Summer is here and my garden is up to some magic again! This is year # 3 for my blueberry bushes and the maturity of these bushes are offering an amazing harvest. A few helpful hints for enjoying these blue beauties. For San Diego area and growing zones 7-10 purchase Low Chill blueberries such as Southern Highbush: Sunshine Blue and Sharp Blue are the varieties I planted in barrels with a drip water system. Acidic soil is the essential trick to a good harvest, I use azalea soil and add peat moss throughout the year. Toss in saved “used” coffee grounds each month and place at least an inch of compost to cover the soil. Planting several varieties in close proximity also helped, they seemed to attract more bees this year. Low chill blueberries bloom and fruit all year-long. Also, placing rubber snakes in and around the barrels diminished my bird problem.
Sharp Blue Blueberries grown in a barrel. Container Gardening at its finest!
If you are a “snack while you garden” gardener like me then this is the ideal fruit for you! It’s kind of cool getting full on blueberries 
Happy Gardening!
Jun 19, 2012 @ 15:31:20
Dear Nadia thanks so much for your advise. Your berry shrubs look very healthy. I gave one to my husband for his birthday and my neighbor was encouraging me to give them ice thinking they need frost time.
Sep 05, 2012 @ 23:27:21
Coffee grounds and snakes, both good ideas. Going to start using them on my two bushes right away!