Carolina Garden: Blueberry

If you want to raise the best blueberry possible, you may want to start by moving to Maine. While the Carolina‘s have native varieties, this isn‘t an ideal location for a grower looking to produce a commercial crop. Luckily I‘m not trying to harvest blueberries, I‘m growing memories. My lone bush will yield a pint or more of tart to semi-sweet berries each spring. In years to come, those handpicked berries will live on in tales of grandma‘s homemade blueberry muffins. I selected to grow a low bush, rabbiteye variety (Vaccinium virgatum), which is native to our area. I prefer native plants since they are naturally adapted to our local growing conditions. We also have a natural born pollinator in the southeastern blueberry bee (Habropoda laboriosa). As the name implies these native bumble bees are perfect companions to our local blueberries.