Tips To Grow A Blueberry At Home
Did you know that you can grow blueberries at home? Blueberries are among the most beneficial fruits for health. Due to the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals they contain, they can prevent all kinds of health problems, including premature aging and cancer.
Regular consumption of blueberries has been shown to have a beneficial effect on patients with high blood pressure, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. At the same time, this habit is useful against urinary tract infections.
The biggest disadvantage of blueberries is that they are not easy to find. In addition, their price tends to be quite high. But you can avoid these inconveniences in a very fun way: simply grow a blueberry at home. If you want to find out how, read on!
Steps to grow a blueberry in your home
It doesn’t take much effort to grow a blueberry in your home, but one of the disadvantages of growing this plant is that it will take up a lot of your time.
It must be 3-4 years before the blueberry can bear fruit, but this is only true if you start from scratch — that is, by planting the seeds. If you opt for a mature plant, you will not have to wait as long.
1. Find a suitable space
Regardless of the option chosen, keep in mind that blueberries need a lot of space to grow. If you have a garden, you can use “raised beds”, a variant that allows water to flow directly under the plant.
Even if you do not have much space, you will not have difficulty growing a blueberry in pots. And in this case, the stage from which you choose to start will count.
- The seeds must first be allowed to germinate in a nursery or at least in a plastic container. You will be able to plant them only after they have germinated.
- If you choose to start with a small shrub, you need a large pot with a volume of about 20 liters.
- As soon as the bush matures, you need to move it in a 70-80 liter pot so that it has enough space.
2. Prepare the soil in which you will plant blueberries
Blueberries grow in very acidic soils, with a pH between 4.5 and 5. In order for this shrub to grow harmoniously, you will need to plant it in the right soil. You need the following:
- Cottonseed flour
- Fruit peel fertilizer
- Pine needles
- Oak leaves
- Peat moss
3. Decide where you want to start
Because blueberries need a lot of time to grow, think carefully about what stage you want to start from, as well as whether it is worth trying to grow several blueberries at the same time. If you choose to plant more blueberries, use separate containers.
4. Take care of your blueberry
Blueberries need a lot of sun to feed themselves properly. Water is also essential, but this shrub does not grow properly in very humid environments. Water the blueberries only occasionally and make sure the pot used has good drainage.
A delicious recipe with blueberries
As soon as your blueberry bears fruit, you can try many blueberry recipes. A very tasty option is to prepare muffins with blueberries and lemon, an ideal dish for breakfast or as a snack.
ingredients
- 2 cups and ½ (300 g) of flour
- 1 cup (200 g) white sugar
- 2 teaspoons (7 g) of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (5 g) of salt
- ¼ cup (60 g) of natural yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (250 ml) of milk, preferably skimmed
- ¼ cup (50 g) of melted butter
- 2 teaspoons (5 ml) of vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180 g) of blueberries
- 1 tablespoon (10 g) grated lemon peel
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190 ° C.
- Grease a special tray or use muffin tins.
- In a large bowl, combine sifted flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine yogurt, eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla extract.
- Add the resulting cream in the first bowl and mix well until you get a lump-free composition.
- Then add the blueberries and grated lemon peel.
- Fill each form in proportion to ¾ so that the muffins have enough space to grow.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the toothpick test shows that the muffins are ripe.
- Allow the muffins to cool to room temperature, then serve.
