Type of blueberry for container?

Hello,

I'm interested in joining the world of blueberry growers out there. I'm already growing a Meyer lemon that lives inside during the winter. Can I do that with blueberries or do they need the cold hours in order to fruit? I live in an apartment so I've been researching dwarf cultivars such as "Top Hat" and "Sunshine Blue". The Sunshine is listed zones 7-9 and it's evergreen, does that make a difference?

Has anyone else tried to grow blueberries in a container? Are there any other kind of berries that adapt well to containers? I can't imagine raspberries would be very happy in a pot. :)

I have Powder Blue down here in zone 8b and it is covered with flowers right now. Our chill is about 450 hours. I have it in a 20 gallon container of 70/30 peat moss/garden soil mix. I bet it would do fine in a 7-10 gallon. My variety is self-fertile but I put a little cross-pollinator in there anyway. The cross-pollinator is too small to flower yet. It is just starting to leaf out again so it looks a bit scraggly.

Tiger, I am in zone 5 and I grow all of my blueberries in containers. If you do not purchase the southern varieties, you do not need to take them inside. I have about a dozen or so varieties of blueberries, of all sizes of plants. I have not run into a cultivar so far that has not fruited in a pot. I strongly agree withJujubetexas in that you need to have generous amounts of peat in the pot. Instead of worrying too much about size or climate, I would suggest you choose based on fruit size, taste and ripening season. Choose an early, mid and late season type so that you will get fruit all summer long. Duke and Elliott are two of my favorites, Duke is early and Elliott is late season. Just my opinion. One of the best things I did was to start growing blueberries and I have never regretted putting them in pots. I'm assuming that you apartment has a porch or yard or such, as you could then leave these outside during the winter.

Regarding raspberries, I have Fall Gold that do grow and fruit in pots. However, it is not worth the effort for the amount of fruit you get from them that way and I have mine in the ground. During the spring and early summer, I sometimes have to thin them and put the thinnings in pots.. Blueberries in pots fruit well.

Both fruits do need a fair amount of light to do well fruiting. I have grown young blueberries under artificial lights and in semi-shade, but have not seen them fruit in those conditions.

I grow all my blueberries in containers--I grow Powderblue, Misty, Sharpblue, BeckyBlue, Climax, and Tifblue. I will add a lot more this fall when I can get some from Florida shipped. Mine are all in 5 gallon pots right now; 3 need to be upsized--but I usually don't upsize until fall and then only about 3 or 4 gallons larger per year. They respond well to that treatment for me.

I grow in almost straight peat moss with some (about 15%) pine bark, perlite, and polymer crystals. I fertilize with Epsoma organic Holly-tone and use organic soil sulphur.

Awesome video with about a zillion varieties--
http://www.phoenixpermaculture.org/video/growing-blueberries-in-your

Debbie
(who loves blueberries!)

Sorry if this is a double post. I could have sworn I posted already but I don't see it.

Thanks for the good feedback. In the OP I was concerned about chill hours but I did some research and for the varieties I picked I'll need to leave them outside for the winter. Do any of you wrap your pots to insulate the roots? How much water will they need while they are dormant? I have a closet off my balcony but it gets very cold, colder than a garage. At least it's sheltered from the wind and snow. I chose dwarf varieties because my balcony couldn't support the weight of 20 gallon containers, plus it's not that roomy!

What do you add to the soil to make it acidic?

Tiger, These days I grow mine mostly in peat mixed with sand. A little soil in the mix doesnot hurt, but the blueberries do not seem to mind the peat mix. Each year, I add another 1" layer of peat to the pots, and occasionally repot one of them with a fresh mix as they grow larger. You can also add sulphur to the pot to keep the pH in the correct range, but keep in mind you may want to periodically check the pH with an inexpensive meter.

Leave them outside so that they get the winter rain/snow from the ambient weather, but shelter from drying winds. Up against the building might be the way to go as it can protect from temp fluctuations and strong winds. If you put them in a shed, they you may or may not need to water. I think outside is better. - Just my opinion.

Thanks for all the help. I tracked down a Top Hat at my local nursery. A week later I stopped back at the nursery for more plants and visited the blueberry section just to see what they had in stock. A friendly employee saw me looking.

Employee: Hi, can I help you?

Me, pointing to plant without label: Sure, what kind of blueberry is this?

Emp: Well, it sure looks like this one with a tag that says "Northblue". Tell you what, if you buy this one, I'll throw in the unmarked one for free.

Me: Yowza!

I got out of there with two plants for $15! Hooray! With the Chippewa I found at the supermarket, that makes 4 plants. I figure I'll try them all and see which ones do best.

Great start - be sure you get the pH in the right range I think that is the single most important thing to assure success with blueberries. I started out thinking that blueberries needed a lot of water, but that appears to not be the case. They can tolerate drier conditions than I expected, but keep in mind that in pots, they will dry out quicker but don't let them sit in water.. My guess is that you will start to get your first berries next year.

Ditto krowten. I use fertilizer for acid loving plants and mulch with coffee grounds. i've grown bb in pots only. Goodluck i love growing them.

Yep, I bought some Espoma soil acidifier and I'm thinking I might buy a cheap pH check just to make sure I added enough. Thanks for the info on watering. The Northblue bushes I got have dozens of flowers on them this year but I will have to bite the bullet and pull them off so the roots grow better.

Over the winter I plan on wrapping the containers well with burlap and leaving them out on my balcony. It will be interesting to see which cultivars fare better.

Tiger, if the others are not blooming, then you may not need to bother. a young plant without a second pollinator may not set any berries (some fruit set may occur w/o a pollinator for some varieties)

I think the Northblue are self-fruitful but in any case I'd rather have the plant try to establish itself this year. I hope I get loads of berries next year!