First fruit is usually in the 3rd year, but full productivity takes 6 years. They like acid soil, Ph of 4-5.

Works up there for you. Mine didn't work out so well. I tried. We pick at a local berry farm. The shrubs are actually very attractive and look nice in the fall.

I think the soil takes awhile to be ready for blueberries. Acid soil does not happen overnight. They( the blueberry experts) recommend preparing the site a year in advance. Get a good PH test of the site. A net is good to keep the birds off and full sun.
Enjoy. cherry

Ronald, the 3 plants I put out 2 years ago were rabbit magnets. I put chicken wire around them, but they were still eaten. Maybe it was deer. I'm not sure, but they must have been tasty.
Maggie

Maggie I was just going to say the same thing! My daughter has 2 bluejay blueberry bushes in her zoo garden and every year they are chewed to the ground by rabbits-maybe deer also. Haven't actually caught the culprit in the act.We have tried everything.
Heather

Hummm, deers haven't bothered mine and I have no rabbits.

Ron, I have 7 high bush blueberries planted in a very small meadow along with numerous native/wild blueberry bushes. Patriot, a high bush, did produce berries when I bought it and it was two years, although there were few berries. Last year - it's fourth year - one of the bushes did quite well giving us quite a few berries.

If your soil is acidic, you might still want to supplement it with a little bit of Aluminum Sulfate early in the season. Our soil is acidic, but I still supplement. Provides a bit bigger crop and 'Umph' for the plant.

Also, not sure if you know but these plants need two different kinds to bear fruit. For example if you bought a Patriot, you need another such as Bluejay in the area. Since I have wild plants, I didn't need another kind but still bought a different variety since my cultivated plants bloom slightly earlier than the wild ones.

Have fun eating!

My family loves blueberries too and like you, the hubby tried to grow them. They became mature, beared fruit, but each year we would lose all but a few precious berries to the birds. I would advise netting them just as soon as the fruit starts. It's really not hard to do, we just always remembered once it was too late!

Good luck!
Nancy

Thanks Everyone
The only animal problem would be birds and I have lots of netting.
Now I need to figure out where to put them. LOL
Ron

2 yrs ago i planted 3 Tophat Blueberry bushes.

I'm not sure, but i dont think they are doing well.... one plant is "completely" gone. I have no idea what happened to it, but it was there in the Fall, before winter hit... but now -- nothing.

Do they completely lose their leaves over winter?

needless to say, so far they are not what i expected, and i'm thinking that if i'd researched them before hand -- I may have gotten older plants, or not at all.

I'm not a huge blueberry fan, though they are good for you, so i thought "what the heck" .. one time while i was at my uncle's place in Ontario (Lake of the Woods) we went berry picking, and they were VERY good.

anyhooo -- I certainly hope they do better this year.

I would post this on Fruits and Orchards forum. There are some real bluberry "Pros" over there

But I just received 4 2 yr old northern highbush variety. The nursery suggested 1/2 potting soil and 1/2 peat for planting. Also adding garden sulfer to boost. Mulch with some sort of pine and have consistent moisture. He "guarnateed" I would pick fruit this year

TCS, blueberry loses all its leaves and looks like sticks in the winter. Go look and see if you have any bud/leaf swelling before you give up on em.

Steve