How to Plant Blueberry & Blackberry Bushes

Find a site that is in full sun for six hours each day. Plan to use three to five blueberry plants for each family member and purchase four to six blackberry plants for each household member.

Dig a hole at least 1 foot to 18 inches deep for each blueberry plant with the holes set 3 to 4 feet apart. Set the blackberry bushes 3 feet apart with the holes dug to twice the size of the plant's root ball.

Fill in half of the hole with compost or well-rotted manure. Slip the container away from the root ball of your blueberry or blackberry plants and set the roots into the hole. Adjust the compost under and around the blueberry root ball to bring the plant to the same depth it was in the pot. Adjust the blackberry so it is planted an inch deeper than it was before.

Add more compost to the blueberry bush hole to fill in gaps around the roots and fill the hole. Add soil to the holes of the blackberries. Firm the soil around the holes to complete planting, but avoid packing the soil in.

Water the ground thoroughly to keep the roots moist but not soaked for the first month until they can grow deeper into the ground. Water the bushes weekly when the upper inch of soil feels dry, allowing for approximately an inch of water each week.

Spread pine needles around the base of each blueberry plant 1 to 2 inches deep as mulch to retain moisture, prevent weeds and add acidity to the soil. When your bushes flower, drape with plant netting, if desired, to keep pests away. As the berries turn blue, remove the netting and harvest.

Tie string or a twist tie to the canes of the blackberry bushes that grow this year as they will set fruit the following year. During the second year, tie a different color of string or twist tie to the new canes to mark the productive canes of the third year. At the end of harvest, clip away the canes at ground level that fruited.