Blueberries (Vaccinium spp) are delicious little berries full of antioxidants. They are also easy to grow, and they thrive in many different environments, including sunny yards and natural alpine areas. Those who have a boggy or wetland garden will be delighted to learn that blueberries naturally love to have wet roots, and these plants thrive in the bog garden.
The Health Benefits of Blueberries
It’s hard to think of a reason not to grow blueberries. They are perfect in summer smoothies, and they are also full of antioxidants. Children love to pick these berries by the handful. Blueberries are an incredibly healthy food. Deeply colored foods are known for being healthy, and blueberries have an amazing amount of vitamin c, copper, selenium, zinc, and iron. In a 2010 article in the Nutrition Review, Basu, Rhone and Lyons determined that these berries improve cardiovascular health.
Growing Blueberries in the Bog Garden
Blueberries love acidic soil with a pH of between 4 and 5. This is more acidic than is required for other plants. An acidic and peaty bog or forest soil is ideal for blueberries. However, the area does need to be drained well enough so that the water does not pool at the base of the blueberries. To increase the acidity of boggy soil, add sawdust, wood chips, moss, or rotting leaves to the soil. Some even place a rotting log under wet soil to provide the moisture that blueberries love and to increase the acidity of the soil.
Drainage and the Blueberry Bog Garden
Blueberry plants are sensitive to compacted soil. In a very damp area, add acidic compost or bark mulch to the soil to increase the humus and improve the drainage. If the bog is prone to drying out in the summer, a thin layer of mulch over the blueberry plants’ roots will help protect blueberries from the summer heat.
How Many Blueberry Bushes?
Blueberry bushes do self-pollinate, but plant more than one bush for optimal crop production. There are many different kinds of blueberry bushes, so if there is space, choose a variety of bushes to increase the blueberry yield throughout the summer and into the fall. Some blueberries produce small, sweet berries, while others like the Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbs) produce the larger berries that are commonly found in grocery stores.
The blueberry bush is a delightful plant to grow and a delicious berry to eat. It’s healthy, and the plants are sturdy and will last for decades when they find a place where they like to grow. Planting blueberries in the edible bog garden is a natural way to add food plants to the wetland garden.
Tricia Edgar - Tricia Edgar is a gardener, environmental educator, and science writer from the Pacific Northwest.
Join the Conversation