The blueberries available in the food trade differ significantly in color and size from the wild blueberries that can be picked in the forest. That's because botanically, these aren't from the same or similar shrub species.

The different types of blueberries on the market

The confusion about blueberry varieties that is sometimes caused by different fruit sizes goes back to the difference between the wild blueberries that ripen in summer in Germany and the cultivated blueberries. Nowadays you can only rarely buy real forest blueberry plants in specialist gardening shops. These were largely supplanted by the stronger-growing and disproportionately stronger-fruiting cultivated blueberries, which are descended from American blueberry varieties and arose through selective breeding.

Growing wild blueberries in the garden

If you decide to grow the types of blueberries that occur naturally in the open air in this country, you should not expect a very large yield at first. Since the wild blueberry bushes bear only a few berries per plant at harvest time, an entire clearing often has to be grazed for a bowl full of ripe blueberries. If you still prefer the shrubs, which only grow to a height of about 40 centimeters, because of the more aromatic fruits, you should perhaps go for long walks in the wild to collect them. However, if the amount of yield is not so important to you, forest blueberries of the genus Vaccinium myrtillus are a good choice for easy-care greening of embankments and beds with acidic soil in your own garden.

The high-yielding varieties of cultivated blueberries

The first types of yield for targeted cultivation that were created through breeding and selection came about with blueberries at the beginning of the 20th century in the USA. Since then, more than 100 cultivars have been developed worldwide, of which about 30 have been able to establish themselves permanently on the market. Vaccinium Bluecrop is the most important variety worldwide due to its cold hardiness, drought resistance and resistance to diseases and pests. In addition, the following varieties also deliver excellent harvest results in professional agricultural cultivation and in private gardens:

  • pilot
  • Duke
  • Elizabeth
  • patriot
  • Reka

tips and tricks

You can extend the harvest time of the already staggered blueberries even further by planting a mixture of early, mid-early and late varieties in your garden.

Category:

Vegetable garden