Rainline Garden
When to plant blueberries in Oregon and Washington
In Portland: Plant blueberry bushes Mar 15 – May 3. In Bend: May 12 – Jun 30. Find your city below.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 4 to 5 feet apart
- Planting depth
- Same depth as in the pot
- Frost
- Hardy perennial; comes back every year
- First harvest
- Small crops in year two or three; full crops by year five
Need acidic soil (pH 4.5 to 5.5), which much of western Oregon and Washington already has. Plant two varieties for better crops. West of the Cascades, fall planting works well too.
Blueberries planting dates by city
| City | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|
| Astoria, OR | Apr 1 – May 20 |
| Baker City, OR | Apr 27 – Jun 15 |
| Bend and Redmond, OR | May 12 – Jun 30 |
| Burns, OR | May 14 – Jul 2 |
| Coos Bay and North Bend, OR | Apr 1 – May 20 |
| Eugene, OR | Mar 15 – May 3 |
| Gresham, OR | Mar 15 – May 3 |
| Klamath Falls, OR | May 12 – Jun 30 |
| Medford, OR | Mar 15 – May 3 |
| Pendleton, OR | Apr 1 – May 20 |
| Portland, OR | Mar 15 – May 3 |
| Roseburg, OR | Mar 15 – May 3 |
| Salem, OR | Mar 15 – May 3 |
| The Dalles, OR | Apr 1 – May 20 |
| Wilsonville and Canby, OR | Mar 15 – May 3 |
| Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA | Apr 1 – May 20 |
| Bellingham, WA | Mar 15 – May 3 |
| Ellensburg, WA | Apr 15 – Jun 3 |
| Everett, WA | Mar 15 – May 3 |
| Forks, WA | Apr 1 – May 20 |
| Moses Lake, WA | Apr 1 – May 20 |
| Olympia, WA | Apr 1 – May 20 |
| Omak and Okanogan, WA | Apr 15 – Jun 3 |
| Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Mar 15 – May 3 |
| Spokane, WA | Apr 15 – Jun 3 |
| Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA | Apr 1 – May 20 |
| Vancouver, WA | Mar 15 – May 3 |
| Walla Walla, WA | Apr 1 – May 20 |
| Wenatchee, WA | Apr 1 – May 20 |
| Yakima, WA | Apr 10 – May 29 |
How to grow blueberries
- Pick a sunny spot with soil that drains well, and mix in an inch or two of compost.
- Plant blueberry bushes on your city's dates, 4 to 5 feet apart. Same depth as in the pot.
- Mix peat moss or acidic compost into the planting hole, mulch with sawdust or bark, and pinch off flowers the first year.
- Harvest: Pick berries a few days after they turn fully blue, when they roll off into your hand.
Varieties that do well in the Northwest
- Duke (early)
- Chandler (huge berries)
- Bluecrop
- Top Hat (for containers)
Watch out for
Birds. Cover bushes with netting as berries color, or plant extra.
Strawberries
Raspberries
Asparagus
Rhubarb