How to Grow Blueberries: It All Comes Down to Soil pH

Acid soil, two varieties for pollination, and the shallow roots that make watering and mulch matter more than feeding.

The steps

1. Give Them Acid Soil. They need acid conditions. Ordinary soil turns leaves yellow.
2. Use Ericaceous Compost. Best grown in a large pot. Easier than changing a bed.
3. Plant Two Varieties. Two types crop far better. Pick ones that overlap.
4. Full Sun. Sun makes sweeter fruit. Some shade is tolerated.
5. Water with Rainwater. Tap water raises the pH. Collect it if you can.
6. Mulch the Surface. Roots sit very shallow. Mulch keeps them damp.
7. Feed Ericaceous Only. Ordinary feed harms them. Feed in spring only.
8. Prune Old Wood. Best fruit on young stems. Cut the oldest at the base.

Pro tip. Yellow leaves with green veins almost always mean the soil is not acid enough rather than short of feed. Adding fertiliser at that point makes it worse, not better.