We have some blueberry shrubs planted along the east side of our house, so these shrubs only get morning sun, they are in the shade all afternoon. They are green and healthy, and they produce maybe one half the amount of fruit compared to shrubs in full sun, all day.

Thanks, Ericwi

Yes, this is the east side of a building here as well. The building is angled just a little off straight east, so one end of the bed gets sun an hour or two longer. I would put the better tasting varieties at that end.

(BTW, in case someone noticed that my numbers don't quite add up, I bought a couple more bushes when I went to get the peat and sulfur to amend soil for the new planting.)

Another question -- is 4 foot spacing too little? Should I stick to the recommended 5 foot spacing? I don't want to further reduce my yield, but I am having some trouble fitting all the blueberries into the frequently watered area.

Rosefolly

With regard to blueberry spacing, it depends on who you ask. Commercial growers must achieve maximum production for each shrub. They space widely, and fertilize heavily, to achieve this end. On the other hand, blueberries growing in the wild are often only a foot or so apart. The individual shrubs adapt to the local environment, they simply do not get as large when they are forced to compete with close neighbors.

Actually, Eric, commercial growers are now spacing blueberries much closer than they did in the past (2.5' is pretty standard now), as yield per acre is higher with closer plant spacing, which matters more in the long run than yield per plant.

Rosefolly, 4' spacing should be just fine.

Thanks very much, Fruitgirl. That will simplify my planning quite a bit.

Rosefolly