Blueberry Growing Guide NZ: When to Plant and Harvest Blueberries

Updated October 2026

Blueberries need acidic free-draining soil (pH 4.5 to 5.5), so plant in a mix made for acid-loving plants and mulch with pine bark or sawdust. Rabbiteye types suit warmer northern gardens while highbush types want more winter chill. Plant in winter while dormant and net against birds.

🌱 Plant profile: Blueberry, with sowing times for your region, companion plants and common pests.

When to Plant Blueberries in Your Region

Blueberries go in as potted bushes in winter while they are dormant. These are the planting months for each of our nine New Zealand regions, straight from our planting data. Each region links to its vegetable planting calendar, and the Blueberry plant page has spacing, companions and care notes for your region.

Our data gives every region the same window, June to August, so blueberries are planted in winter from Northland to Central Otago. Where you garden changes the variety more than the month. Rabbiteye types, such as Maru, Tifblue and Dawson in the list below, suit warmer northern gardens, and Maru is a low-chill type well suited to northern New Zealand, while highbush types want more winter chill. Our plant data lists blueberries as half hardy, so in frosty inland districts give young bushes a sheltered spot. The frost dates page has the average frost window for each region.

Best blueberry varieties for NZ

• Maru, Rabbiteye type that crops late summer to mid autumn, low chill, well suited to northern New Zealand. (Awapuni Nurseries)
• Tifblue, Heavy-cropping rabbiteye with good flavour, vigorous and hardy. (Kings Plant Barn, garden centres)
• Dawson, Early rabbiteye, reliable home-garden cropper, plant with another rabbiteye for best yield. (Awapuni Nurseries)

How to grow blueberry

• Space bushes about 120cm apart.
• Plant potted bushes in acidic, free-draining soil with a pH of 4.5 to 5.5.
• Position: full sun.
• Expect the first good crop about two years after planting.

How to Plant a Blueberry Bush

1. Choose a spot in full sun with acidic, free-draining soil rich in organic matter. Test the pH and adjust it towards 4.5 to 5.5, or grow the bush in a pot of acidic mix instead.
2. Plant two different varieties together, because two varieties give heavier, better cross-pollinated crops.
3. Space the bushes about 120 cm apart and plant them at the depth they sat in the pot.
4. Mulch well with pine bark or sawdust, which keeps the shallow roots moist and suits the acid-loving plant.
5. Keep the soil evenly moist, with rainwater where you can, because blueberries dislike lime.
6. Feed with a fertiliser made for acid-loving plants.

Growing Blueberries in Pots

A pot is the easiest way to give a blueberry the acidic soil it needs, especially where the garden soil is heavy or limy. Our plant data calls for a pot of at least 40 cm filled with an acidic mix. Pots dry out faster than garden beds and the shallow roots dry out fast, so mulch the top of the pot and water steadily, with rainwater where you can. Our blueberries in pots guide covers mixes, pot sizes and feeding in more detail.

When to Pick Blueberries in New Zealand

Our plant data allows about two years from planting to a good harvest, and puts the picking season from November through to April. Rabbiteye types such as Maru crop from late summer to mid autumn. A mature bush gives 2 to 5 kg of berries a season.

Pick berries that are fully blue with a silvery bloom and roll off into your hand with no green at the stem. They ripen unevenly, so go over the bush every few days. Birds strip ripe fruit quickly, so net the bush before the first berries colour. Keep picked berries unwashed in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze them in a single layer for use all year.

Companion planting

Grow blueberry near: Strawberry, Azalea, Rhododendron.

Pests and problems

Watch for: Birds, Scale. See our NZ pest and disease guide for organic control.