Edible blueberry??

I want to grow blueberries to eat, but I'm finding that there are a lot of different species called "blueberry". Which species is the common edible kind? Anyone have any experiences/suggestions in growing it?

Thanks for the help :)

There's the high bush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum, which is the more common variety. The berries grow on a sort of tall bush so that they are easy to pick. I think this variety was bred specifically for this purpose so that it was easier to harvest the blueberries for market. There is a shorter, wild blueberry, also vaccinium, but I don't know the species. I don't know if you can get these commercially or if you have to live somewhere close to where they grow. We have a bunch of them growing in my yard in the rocky, brushy places, but you have to fight the birds for these, especially the blue jays. People in Maine tend to brag on their wild, Maine blueberries. The fruits are very tiny.
I don't know about any other types calling themselves "blueberry". These are the two that are most common.
Hope this helps,
Martha

In Florida you have two choices. Rabbiteyes, ( Vaccinium ashei ) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=Rabbiteye&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search
Or Southern Highbush (Vaccinium virgatum) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=southern+highbush&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search The northern types don't do much in the deep south.

Thanks to both of you for all the info.

Farmerdill - can you tell me what the main difference is between the two you mentioned?

Southern Highbush is generally a larger plant. Rabbiteyes are better producers and more vigorous plants for me. There is sufficient variance in size and color among the cultivars of each to overlap. You would want to look for a cultivar with low chill hours.

Thanks, Farmerdill.
When I was looking at the different blueberry plants on vendors' websites, I saw mention of "chill hours", but I have no idea what this means or is referring to. Would you mind elaborating?

Many fruiting plants including peaches and blueberries need a certain amount of cold weather to stimulate fruiting. If it does not get cold enough, long enough they will not fruit. It is important only to those of us in the south, where winter is not cold enough or lasts long enough. Florida has special cultivars of each developed for deep zone climates.

Wonderful! Thanks so much for all the info :)

Here are some links that may prove useful: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AC031 http://tbma.sfasu.edu/education/cultivars.htm http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/blueberry.html#choose You may also want to ask your extension agent for the blueberry publication FC46.

Thanks also, Farmerdill! I forgot about the southern location. We get plenty of chill hours up here!
Martha

I got three blueberry bushes from Park's and they seem to be establishing pretty well. They're about 18" tall, and the one I put in last fall had some nice berries this past spring. The ones I put in in the spring just worked on their root systems. I'm trusting I'll get a pie out of them in a year or two. I'll check Parks and see if I can find the variety. They tout them as good for growing in pots.

edited to say they must not be offering them right now. If I can find the info at home, I'll post it tomorrow. Those few berries I did get were delicious.

This message was edited Aug 22, 2007 2:30 PM