Blueberry Growing Zone

Types

• Three species of blueberries account for most blueberry shrubs for fruit production in the United States. The northern or highbush blueberry (Vaccinium coynmbosum), lowbush blueberry (V. angustifolium) and the rabbiteye blueberry (V. ashei) are native American species. Numerous cultivars of each species exist as well. Horticulturists hybridized these species to create more disease-, cold- or heat-tolerant plants, and they are more commonly referred to as half-high and southern highbush blueberries.

General Growing Range

• Blueberries are best suited to U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8. These areas have cool or cold winters and short, cool to long, warm summers. Blueberry shrubs grow in partial shade to full sun conditions, but must have a strongly acidic soil -- pH 4.5 to 5.5 -- that is moist but well-drained. Blueberries are not appropriate choices for subtropical and dry regions or where soils are alkaline, infertile or soggy.

Regional Insight

• Northern highbush blueberries are best grown in USDA zones 3 through 7a, where winters are colder and summers cooler and shorter. By contrast, rabbiteye blueberries do well in the southern tier of states where winters are cool and summers significantly longer, hotter and more humid. Grow rabbiteyes in zones 6 through 9a. Lowbush blueberries grow in zones 2b through 8a. Hybrids among these three species include plants with intermediate tolerances to both winter cold and summer heat. Hybrids allow blueberries to be grown in areas previously not ideal for fruit production.

Sunset Climate Zones

• The USDA hardiness zones are based solely on average annual minimum winter temperatures. They do not account for climatic factors such as rainfall seasons and summer heat and are not well applied to regions with variable elevations, such as in mountain valleys across the Intermountain West. "Sunset" magazine developed climate zones as an alternative to using USDA zones in determining which plants are best suited to a locality. Northern highbush blueberries are best in climate zones 2 though 9 and 14 through 17. Rabbiteye and hybrid southern highbush types grow well in zones 8, 9 and 14 through 24. Half-high blueberries are the most cold-tolerant, appropriate for zones A2, A2 and 1 through 3.