Blueberries know no boundaries - here's how to harvest the best bunch

If your green thumb is broken when it comes to planting fruit around your home, maybe it's time to dip that thumb in blue, instead.

No matter where you live, blueberries and other easy-to-grow fruits can be harvested in containers on decks, balconies, patios and backyards.

"They are beautiful, free-standing plants," says fruit expert Ed Laivo, sales and marketing director for Dave Wilson Nursery in Modesto, Calif., which ships fruit trees, vines and bushes across the country. "Their ornamental quality in containers are as good as their edible quality. And the health benefits associated with them are so high - the high concentration of antioxidants."

Laivo, who grows 70 types of fruit in containers at his own home, says blueberries can be grown at different locations across the country. In general, they are planted after the last freeze, although there are early, midseason and late varieties of blueberries. Corina Bullock, youth education coordinator at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati, recommends going with at least two different varieties to optimize production.

If planting blueberries in containers, Laivo says you should start with a container size just a bit larger than the size of the root.

"With a bare root blueberry plant, I'd start with nothing larger than a five-gallon container," Laivo says. And while they will eventually need to be transplanted, Laivo says. "They'll do fine for two years."

Because blueberries prefer acidic soil, make sure you have the right PH balance in your soil. Testing kits are available at many garden centers. Laivo suggests growing blueberries in a mix of one-third pathway bark, one-sixth coir (chopped up coconut), one-sixth peat moss and one-third forest based potting mix. With this mix, Laivo says, blueberries don't need to be watered every day, but instead only once every four to five days.

As for how much sun to give your blueberries, Bullock says that "blueberries will need full sun. This means six hours a day." Laivo adds that Northern Highbush blueberries "require some afternoon shade, but can take full sun in Northern climates." See your local nursery for details on blueberry varieties.