Blueberries are trickier to grow. Naturally at home in peat
bogs, the hardy, shallow-rooted bushes must have acidic soil to
thrive: a pH of 4 is not too low, with 5 being a bit high. Since
this is well below the range of most gardens, a blueberry bush
grows best when planted in a large container of acidic mix. A
half wooden barrel (or equivalent size) is ideal and should be
filled with 40 per cent peat moss, 40 per cent coir and 20 per
cent perlite, with a cup of soil sulfur stirred in to further
lower the pH. The half-barrel can then be left out in the open
air or buried up to its rim in the ground. Most bushes are hardy
to Zone 3, but if the container is free-standing, protect the
plants’ roots with some bags of leaves heaped around the base in
fall. Blueberry bushes produce best when properly pruned each
year in March or early April. In year one remove flower buds. As
you prune, aim for an open plant of younger stems by cutting out
very low branches and any that overlap or cross. Prune away some
of the old