're so serious about their entries! Well gone on long enough, it's time to get back to canning. Have good day!
Jami says
Wow, I'm exhausted just reading this. 😉 Seriously, though, it sounds wonderful to have all that fruit available. Thanks for the Thermoflo tip, I'll see if I can get it anywhere online. Thank you for taking the time to share your garden/preserving story!
Aika says
This is a very detailed and informative post about blueberries. Unfortunately, it's not viable to grow blueberries here in the Philippines due to the soil type. But I think we can grow them in pots or containers. By the way, thanks for sharing those delicious blueberry recipes.
Lynn says
I love blueberries! Thanks for sharing these wonderful recipes!
Michelle Marine says
I love blueberries! When we were in the PNW last week, I was so jealous to see them growing so prolificly. I have not had great luck with blueberry bushes in Iowa, but I haven't given up yet. Thanks for the tips, Jami!
Jami says
There are so many varieties, Michelle - maybe there is one or tow that do better in your zone? We do have lovely berries of all kinds here. 🙂
Angie Rose says
Hi Jami,
I just adore fresh blueberries! I’ve been outside checking my blueberry bushes daily. I’m finally starting to see them turn that lovely shade of blue! I learned so much from your post about the different kinds you can grow. I’m definitely checking out your vegetable container bible. I’m going to try growing blueberries in containers this year! Can’t wait to come back and check out your recipes once I’m ready 🙂
Jami says
I'm glad this was helpful to you, Angie! I've seen blueberries do really well in containers, so I think you will like that. Wishing you many days of blueberry eating in your future. 🙂
Julie says
What do you do with your blueberries after you dry them? I guess what I'm asking is how do you use them? Eating out of hand? In recipes? I've been using my dehydrator a lot this summer since I haven't been in the mood to can anything so I'm trying to find ways to use it all up this winter.
Jami says
I love, love them on my morning granola, Julie - they are perfect little chewy-sweet blueberry bombs. 🙂 Honestly, I only used them this way, since I didn't have much and I was hoarding them! I think they would be good in muffins, too, and things like that. You can eat them, they just are a bit more papery than the commercial dried berries we're used to.
Christen says
If you dehydrate them from the freezer the skins will burst without having to blanch them.
Jami says
Great idea - thank you Christen!
Katie C. says
What time of the year is best to plant blueberry bushes? I live in Northern Virginia.
Jami says
Either spring or fall is a good time, Katie - personally I think fall is one of the best times. Fall-planted shrubs (any) have time to get established before putting out energy on new growth and often seem to do better. Plus, no need to worry about watering through a hot summer!
Diane Williams says
I'm so excited for our blueberry harvest. This has been such a slow year. They are just coming on now. Thanks for the great tips!
Jami says
Hopefully you'll get a good harvest anyway, Diane. 🙂
Shelly says
I love our blueberry plants they are easy to maintain and beautiful too. I love plants that don't need too much maintenance.
We have pink lemonade blueberry plants. They were spendy to purchase, but they have quite the range of beauty all year long. They start out with beautiful blue-green leaves in the spring. Then these beautiful pink and purple blooms come onto the plant. As the year goes on the leaves darken as the blueberries form We harvest in July and August. Then in the fall the leaves turn a beautiful red color and hang around until January. Our plants are only bare a month or two until they start all over again.
I'll have to give your method of drying blueberries a try. I dried some a few years back with the blanching and poking each one with a toothpick to get them to dry well. It worked but it was too much work for me. Your method sounds much better.
Jami says
I wondered what the pink lemonade blueberries were like - they are so unusual in the photos I've seen. Do they stay pink when ripe? Do you like the flavor?
Let me know what you think of my lazy drying method - they are not like commercial dried for sure, but are definitely dried and SO much easier. 🙂
Patti says
Hi Jami,
I love blueberries and they are so good for you. I have to a least try a container bush next season. Pinning this guide for future use. Thanks.
Jami says
I find them such a pretty plant in the landscape, Patti - I hope you find room for a couple!
KATHERINE WHITELEY says
I AM PLANNING ON SERVING BEANS & WALNUTS FOR XMAS. THE RECIPE SAID BLANCHE & I WAS WONDERING IF I COULD DO THE BEAN PART AHEAD OF TIME.
WE HAVE A COTTAGE IN NORTHERN ONTARIO WHERE THE BLUEBERRIES ARE FREE FOR THE TAKING. WE HAVE A TALL CONTAINER AT THE COTTAGE WHICH HOLDS 4CS. BLUEBERRIES. I WASH & SORT THE BERRIES. THEN, I PUT THEM IN AN EMPTY MILK BAG. I USE A BLUE STRING AROUND EACH SO THAT I CAN RECOGNIZE THE BLUEBERRIES IN THE FREEZER. THEN, I PUT THE BAG IN THE FREEZER. I HAVE NEVER DRIED THEM & THEM SEEM TO BE FINE. THEY MAKE GREAT PIES.
Jami says
I've made beans ahead of time a lot, Katherine, so I think you'd be okay doing that. Yes, most of our blueberries get frozen, too - just a few are dried just for variety. 🙂
AnneMarie says
Thanks so much!!! I love your site!
AnneMarie says
Just wondering abut the recipes on here...do I need to water bathe them or how long do they last? (I'm a new canner 🙂 ) Thanks!
Jami says
If it's a canning recipe, it will say - and they are all water bath around here if it is a canning recipe, AnneMarie. I also have a number of recipes that I freeze as well as just keep in the fridge (pickles stay crisper). Let me know if you have any other questions, I'm happy to answer!
Amy P says
I recently took a class on freezing, drying, and preserving done by my local extension agent. One thing I learned about blueberries is to NOT wash them before freezing. Instead freeze them directly off the bush and wash them when you take them out of the freezer. She said that the skins get thicker and tougher if you wash them before freezing. Plus if you don't wash them you don't have to lay them out to freeze before putting them in containers.
Jami says
Wow, thanks for this great tip, Amy! I never wash mine - before or after - as they are from my own bushes. But I do still lay out on a tray to freeze first, I'll have to try just putting them in a baggie and see what happens. 🙂
Melody says
I dried some blueberries in my excalibur. They look and feel like tiny hard blue pebbles. I have not used any of them yet. But you have inspired me to bake something with them.
Jami says
I don't let the, dry that long, Melody. Of course that means that some of the larger berries aren't completely dry, but I just store them in the freezer so it's not a big deal. That way, I get more soft berries, though there are always a few smaller ones, too.
Linda says
The last time I dried blueberries I was not impressed with them at all. They had little flavor. I think I ended up tossing them. I followed the instructions for my food dryer. I was disapointed because I had tasted store bought dried blueberries and was excited to do my own. Any ideas as to why mine failed, any secrets?
thanks!
Jami says
Like cranberries, store bought dried blueberries usually have oil and sugar added in the drying process (the only I have found to not are TJ's freeze dried berries, but they aren't the same either) and that's how they get that rubbery/dry and sweeter flavor. Other than blanching first to break the skins, I'm not sure how to get that at home - and I don't want to add anything to my berries, so I don't worry about it. I like them in my granola and baked goods, but you're right, Linda, they aren't like the ones you buy!
Martha Briese says
I have 7 blueberry bushes in the backyard. So far I made a batch of Raspberry/Blueberry jam. I had ran out of Raspberries, so added a cup of Blueberries that I had run through the food processor. It turned out really yummy. Next on the agenda, Blueberry pie!! Thanks for sharing all the great ideas on Blueberries :^)
Barb Powers says
Oh, I'm so glad you posted this! Blueberry season is about a week away for us in mid northwest Michigan. We pick so many each year and love to try new recipes! Thanks for the all in one page for everything blueberry... Now which board shall i pin this to?