Blueberry Bush Size Chart

How tall and wide the five blueberry types grow, from ankle-high lowbush to rabbiteye taller than a ceiling, drawn to scale against a person. Then which type suits your winters and space, and how to plant, prune, feed and pick it.

Download the chart

Blueberry Bush Size Chart poster comparing lowbush, half-high, northern highbush, southern highbush and rabbiteye blueberries by height, spread, zones, yield and care — **Figure 1.** The full blueberry bush size chart: five types of blueberry bushes drawn to scale, with blueberry bush height and spread, hardiness zones, chill hours, yields, a care calendar, pruning and feeding.

Contents

1Five bushes drawn to scale
2Matching a type to your garden
3All five types compared
4From planting to full harvest
5Acidic soil comes first
6Spacing and containers
7Care month by month
8Pruning by cane age
9Feeding by bush age
10Problems and fixes
11When to pick
12Stretching the harvest
13Storing and eating
Sources and notes

1.Five bushes drawn to scale

Each bush is drawn at a typical mature size on the same scale, with a bar for its usual height range. Change the person’s height to see where each one would come up to on you, and tap a bush for its numbers.

Person Height ranges

Person’s height5′9″

2 ft

4 ft

6 ft

8 ft

10 ft

12 ft

Person5′9″

6–24 in

2–4 ft

5–8 ft

4–7 ft

6–15 ft

Swipe sideways to see all five.

Figure 2. Typical mature sizes on one scale. The bar beside each bush marks its usual height range.

Tap a bush · showing

Northern Highbush

V. corymbosum

5–8 ft tall: about head high. That is 0.9–1.4× the height of a 5′9″ person.

Northern Highbush in figures
Spread	4–6 ftupright, vase-shaped
Spacing	4–5 ftrows 8–10 ft apart
Zones	4–7USDA hardiness
Chill hours	800–1,000hours below 45 °F
Yield	5–10 lbper bush
Harvest	Jun–Augfirst crop 3 yrs

2.Matching a type to your garden

Hardiness zone decides what survives; winter chill decides what fruits well; space decides what fits. Pick all three and the five types re-rank themselves.

USDA hardiness zone

Winter chill hours (hours below 45 °F) Your local extension service or weather records can give the figure.

Where will it grow?

Half-high Good match

Hardy in zone 6 (range 3–7).
Plant 3 ft apart, rows 6–8 ft apart.

Try ‘Northblue’, ‘Chippewa’; for a long season in Minnesota: ‘Polaris’ → ‘Northcountry’ → ‘Northblue’. Pollination: self-fertile, a 2nd variety boosts crop.

Northern Highbush Good match

Hardy in zone 6 (range 4–7).
Plant 4–5 ft apart, rows 8–10 ft apart.

Try ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Duke’; for a long season in Michigan: ‘Duke’ → ‘Bluecrop’ → ‘Elliott’. Pollination: self-fertile, a 2nd variety boosts crop.

Lowbush Possible

Hardy in zone 6 (range 3–7).
Better as a groundcover than a hedge.

Try ‘Brunswick’, ‘Burgundy’. Pollination: needs a partner, plant 2+ clones.

Southern Highbush Not suited

Grows in zones 7–10; you are in zone 6.
Plant 4–5 ft apart, rows 8–10 ft apart.

Rabbiteye Not suited

Grows in zones 7–9; you are in zone 6.
Plant 6–8 ft apart, rows 10–12 ft apart.

Zone finder

Which types grow where. Zone 7 grows all five. Bottom row: average coldest winter night for the zone.

345678910LowbushHalf-highN. HighbushS. HighbushRabbiteyemin °F-40°-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°

3.All five types compared

The full comparison from the chart. Tap a column heading to highlight it; on a phone, swipe the table sideways.

Type
Mature heighttypical range	6–24 inankle to knee high	2–4 ftknee to waist high	5–8 ftabout head high	4–7 ftshoulder to head high	6–15 fta small tree
Spreadmature width	2 ft +spreads by rhizomes	3–4 ftcompact, rounded	4–6 ftupright, vase-shaped	4–5 ftupright, open	5–8 fttall, suckering
Plant spacingwithin the row	1–2 ftas a groundcover	3 ftrows 6–8 ft apart	4–5 ftrows 8–10 ft apart	4–5 ftrows 8–10 ft apart	6–8 ftrows 10–12 ft apart
USDA zoneshardiness range	Zones 3–7345678910	Zones 3–7345678910	Zones 4–7345678910	Zones 7–10345678910	Zones 7–9345678910
Chill hourshours below 45 °F	1,000+ hrs	800–1,000+ hrs	800–1,000 hrs	150–600 hrs	400–700 hrs
Yieldper bush; 1 berry ≈ 3 lb	0.5–1 lb	2–5 lb	5–10 lb	4–8 lb	10–20 lb
Berry sizetypical diameter	0.2–0.4 inpea-sized	0.4–0.6 insmall to medium	0.5–0.8 inlarge	0.5–0.8 inlarge	0.4–0.7 inmedium to large
Flavorfresh off the bush	Intensewild, sweet-tart	Sweetmild, wild-like	Classicsweet-tart, aromatic	Sweetmild, low acid	Sweetfirm, thicker skin
Harvestripening season	Jul–AugAMJJAS	JulyAMJJAS	Jun–AugAMJJAS	Apr–JunAMJJAS	Jun–AugAMJJAS
First cropafter planting	2–3 yrsfull crop by year 5	2–3 yrsfull crop by year 5	3 yrsfull crop in 6–8 yrs	2 yrsfull crop in 5–6 yrs	3–4 yrsfull crop in 6–8 yrs
Pollinationfor a full crop	2×Needs a partnerplant 2+ clones	✓Self-fertilea 2nd variety boosts crop	✓Self-fertilea 2nd variety boosts crop	½Partly self-fertileplant 2 varieties	2×Needs a partnerplant 2 rabbiteye types
Fall colorautumn foliage	Brilliant red	Red-orange	Orange & red	Semi-evergreen	Red & yellow
Try theseproven cultivars	‘Brunswick’ ‘Burgundy’	‘Northblue’ ‘Chippewa’	‘Bluecrop’ ‘Duke’	‘O’Neal’ ‘Sunshine Blue’	‘Tifblue’ ‘Powderblue’

4.From planting to full harvest

A northern highbush takes 6–8 years to reach full size and full crop, then keeps bearing for 40–50+ years. Step through the years, drawn to the same scale.

Northern highbush blueberry bush year 3 after planting, about 3–4 ft tall — **Figure 3.** One northern highbush bush in years 1, 3, 5 and 8, beside a measuring stake.

Year 1after planting

About 1–2 ft tall: pick off the blossoms.

5.Acidic soil comes first

Soil that is not acid enough is the most common reason bushes fail. Blueberries want soil at pH 4.5–5.5, well below most garden soils. Enter the pH from your soil test.

Your soil pH

6.5

Typical garden soil: too highMost garden soils sit at 6–7. Lower the pH with elemental sulfur 6–12 months before planting, and mix in peat moss or pine bark.

Test first, then adjust
Too high? Add elemental sulfur
Lower pH 6–12 months ahead
Mix in peat moss or pine bark
Feed ammonium sulfate, not nitrate
Skip lime, wood ash & manure

Five essentials

Acidic soilpH 4.5–5.5

Full sun6+ hours a day

Steady water1–2 in a week, more while fruiting

Pine-bark mulch3–4 in deep, topped up each spring

A long-lived plantbushes bear for 40–50+ years

Roots stay in the top 12–18 in of soil, so mulch and even watering matter more than digging deep.

6.Spacing and containers

Choose a type and the length of your bed. The plan below is drawn from above, with each bush at its mature spread.

Type

Row length (ft)

Rows

Spacing

Row 24 ft longBushes 5 ft apartRows 10 ft apart

Figure 4. The planting plan from above, each bush drawn at its mature spread.

This plan at maturity
8	Northern Highbush bushes (4 per row × 2)
24 × 16 ft	bed size at maturity, about 7.3 × 4.9 m
40–80 lb	a year once mature, at 5–10 lb per bush approx.
4	people supplied, at 2 bushes per person

Chart spacing for Northern Highbush: 4–5 ft in the row, rows 8–10 ft apart. Bushes are centred with half a spacing at each end.

Growing in a container

Use an acidic potting mix. Pots drawn to scale with the bush each one suits.

14–16 in pot (5–7 gal) with a half-high & dwarf blueberry bush

14–16 in5–7 gal · half-high & dwarf

18–20 in pot (10–15 gal) with a compact highbush blueberry bush

18–20 in10–15 gal · compact highbush

24 in + pot (20–25 gal) with a full-size highbush blueberry bush

24 in +20–25 gal · full-size highbush

7.Care month by month

Timing for highbush in zones 5–7. In warm southern zones every task comes 3–5 weeks earlier; switch it on to shift the chart. Tap a month for its jobs.

Warm southern zone (shift about a month earlier) approx.

PlantPruneFertilizeMulchWaterBird nettingHarvestDormant

October this month

Plantspring, or fall in mild zones

8.Pruning by cane age

Every late winter, while the bush is dormant. Red one-year whips, brown 2–5 year canes that carry most of the fruit, gray canes of 6 years and more. Click a cane to cut it at ground level; click again to undo.

Old gray blueberry cane 1 — **Figure 5.** A dormant bush with nine canes of mixed ages. Select a cane to cut it.

Old gray blueberry cane 2 — **Figure 5.** A dormant bush with nine canes of mixed ages. Select a cane to cut it.

Canes left on the bush
6+ yrs, gray	2 of 2
2–5 yrs	4 of 4
1-yr whips	3 of 3

9 canes, none cut yetStart with the oldest: the thick gray canes of 6+ years.

Years 1–2: rub off flower buds; let it grow
Cut out dead, broken and low, drooping wood
Year 4+: cut the 1–2 oldest canes at ground level
Keep 6–10 sturdy canes of mixed ages (1–6 yrs)
Thin twiggy growth; keep laterals 6–12 in long

9.Feeding by bush age

Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) per bush per year, from Oregon State University Extension’s northern highbush rates (EC 1304). Add your bushes by age to get a season total.

Half-high or rabbiteye (about half the rate in year 1)

Season total

15.2–19.2 oz

for 4 bushes · about 0.4–0.5 kg · ≈ 32–40 Tbsp

5.1–6.4 ozLate Apr

5.1–6.4 ozLate May

5.1–6.4 ozLate Jun

Split into 3 equal doses: late Apr, late May, late Jun. Never nitrate or fresh manure. Some sources start lower (≈1 oz); adjust to growth and a soil test. Grams and tablespoons are conversions approx.

Per bush, per year

Ageoz NAmmonium sulfateTbsp

Year 10.4–0.62–3 oz4–6

Year 20.6–0.73–3.5 oz6–7

Year 30.7–0.93.5–4.5 oz7–9

Year 40.8–1.04–5 oz8–10

Year 51.0–1.15 oz10

Year 61.2–1.56–7 oz12–14

Year 71.3–1.86–8.5 oz12–17

Year 8+1.5–2.17–10 oz14–20

Product = oz of nitrogen ÷ 0.21.

10.Problems and fixes

Start with where you see the trouble. Each entry says what you’ll see, why it happens and what to do.

Ripe blueberries under protective bird netting

Birds

See: Berries pecked or gone just as they ripen
Why: Robins, starlings & waxwings
Fix: Net bushes before fruit colors; pin net down

Spotted wing drosophila

See: Soft, leaky berries; tiny white larvae inside
Why: A small fly lays eggs in ripening fruit
Fix: Pick every 2–3 days, chill fast, fine mesh

Shriveled mummy berries beside a cut green blueberry

Mummy berry

See: Wilted tips; berries go tan, shrivel, drop
Why: Fungus overwinters in fallen mummies
Fix: Rake or bury mummies; mulch before bud break

Iron chlorosis

See: New leaves yellow between green veins
Why: Soil pH above 5.5 locks up iron
Fix: Test pH, add sulfur; chelated iron for now

Root rot

See: Leaves yellow or red, wilting, canes die
Why: Phytophthora in wet, poorly drained soil
Fix: Raised beds or mounds; avoid soggy soil

Winter injury

See: Cane tips blacken; buds brown inside
Why: Type too tender for the zone, or late feeding
Fix: Grow a hardy type; stop feeding by July

11.When to pick

Blue is not yet ripe: berries turn blue days before they are sweet. Wait 3–5+ days after they are fully blue; ripe berries roll off into your palm.

Just turned blueLooks ready but isn’t. Wait 3–5+ days after fully blue.

Per mature bush

Type	lb	cups	pints
Lowbush	0.5–1	1.5–3	1–1.5
Half-high	2–5	6–15	3–7.5
N. Highbush	5–10	15–30	7.5–15
S. Highbush	4–8	12–25	6–12
Rabbiteye	10–20	30–60	15–30

1 lb ≈ 3 cups ≈ 1.5 pints.

People in your household → 8 bushes

Rule of thumb: 2 bushes per person.

12.Stretching the harvest

Early, mid and late cultivars ripen in turn. Choose cultivars to see your combined season. Dates are typical picking weeks for the region shown; expect ±2–3 weeks with latitude and weather.

S. Highbush

N. Florida · zones 7–10

Rabbiteye

S. Georgia · zones 7–9

N. Highbush

Michigan · zones 4–7

Half-high

Minnesota · zones 3–7

AprMayJunJulAugSep

Duke

Bluecrop

Elliott

Your season

Picking from Jun 28 to Sep 15: about 11 weeks of berries. Timing for Michigan.

13.Storing and eating

Keep berries unwashed until you eat them. A cup of raw blueberries is 84 kcal with a useful share of vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese.

A pale blue bowl heaped with ripe blueberries, a few loose berries and two leaves beside it — **Figure 6.** A cup of ripe berries weighs about 148 g.

Fridge1–2+ weeks, unwashed

FreezerTray-freeze, then bag; 8–12 months

Serving: 1 cup raw (148 g)

Energy84 kcal

Fiber13%3.6 g

Vitamin C16%14 mg

Vitamin K24%29 µg

Manganese22%0.5 mg

21 g carbs15 g sugars1 g protein

% Daily Value · USDA FoodData Central.

Sources and notes

Sizes, yields, chill hours and dates are typical ranges; variety, climate and pruning change them. The picker and planting planner apply these ranges as simple rules and are a starting point, not a guarantee.

Oregon State University Extension, including EC 1304 for the feeding rates.
Penn State Extension.
Michigan State University Extension.
University of Florida IFAS Extension.
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.
USDA FoodData Central, for the nutrition figures.