How to Raise Blueberries in Maryland or Delaware

Plant new blueberries in spring after the last frost. These plants are hardy to cold, and will live for up to 30 years, but require a full summer of growing to establish. Maryland and Delaware receive the last frost from mid-April in Baltimore and Dover to mid-June in Oakland and Newark, so plantings may take place from early April to early June.

Purchase a cultivar that has good success in these areas. The University of Maryland recommends highbush varieties like Bluetta, Duke, Earliblue, Spartan, Patriot, Blueray, Bluecrop, Jersey, Elliott or Lateblue. Plant several different varieties to guarantee pollination and fruit harvest.

Find a site that provides full sun every day and quick, efficient drainage. Blueberries need full sunshine to develop their fruit, and suffer in standing water. Make sure that any site has at least 3 feet of growing space per plant. If you're planting blueberries separately, keep them within 10 feet of each other.

Amend each site to a depth of 18 inches, in an 18-inch circle, with a combination of half quick-draining soil and half organic compost. Turn 9 inches of this mixture into the natural soil the day before planting to prepare it. Blueberries require extraordinary levels of organic material in their soil, so mix manure, sawdust, wood chips or pine bark into the soil to loosen it.

Plant blueberries in holes that are as deep and twice as wide as their root-balls. Spread the roots out in the hole, but make sure that none are bent or doubled over. Fill the hole with amended soil, then water each blueberry bush with 1 gallon of water.

Spread 2 inches of sawdust, pine bark or wood chips over the soil as mulch, to protect the blueberries from drying out. As this mulch layer breaks down, it will add more nutrition to the soil. Reapply your mulch once a month to maintain it.