Phillip McCartney is interested in growing blueberries but his site is not conducive to production. His soil pH is near neutral; blueberries require a soil pH between 4.5-5.2 to survive. The soil is also clayey and poorly drained which would cause root rot issues for blueberries. However, he lives near several major metropolitan areas (Louisville and Covington) where there is substantial demand for fresh market produce. Through conversation with the Extension Associate (Daniel Becker) and exchange of resources, research, ideas, he decided to try growing blueberries in containers. This system has had success in other areas of the country, mostly in California and the southeast.

A trial of the system by the extension associate showed that it is possible to grow blueberries in aboveground containers under Kentucky growing conditions. Phillip used some of the information garnered from this trial in is own project. His assessment of outcomes in working with the extension associate are as follows:

Hi Daniel,

Certainly, our blueberry project benefited tremendously from the guidance you provided to us when we visited your research facility on 11/24/21. I thought I’d send you an update about the efforts my wife and I have made to grow blueberries in 25-gallon containers. Perhaps this information will provide documentation of the positive impact of the blueberry research you were doing prior to the tornado.

We currently have 78 blueberry plants of various varieties growing in 25-gallon containers. Among those are 14 plants we have grown from seed that are 2 ½ years old and we allowed about half of them to produce some fruit this year. We continue to learn more about how to best foster the growth of all our plants. I have used ammonium sulfate and other fertilizers sparingly in frequent small amounts. I would like to be confident about the soil biology and level of all nutrients the plants are successfully getting, and so will see if leaf testing can eventually be done.

We have sold out of blueberries at the farmer’s market each of the three weeks we have been there, and we hope tomorrow will be our fourth sell-out. We have several repeat customers and many customers have expressed interest in growing plants themselves. We are trying to offer help.

We have attached two photos. The first was taken on April 16, 2023, and shows some of the fourteen two-year-old plants we have grown from seed that are in 25-gallon containers. The second photo was taken on June 11, 2023, and shows berries we allowed to develop on one of the two-year-old plants we have grown from seed.

The seeds were taken from berries we selected for size and flavor and stratified in our freezer. The plants that came from those seeds were given very careful attention. Since we have not monitored the pH of the mixture of planting material in the containers nor had leaf testing available, luck has been on our side in getting good plant development.

Our one-year-old plants are showing strong growth and several of our current 6-month-old seedlings are 6 inches tall. 

We are also working on getting cuttings to root. 

Thanks again.

Sincerely,

Phil McCartney and Beth McMillan-McCartney.