23/12/2025
Growing Productive Potted Organic Blueberries At Home
One thing I find helps achieve a perfect day of calm productivity is knowing my are happily doing their own thing in pots by the door while words flow gently onto the page in front of me causing all my deadlines to temporarily behave themselves.
And knowing Dozer is resting somewhere close by on my home-office verandah, (that no commercial pesticides have ever been invited to), it's obvious we share the same wonderful sense of well-being and security this thoughtful personal space provides. đ«ââïžđŸ
Being a passionate social activist, vegetarian, clean eater, and deadline-juggling Zen journalist, growing my own blueberries in a pot feels like the calmest protest I know.
No chemicals, no plastic punnets, no suspicious supermarket shine â just quiet mindfulness and blueberries I eat straight from their bush without negotiating a label.
I call it 'self-care with ' which is cheaper than therapy and far more delicious.
The Plants
Dwarf or compact blueberry varieties work best. I have 2 named Bill and Ben.
Being the very civilised plants they are, they perfectly understand my need for personal space and donât try to take over the whole verandah.
The Pots.
They're clay, they're fabulous and home to my 2 blueberry plants. Being heavy and with 40â50cm wide tops, they cost a full days writing pay ... and they were worth every cent.
History has taught me Bill and Ben do much better when not cramped. Drainage holes are essential; emotional drainage is optional, but soggy roots are not.
Bill: "Talk dirt to me Ben?"
Ben: " Sure Bill, but let's hit some acid first."
These guys love acidity. I use an ericaceous mix or blend organic potting soil with peat moss and pine bark. The target pH of 4.5â5.5 keeps them content and stops unnecessary drama. Plant gently, water thoroughly, and add mulch â because everyone performs better with a comfortable blanket, including plants.
Location Location Location
Bill & Ben sit in full sun, enjoying 6â8 hours of light while being sheltered from harsh winds. That's pretty much how I like it too when writing. Lots of natural light.
Watering
It's gentle therapy for all. Mindful and consistent, and always with rainwater. The water I use comes from an inground rainwater tank we inherited from the former property owners. Rainwater is best. Sure, it too is not untouched by human 'progress' anymore, but it's still soft and kind on plants, and not as emotionally scarred by chlorine as most town water is.
Feed, Pollinate, Rinse & Repeat Annually
Every spring your blueberries need a feed of slow-release fertilizer for acid-loving plants. Avoid high-nitrogen products that cause leafy egos and no fruit.
I ensured Bill & Ben are different variety blueberry plants for better pollination because even blueberries need a social life. In the event youngrow yours inside, they may need to be hand pollinated. It's very easy to do. Just manually transfer the pollen between flowers using a small paintbrush or cotton tip by gently mimicing the action of bees.
And because many varieties are self-fertile, if you hand pollination and add a second variety for cross-pollination, that can significantly increase your yield and even result in larger berries.
Netting
When fruit appears, net them â otherwise the birds will file an early claim, never asking permission.
Plant - Grow - Eat
Working surrounded by my own pesticide-free herbs, fruit trees and blueberries while swimming in endless cups of herbal teas keep me grounded and nourished between deadlines, and is an especially helpful brain-juice when doing battle with sentence structures, word limit constraints, or the occasional writers block.
That might be because I grew up in pineapple country north of Brisbane where tropical fruits grew everywhere. My friends and I often picked fresh fruit for breakfast while walking to school. Lunch too could often just be half a pineapple or a couple of mangoes. Still today, decades later, my world or day doesn't sit right if I can't see some fruit, veg or herb growing outside my windows somewhere.
Bill & Ben solve this for me. They're also helpful reminders most good things in life ripen perfectly when we stop rushing.
Folks, growing blueberries is surprisingly easy in the right climate which the Nambucca Valley has. Once you realise a sunny pot, a little patience and clean soil can do the work for you, thereâs really no reason not to give it a go.
So what are you waiting for?
~~~
Article and Artwork:
© Coast Times News 2025. Written for Coast Times News. All rights reserved.
