Best blueberry varieties: highbush, lowbush, rabbiteye

Blueberries are one of the most reliably rewarding fruit crops for home gardens -- once the soil is right. The soil requirement is non-negotiable and specific: pH 4.5--5.0, well-drained but moisture-retentive, high organic matter. Most garden soil does not meet this standard without amendment..

Blueberries are one of the most reliably rewarding fruit crops for home gardens — once the soil is right. The soil requirement is non-negotiable and specific: pH 4.5—5.0, well-drained but moisture-retentive, high organic matter. Most garden soil does not meet this standard without amendment. Getting the soil wrong is the primary reason blueberry plants survive but produce little fruit for years.

I don't grow blueberries at home, but the Extension trial data on variety performance is extensive and reliable for this crop.

The three main blueberry types

Per NC State Extension:

Northern highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum): zones 4—7; needs 800—1,000 chilling hours (hours below 45°F per winter); the primary commercial blueberry in the northern US; mature height 5—8 ft.

Southern highbush: hybrids involving V. corymbosum and V. darrowi; zones 7—10; low chilling requirement (150—600 hours); developed for southeastern and Pacific Coast climates; mature height 4—7 ft.

Lowbush (Vaccinium angustifolium): zones 3—6; native to northeastern North America; mature height 1—2 ft; grown commercially in Maine and Atlantic Canada; excellent fall foliage; smaller fruit than highbush.

Rabbiteye (Vaccinium virgatum, formerly V. ashei): zones 7—9; native to the Southeast; most heat and drought-tolerant type; mature height 6—15 ft; requires cross-pollination between two different rabbiteye varieties; longer ripening season.