Jersey Highbush Blueberry

Jersey Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum 'Jersey')

Jersey Highbush Blueberry is a vigorous, cold-hardy northern highbush famed for dependable late-season crops of sweet, medium berries; its tall, upright, multi-stem habit adds white spring flowers and orange to red fall color for edible beauty in sunny gardens and large containers.

Distinctive Features

Classic, dessert-sweet flavor with medium berries that ripen reliably late; vigorous, productive plants tolerate a range of conditions when soils remain acidic, making a time-tested choice for home orchards and hedges.

Growing Conditions

• Sun Exposure: Full sun for highest yield and sugar.
• Soil: Moist, well-drained, organic-rich, acidic soil.
• Water: Keep evenly moist, especially from bloom through harvest.
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 7.
• Mature Size: Typically 6 to 8 ft tall and 4 to 6 ft wide.
• Bloom Time: Spring; fruit ripens late season, often late summer.
• Soil pH: 4.5 to 5.5 for best performance.

Ideal Uses

• Focal Point: White bells in spring and vivid fall foliage frame patios and entries.
• Edible Hedge: Tall, upright habit forms a productive seasonal screen.
• Wildlife Support: Flowers feed pollinators; berries attract birds.
• Large Containers: Thrives in acid media with regular feeding and water.

Low Maintenance Care

• Watering: Deeply water when the top 1 in is dry; avoid drought during fruit set and ripening.
• Pruning: In late winter, remove weak wood and oldest canes after year 4 to 5 to renew growth and keep 6 to 8 healthy canes.
• Fertilizing: Feed in early spring with an acid-forming fertilizer; repeat lightly after bloom if needed.
• Mulching: Apply 2 to 4 in of pine bark or needles to conserve moisture and maintain acidity.
• Notes: Self-fertile but heavier crops with a second late-season cultivar; net plants to deter birds and avoid alkaline soils to prevent chlorosis.

Why Choose Jersey Highbush Blueberry?

• Late-Season Abundance: Reliable end-of-summer harvests extend the blueberry season.
• Time-Tested Variety: Trusted for productivity and sweet, classic flavor.
• Cold Hardy: Strong performance in northern climates.
• Edible Landscaping: Provides bloom, berries, and fall color in one plant.

Plant in full sun with acidic, well-drained soil and steady moisture for abundant, high-quality late-season blueberries.