Best highbush blueberries for

Can anyone suggest the best highbush blueberries for full sun, moist well drained soil zone 5, in southeast NH?

Pretty much any of them rated for northern climates should do well for you. That assumes you have an appropriately acid soil for them. I'm not too up on what constitutes high-bush as you are referring to them, as there are full-height, half-height, hybrids, etc these days and too many names to keep track of (although I'll list a few...)

First off, I would be more concerned regarding fruiting season. You should plan multiple varieties, including early, middle and late fruiting cultivars. That way you can harvest blueberries for most of the summer into the fall.

For early, I really like Duke, which produces abundant, large, delicious berries. For late season, there are not as many choices, but I have had good results with Elliott. Elliott's berries are a bit smaller and more tart, but you can get fruit up to frost some seasons.

A new variety I'm in trials with this year is reportedly a mid-season one. It's called "Bonus" and is supposed to produce the largest berries of any variety. It has been highly rated in all of the reviews I've seen for it.

If you are looking for very large berry bushes/bb trees, then I can't be of much help as I keep my plants dwarfed due to space limitations.

My best advice: 1) Make sure you have appropriate acid soil or you will fail 2) Select multiple varieties that span the fruiting seasons. (Indiana Berry Company has a nice comparison chart showing fruiting times for many varieties. https://indianaberry.com/info_bluberry_variety.php) 3) Have a plan to keep birds and bugs (jap beetles for example) off of your plants, especially until they size up. You will lose a lot of fruit to the pests if you do not prepare for them, especially if you have a limited amount of space or limited number of plants.

Good luck and let us know how you make out. Do check out the chart on the web page. I'm growing most of the varieties on the chart and they each have their own merits.

krowton, when you say you keep your blueberry bushes dwarfed is it by pruning them?
If so when would be the time to prune?

Sorry, I don't do much pruning. I do keep most of them in pots that limit their size. I'll remove dead or weak growth, and will sometimes cut back plants that are not growing much to trigger new growth. I would choose to prune them before they start to grow in the spring. Indiana Berry recommends pruning during dormancy and they are experts.

BTW, Bonus is supposed to produce fruit the size of half-dollars.

Thanks, krowten. I've gone with Patriot and Blueray, don't remember the brand names, but that's what was available locally and recommended for full sun. So far I haven't killed them. If I succeed this year I'll try a few more varieties.

Thank you. It would wise to check the soil pH to make sure it is in the correct range and do it early. Blue berries do not grow much during the second half of the summer, so getting a good pH early in the year will really help for success. If you do add more varieties, I really do like Duke a lot.

I planted them with 1/2 peat moss and 1/2 soil. Neighbors have reported success with rhododendron, azalea, blueberries, etc. So I'm guessing the soil is more toward acid but I'm going to add composted pine shavings (pet bedding material) after I hot compost it. I have a pH meter somewhere, I guess it's time to find it!

Wishing you great success!