Choosing between blueberries pots or ground comes down to your situation and goals. Both methods work well when you do them right with proper soil and care. Pots give you more control over soil conditions while ground planting sets you up for larger harvests over time. Your space and native soil pH will help you decide which path makes the most sense for your yard.
I have grown blueberries both ways over the past ten years in my own yard and learned a lot from each approach. My ground planted bushes now tower over four feet tall and produce buckets of berries each summer. But I also keep three plants in large containers on my patio where the native soil tests too alkaline for these acid loving plants. Both groups thrive because I matched the method to each location.
Container blueberries give you one big advantage that matters most for many home growers with bad soil. You can control the soil pH down to the exact level your plants need without fighting your native ground. Just fill the pot with acidic potting mix and your plants stay happy from day one. This works great if your yard soil tests above pH 6.0 since fixing alkaline ground takes years of work and constant testing.
Pots also let you move plants around as needed through the seasons of each year. You can shift them to catch more sun or bring them under cover during harsh winter weather. Renters love this option since you can take your bushes with you when you move to a new place later on. The plants come along without any transplant shock that digging from the ground would cause.
Ground planting blueberries sets you up for bigger harvests in the long run once your bushes mature in years five and six. Roots can spread as wide and deep as they want without any limits from container walls holding them back. This larger root system pulls more water and nutrients from the surrounding soil with less effort from you. Your plants grow bigger and produce more berries each year as they age.
You also spend less time on maintenance with ground planted bushes after the first few years of getting them set up. Container plants need water almost every day during hot summer weather since pots dry out fast in the sun. In ground bushes can go several days between watering once their roots reach down into cooler moist soil. Fertilizer lasts longer too since it does not wash out the bottom of a pot during rain.
Container size matters a lot if you choose the pot route for your plants in your yard or on a deck. You need at least 15 to 20 gallons (57 to 76 liters) per plant to give roots enough room to grow strong. Those small 5 gallon buckets you see in garden center photos will stunt your bush and limit berry production to just a handful. Half whiskey barrels at 25 gallons (95 liters) work great and look nice on a patio or deck.
I tried a 5 gallon bucket once with a young Bluecrop plant and learned this lesson the hard way. The bush stayed stunted for two years and barely produced a dozen berries total. Moving it to a larger 20 gallon fabric pot turned things around within one growing season. Now that same plant gives me over a quart of berries each July without any stress.
Make your choice based on what fits your life right now and for the next several years ahead. Pick containers if you rent your home or have alkaline soil that would take years to fix properly. Go with ground planting if you own your property and your soil tests in an acceptable pH range of 4.5 to 5.5 already. Either way you can grow great blueberries that produce fresh fruit for your table every summer.
Read the full article: Growing Blueberries: 7 Steps for Success
