How to Plant Blueberries in Containers
Laura from Garden Answer shows how to plant blueberries in containers and fertilize with Espoma’s Holly-tone. Watch the video below to see just how easy it is!
Tag Archive for: Organic Gardening
$100 Mother’s Day Giveaway from Espoma
This Mother’s Day, it may be a little easier to make mom happy.
Enter the Espoma Mother’s Day Giveaway for a chance to win a $100 gift card.
‘Like’ Espoma on Facebook and beginning May 2nd simply share our Mother’s Day container photo for your chance to win.
While you’re at it, tag your mom, aunt, neighbor, sister or best friend who has kids. And dads, don’t forget about the mother of your children! If you win, you can use it to do something nice for any of them.
Give her the gift she’s always wanted, whether it’s a new hydrangea or brunch. Surprise mom today!
But, you have to enter to win so….
One winner will be announced Friday, May 6th and awarded a $100 VISA gift card.
And to all the mothers out there, we wish you a happy Mother’s Day. Thank you for your dedication, support and unending love.
Seeing Red: Raspberries in the Garden
Raspberries are a summer staple in every kitchen. Make them a staple in the organic garden, too.
Whether you are growing berries for jam, raspberry cobbler, or just to eat as a quick and healthy snack, these sweet little fruits will never disappoint!
If you want to enjoy these delicious summer berries, now is the time to start planting. Here’s how, and when to plant raspberries.
Pick a Berry
Summer-bearing fruits bear one crop per season, typically summer. Ever-bearing fruits bear two crops, one in the summer and one in the fall. Choose your variety based on how many berries you’d like to harvest.
Contrary to popular belief, raspberries aren’t always red! They also come in yellow, purple and black, so grow a variety of berries and add some color to your organic garden this summer. Visit your local garden center and they can help you choose a variety best fit for your region.
When and Where?
The best time to plant raspberries is in early or mid-spring. These berries are inclined to grow in cooler climates, but the ground might not be workable until after the last frost.
When choosing a location, plant raspberries in an area with full sun and good air circulation. Avoid areas with heavy winds that may damage plants. Leave about 3 feet of space in between each plant.
Because some varieties of raspberries send long canes upward as they grow, they need support. Plant them next to a fence or create a simple support alongside the row with stakes and wire.
Soil Conditions
Raspberries will grow best in slightly acidic, well-drained soil. Be sure to test your soil — an ideal pH level is anywhere between 5.5 and 6.5. If the soil is not acidic enough, add Espoma’s Soil Acidifier.
Add an organic plant food to the soil to encourage healthy growth. Espoma’s Holly-tone is perfect for raspberries as it is a slow-release fertilizer for extended feeding. Keep the soil evenly moist and water as needed.
And that’s it! You’ll have juicy, fresh-picked raspberries in no time.
DIY Vegetable Pallet Planter from Garden Answer
This DIY veggie pallet planter, made by Laura from Garden Answer, is a great upcycled vertical planter idea. Laura shows how you can grow lettuce and flower in a small space using Espoma organic potting soil and organic fertilizer.
Blues Legends: The Best Tasting Blueberries to Grow
With vibrant hues of blue and sweet flavor, no summer fruit is better known (or better for you) than the blueberry. These blue wonders play a vital role in health and well-being.
Plant a blueberry bush today and savor the fresh berries all summer.
If flavor is your top priority, you absolutely must add these blueberries to your garden! Just imagine how mouthwatering that first, homegrown blueberry will be! Until then, though, you’ll keep busy! While growing blueberries, be sure to feed with Holly-tone and keep the soil pH low with Soil Acidifier.
Photo courtesy of Richard Shiell for Monrovia.
Southmoon Blueberry – A southern favorite that does well in hot temperatures, the Southmoon blueberry is a delicious pick. The sky-blue berries are a nice touch, too. Plant in lighter, sandy soils and ammend with lots of organic material.
Blueberry Type: Southern Highbush
Light: Full sun
Size: 6’ H x 6’ W
Zone: 6-9
Chill Hours: 300-500
Ripening Season: Early: Early-late July
Taste and Size: Large berries with sweet, juicy blueberry flavor
Yield: Moderate yield
Features:
- Showy white flowers
- Self-pollinating
Photo courtesy of Richard Shiell for Monrovia.
O’Neal Blueberry – The O’Neal produces dark blue berries that taste more like candy than fruit. With high-sugar content, you’ll want to eat these yummy berries right as soon as you pick them. As a semi-upright shrub, you can let this blueberry grow wild and free or train it to grow up.
Blueberry Type: Southern Highbush
Light: Full sun
Size: 4-6’ H x 4-6’ W
Zone: 5-9
Chill Hours: 500-600
Ripening Season: Early: Early May-Early June
Taste and Size: Large blueberries that taste juicy and sugary-sweet
Yield: Moderate yield
Features:
- Produces an extra crop
- Works great in containers
- Dazzling red fall foliage in cool climates
- Evergreen in warmer climates
Polaris Blueberry – If you love to eat blueberries early in the season, the Polaris is for you! The Polaris was developed in Minnesota, so you know it can handle the cold, too! Go ahead, and pair with Northblue to increase blueberry yield.
Blueberry Type: Half-high
Light: Full sun
Size: 3-4’ H x 3-4’ W
Zone: 3-8
Chill Hours: 800+
Ripening Season: Early: Early July-Early August
Taste and Size: Medium, firm blueberries that taste sweet with a hint of acidity
Yield: High yield, 4-7 pounds of blueberries
Features:
- Native
- Very aromatic
- Extremely cold-hardy
- All-season beauty: white blooms in spring and rosy red foliage in fall
Bushel and Berry™ Blueberry Glaze – These berries are small in stature and have incredibly glossy, dark green leaves reminiscent of boxwood, and can easily be sheared as such. Small, almost black berries present in little bundles mid-summer. With their deep flesh color, Blueberry Glaze packs a healthful punch with antioxidant-rich qualities.
Blueberry Type: Dwarf
Light: Full sun
Size: 2’ H x 3’ W
Zone: 5-8
Chill Hours: 600
Ripening Season: Mid-summer
Taste and Size: Small, intense flavor much like the flavor of wild blueberries
Yield: Moderate yield
Features:
- Works well in containers or in landscape
- Likes acidic soil
- Beautiful year-round foliage
Looking for more options? To learn more about blueberries, the best blueberries for containers, how to plant, care for and grow, visit our Organic Blueberry Growing Guide.
Espoma’s Guide to Growing Organic Berries
Grow berries for more than just flavor! They’re filled with antioxidants and they’re good for your heart, body and brain. Plus, the plants look beautiful in the landscape.
Are you ready to plant a blueberry this year? Trust us, they are berry easy — even if you’ve heard otherwise. The trick is to pick the perfect berry for your conditions and to give it the right care.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing Which Blueberry to Grow
Berry Good Advice for Gardeners
The Best Blueberries to Grow in Containers
How to plant blueberries in containers
The Best Blueberries to Grow in Containers
Blueberries are nutritional powerhouses packed with high concentrations of antioxidants that help guard against cancer and heart disease. Just one serving of blueberries serves up almost 25 percent of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin C.
Growing blueberries maximizes small spaces and keeps fresh, nutritious fruit nearby. Even if space is limited, you can still grow blueberries at home. Some blueberry shrubs are the perfect fit for containers on the porch, patio or balcony.
Ought to Pot: The Best Blueberries for Container Gardening
Photo courtesy of Bushel and Berry™
Bushel and Berry™ Pink Icing – With breathtaking spring and fall foliage and large, sweet berries mid-summer, this gem makes small spaces shine. Plus, these bushes are self-pollinating, so only one bush is needed to produce fruit.
Blueberry Type: Dwarf
Light: Full sun
Size: 3’ H x 4’ W
Zone: 5-10
Chill Hours: 500
Ripening Season: Mid-summer
Taste and Size: Large blueberries with sweet, robust flavor
Yield: Moderate yield
Features:
- Works well in containers or in landscape
- Likes acidic soil
- Beautiful year-round foliage
Patriot Blueberry – The Patriot puts on a show each season – from striking white blooms in spring to warm, vivid foliage in fall. During summer, you’ll be busy munching on up to 20 pounds of blueberries!
Blueberry Type: Northern Highbush
Light: Full sun
Size: 4-8’ H x 3-5’ W
Zone: 3-7
Chill Hours: 800-1,000
Ripening Season: Early: Mid-End of July
Taste and Size: Large blueberries that taste classically sweet
Yield: High yield, 10-20 pounds of blueberries
Features:
- Native
- Cold-hearty
- Works in the landscape or as a hedge
- Adapts to various soil types, including heavy or wet soil
Photo courtesy of Bushel and Berry™
Bushel and Berry™ Peach Sorbet – Full of charm, these compact blueberry plants are four-season showstoppers with stunning leaves ranging from peach to pink to orange to emerald green. Spring’s white, bell-shaped flowers will give way to an abundant summer crop of healthy, sweet blueberries mid-summer.
Blueberry Type: Dwarf
Light: Full sun
Size: 1½’ H x 2’ W
Zone: 5-10
Chill Hours: 300
Ripening Season: Mid-summer
Taste and Size: Medium blueberries with a sweet, tropical essence
Yield: High yield
Features:
- Works well in containers or in landscape
- Likes acidic soil
- Plants keep leaves through winter when the foliage transitions to a rich eggplant purple
Photo courtesy of Doreen Wynja for Monrovia
Sunshine Blue Blueberry – These berries are even more nutritious than other blueberries because they’re high in Vitamin P. Another fun attribute of the Sunshine Blue is their hot-pink flowers in spring and blazing red leaves in fall!
Blueberry Type: Southern Highbush
Light: Full sun
Size: 3-4’ H x 3-4’ W
Zone: 5-10
Chill Hours: 150
Ripening Season: Mid-season: End of May-End of June
Taste and Size: Medium blueberries that taste opulent and sweet
Yield: Moderate yield, 5-10 pounds of blueberries
Features:
- Tolerant of higher soil pH
- Love the California sunshine and heat
- Semi-evergreen
Northsky Blueberry – Meet the most cold-hardy blueberry out there. The Northsky can withstand temperatures of -45° and can even bear snow on its branches. In spring, the Northsky produces lots of sweet, white blooms that look absolutely darling.
Blueberry Type: Half-high
Light: Full sun
Size: 2-4 H x 2-3 W
Zone: 3-7
Chill Hours: 800+
Ripening Season: Mid-season: Mid-End of July
Taste and Size: Small, firm blueberries that taste fresh, wild and free
Yield: Small yield, up to 2 pounds of blueberries
Features:
- Extremely cold-hardy
- Works in the landscape or as a hedge
- Elegant burgundy fall foliage
Photo courtesy of Bushel and Berry™
Bushel and Berry™ Jelly Bean – This blueberry is prolific – producing a bumper crop of large, flavorful blueberries mid-summer with a super sweet flavor like homemade blueberry jelly. Brilliant green new foliage emerges in spring which gives way to darker greens with red hues throughout the summer and fall.
Blueberry Type: Dwarf
Light: Full sun
Size: 1’ H x 2’ W
Zone: 4-8
Chill Hours: 1,000+
Ripening Season: Mid-summer
Taste and Size: Medium to large blueberries with homemade jelly flavor
Yield: High yield, bumper crop
Features:
- Works well in containers or in landscape
- Likes acidic soil
- Beautiful year-round foliage
- Prune annually during winter dormancy
Looking for more options? To learn more about blueberries, the best tasting berries, how to plant, care for and grow, visit our Organic Blueberry Growing Guide.
Smarty Plants: 5 Easy Planting Tips
Raise new plants that grow as big and mighty as Jack’s Beanstalk with these five tips for planting success. Your new plants will look so perfect your neighbors will think you plucked them right from a fairy tale!
Before you even think about picking up your garden trowel, check out these tips.
Say Yes to Success: 5 Tricks for Planting New Flowers, Veggies and More
1. Start with the Best. Make sure you have the right light, space and soil for each plant. Then select plants with shiny, blemish-free leaves that you can easily lift out of the container.
2. Royal Soil. Before planting, test the soil and add necessary amendments. If your soil is lacking, your plants will be too. For an extra oomph, add Espoma Organic Vegetable & Flower Garden Soil or compost to the planting hole. And if direct sowing seeds, mix in an organic seed starting potting soil, so seeds can take root easily.
3. Feed Now… and Later. When planting, mix in an organic starter plant food. Adrianna, an Espoma customer, loves Bio-tone Starter Plus. She can even tell “when the roots begin to take up the plant food because they start to grow MUCH faster.” Bio-tone Starter Plus’ secret is mycorrhizae, which promotes bigger blooms and helps plants get established faster.
4. Stay Strong Seedlings. Before moving indoor seedlings outside, toughen them up. Otherwise, they may not make it. To help seeds adjust, begin hardening them off two weeks before transplanting. How-to instructions here.
5. Don’t Forget to Water. While still in their nursery containers, water your plants. Then water deeply after planting. Water reduces plants’ stress levels and helps them adjust to their happy, new abode.
Get ready, your organic flowers, veggies and plants are about to be bigger and healthier than ever! You grow, gardener!
Plain as Day – Find Your Perfect Hydrangea
Who can resist color-changing blooms as huge as snowballs?!
No one! That’s why no garden is complete until it has at least one hydrangea. With their picturesque foliage and magical blooms, these flower shrubs are a constant delight. Plus, hydrangeas are easy to care for — as long as you pick the right variety for your space.
Before choosing what hydrangea to grow, answer these questions. Then check out our hydrangea varieties guide to pick the best for your garden.
Couldn’t Ask for More! Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Hydrangea
Growing hydrangeas is easy! Simply answer these questions to find a hydrangea variety that will thrive in your garden.
1. How much sun do hydrangeas need? Most hydrangea varieties like a blast of full sun in the morning followed by a nap in the afternoon shade. Though, be sure to check since there are a few hydrangeas that thrive in full sun.
2. What hydrangea color do you want? While color of hydrangeas may seem important, it’s actually not! You can turn blue hydrangeas pink and vice versa. Hydrangea color and saturation all depend on the soil acidity. The only exception? White hydrangeas don’t change color.
3. What size hydrangea would you like? Hydrangeas come in small, medium or large-size. Larger varieties can grow up to 20’ tall and 18’ wide while dwarf hydrangeas are only 3-5’ tall and wide. No matter the size of your garden, you can find a hydrangea that works — even in container gardens.
4. What type of hydrangea to grow? Depending on what type of hydrangea you grow, it needs to be pruned at different times. Make note of what type of hydrangea you have to make pruning easy later on. Here are a few of the most common hydrangeas: bigleaf, oakleaf, panicle and smooth.
5. Is the hydrangea evergreen or deciduous? Evergreen hydrangeas, as their name implies, stay green all year. Most hydrangeas are deciduous shrubs, so they shed their leaves annually.
Fun in the Sun: Best Hydrangeas to Grow in Full Sun
Most hydrangeas prefer only morning sun. Yet one type of hydrangea can soak up the sun all day: the panicle hydrangea. While they can stand the sun, these do just fine in partial shade, too. Plus, panicle hydrangeas are the hardiest hydrangeas. To learn more about hydrangeas visit our total guide to growing hydrangeas.
Here are the best hydrangea varieties to grow in full sun.
Pinky Winky Hydrangea – As fun to say as it is to look it. The Pinky Winky is everything ombre was meant to be. Its two-tone flowers come back every year and thrive in urban gardens.
Hydrangea Type: Panicle
Shrub Type: Deciduous
Light: Full-part sun
Size: 6-10’ H x 6-8’ W
Zone: 3-8
Blooms: Mid-summer-first frost. 12-15” blooms that open white then transform into a hot, irresistible pink
Features:
- Fast growing
- Blooms every year
- No drooping blooms
- Can be a hedge or small tree
Soil: Prefers moist, well-drained soil. Will grow in nearly any soil
Limelight Hydrangea – As refreshing as a lime in summertime! This cool-colored hydrangea is super unique and performs reliably year after year. The Limelight is not picky about much. And, there’s any even cuter, dwarf Limelight!
Hydrangea Type: Panicle
Shrub Type: Deciduous
Light: Full-part sun
Size: 6-8’ H x 6-8’ W
Zone: 3-8
Blooms: Mid-summer-fall. Refreshing, cool chartreuse blooms that fade to pink then beige
Features:
- Heat tolerant
- Can be a hedge or small tree
- Grows in containers
- No drooping blooms
- Deep-red fall foliage
Soil: Prefers moist, well-drained soil. Will grow in nearly any soil.
Quick Fire Hydrangea – A super-fast grower with sizzling blooms! This hydrangea blooms a full month before other hydrangeas. Then it re-blooms in late fall. Quick Fire, or its dwarf sibling, love to bask in the sun!
Hydrangea Type: Panicle
Shrub Type: Deciduous
Light: Full-part sun
Size: 6-8’ H x 6-8’ W
Zone: 3-8
Blooms: Mid-summer-early fall. Blooms open white then turn a sweet salmon color
Features:
- Drought tolerant
- Repeat bloomer
- Can be a hedge
- Works in container gardens
Soil: Prefers moist, well-drained soil. Will grow in nearly any soil.
Now start growing! Want more? Find out which hydrangeas bloom all summer. Learn about the best hydrangeas for beginners. Find out even more about hydrangea care in our Ultimate Hydrangea Guide!
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