Who doesn’t like freshly picked blueberries, especially when they come from your backyard? Blueberry bushes have been a popular and rewarding home garden fruit crop. They can be finicky when it comes to their soil and water but otherwise, they are a straightforward grow. The best way to ensure a successful harvest is to practice companion planting. Picking some good companion plants for your blueberries can provide the perfect ecosystem to help them thrive.
The plants and herbs in the list help provide a balanced and protected ecosystem for your blueberry plants. These plants can help with pests, nutrition, and yields and a few can even boost flavor.
Thyme
Thyme is a great companion plant for a few reasons, the top one being that they are both perennials. This means once you plant them you can expect them to pop back up year after year. Thyme tolerates the mildly acidic soil that blueberries need, but not all herbs and plants will. Thyme also provides great ground cover. It can act as a barrier to weeds while helping to keep moisture locked into the ground. The scent and oils in thyme also help repel pests.
Strawberries
Strawberries require a lot of the same conditions as blueberries. Their soil, watering schedules, and light needs are very compatible. Strawberries will have the added benefit of providing ground cover to prevent weeds and trap moisture. The flowers that strawberries produce will also help attract more pollinators which will help both plants thrive. They are both perennials, so we recommend leaving the roots and vines of harvested strawberries to add nutrients to the soil for next year.
Borage
Borage is a wildflower also known as Bee’s Bread. This flower attracts necessary pollinators that benefit the entire garden. It also repels certain pests while attracting beneficial insects that eat pests. Studies have found that planting borage with fruit-bearing plants increased the density and weight of the harvested crop. This flower blooms all season and requires no real attention, so you can plant and forget.
Lilac Bushes
Most blueberry shrubs are planted as border plants. Lilac bushes can help to complete or accent those borders while providing worthwhile benefits. Lilac bushes can thrive in acidic soil so they make wonderful neighbors to blueberry bushes. Lilacs grow to be taller than blueberries, they can help shade the blueberries during the hottest days of summer. Lilac bushes will attract many pollinating insects to your garden, helping your blueberries produce fruit.
Basil
Basil is a must for any well-rounded garden, be sure to put them near your blueberries. Basil can tolerate acidic soil as long as it isn’t extreme. Planting basil near your blueberries helps the blueberries harvested to have a more pronounced flavor. Basil’s scent and oils are known pest repellants that will help protect your tasty crop.
Evergreens
Evergreen trees and shrubs are great companions for blueberry plants. They can provide some necessary shade to stop heat stress for your blueberries. Evergreens are pros and help to stop the wind from damaging your garden including your blueberries. Almost all types of evergreens can thrive in similarly acidic soil as blueberries. You don’t have to get an enormous pine tree, there are smaller versions that may fit better into the smaller spaces of your garden.
Legumes
Anything in the legume family can help create a great environment for your blueberry bushes. Members of the legume family include peanuts, peas, lentils, alfalfa, and clover. These crops are amazing. They cover the ground thoroughly helping to strangle weeds and retain moisture. They also help raise nitrogen levels helping growth rates and yield increases. Legumes can also help to stop soil erosion, certain pests, and diseases.
Comfrey
Comfrey is a maintenance-free companion plant for blueberries. They attract pollinators and other beneficial insects that eat pests. They spread out well to stop weeds and water evaporation from the soil. Their best benefit is that they grow fast and tall. when they die and fall, they make a natural mulch for the blueberry bush. When they are alive they boost nitrogen levels in the dirt helping everything in the garden to grow.
Plants to Avoid Planting Near Blueberries
Not all plants make good companion plants to blueberries. Most often because of the difference in soil needs, blueberries require a somewhat acidic soil ph. Any of the nightshade family such as tomatoes or eggplant won’t survive blueberries preferred soil. Melons and lettuce won’t fare well for the same reasons.
Brassicas like cabbage and Brussels sprouts make poor neighbors for ph reasons but also they are such heavy feeders that the blueberry won’t get the resources it needs to produce well.
