If you’ve ever grown a blueberry before, you know what a huge harvest a single plant can provide. Want an even bigger harvest? Blueberries respond well to companion planting, and let’s face it, the more sweet blueberries we can get, the better.
Pairing blueberries with companion plants is simple, and it’s exciting to see how the plants help each other by repelling pests and encouraging stronger growth.
If you want lots of berries and healthy plants around them, let’s talk about intercropping your blueberry plants.
Perfect conditions for blueberries
Finding the right companions for blueberries means finding plants that thrive in similar conditions.
Blueberries need acidic soil, so aim for a soil pH of 4.5. They like well-drained soil and well-rotted organic matter.
Plant them in full sun and protect them from the wind. A little shade is good, but not too much during the day.
Best Companion Plants for Blueberries
Let’s look at the plants to go with blueberries.
1. Strawberry
This is my favorite companion plant for blueberries. They both like acidic soil and are not picky berries. In warm environments, you can let the strawberries grow the next season so you don’t disturb the blueberry roots by digging more holes.
Strawberries like a pH of around 5.4, so you can strike a happy medium with blueberry requirements.
Maintain enough space around the base of the blueberry plant so that it doesn’t compete for nutrients and water.
2. Borage
Pollinators love borage and planting it to attract them to the garden helps blueberries a lot. Borage can improve the taste of blueberries and adds trace minerals to the soil that blueberries can benefit from.
Borage is a self-seeding annual, so you don’t need to replant it every season. It is also said to improve a plant’s resistance to pests and diseases when planted alongside.
Just be aware that borage can also self-seed in areas where you have never planted it. Simply remove small plants if you don’t want them.
3. Basil
Basil grows well as a companion to many plants and blueberry is no different. Basil can provide shade to the ground around the base of the blueberry.
Basil repels thrips and is hated by flies and mosquitoes.
4. Thyme
Because thyme is like a ground cover, it keeps the soil moist and controls weed growth. The scent of thyme can help repel pests that like to eat your juicy berries.
Be sure to use the ground cover type rather than the upright varieties.
5. Sage
Although sage will thrive in alkaline soil, it will also grow well in acidic soil, especially if planted with blueberries. Sage likes a position next to blueberry and responds with large, healthy foliage.
When sage blooms, it attracts many beneficial insects. The scent of sage also repels pests like black flea beetles.
6. Dill
Dill is one of those super companion plants in my opinion, especially for blueberries. It is drought tolerant, so it doesn’t steal all the water from blueberries and it repels pests like spider mites.
Dill also attracts beneficial insects like ladybugs. They will feed on aphids which also love blueberries. If you suffer from aphids, plant dill.
7. Comfrey
Comfrey is a beneficial plant, but it comes with a warning. Once you plant it, comfrey has the potential to take over the area and it spreads easily.
You should monitor its spread by digging up any small plants you see.
Comfrey makes an excellent mulch and fertilizer.
Wait for the plant to fall and mulch the soil naturally, or cut the plant and lay it on the ground around the blueberry plant. Not only does this help retain moisture, but it also provides valuable nutrients to the soil as it breaks down.
Comfrey also solves nitrogen problems in the soil by attracting beneficial bacteria to its roots.
8. Parsley
Parsley can grow well in acidic soils, making it a good companion. Combining this with the fact that parsley attracts beneficial insects and repels pests, it is a good plant to have near blueberries.
9. Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a wonderful flower to plant with blueberries. They like acidic soil, but need shade rather than full sun. If you have highbush blueberries, the rhododendrons appreciate the shade and in return keep the ground shaded to create moist soil in the heat of the day.
10. Lilac
Lilac is another flower that handles acidic soils well and blooms as blueberries ripen. Lilacs attract pollinators and provide ground shade around blueberry plants.
11. Oaks
This might sound a bit odd considering that oak trees are huge, take years to grow, and don’t normally sit in an edible garden.
If you have a planting style where you insert edibles everywhere like a food forest, blueberries make a wonderful understory plant. After all, blueberries grow wild and they are a wonderful treat when you find them hiking or camping.
The oak trees provide shade, but more importantly the roots retain plenty of water. Fallen leaves provide nutrients.
Oaks and blueberries like temperate climates. If you have a forest, field, or large area, try planting oak with blueberry understory. Birds can spread seeds and you discover that you have wild blueberries on your property.
12. Wildflowers
Native flowers that are not genetically modified are wildflowers. They make an ideal companion for blueberries.
Wildflowers attract many pollinators and beneficial predators like ladybugs and predatory wasps.
Plant close or up to 20 feet away to be beneficial. Wildflowers vary depending on your region, but some I use include:
- lemon balm
- poppies
- Lupine
- Queen Anne’s Lace
- purple echinacea
- daisies
You can always buy a wildflower mix for a cottage garden for even more variety.
13. Sweet Fern
It is an acidophilic plant (Comptonia peregrina) that grows low so as not to shade the blueberries. It also likes the sun, which makes it a very good companion plant.
Sweet fern is a plant that produces nitrogen, so it benefits blueberries. Butterflies also love soft ferns, so they will attract them to your garden.
14. Pines
Like oaks, don’t overlook pines if you have a stand of them around the place. This is a good opportunity to plant blueberries in the understory to take advantage of the acidic soils around the pines.
Falling pine needles create a natural mulch that repels many pests, but you need to make sure the blueberry plants aren’t smothered. They should also get plenty of sun and water.
Planting blueberries with companions in containers
Many gardeners prefer to plant their blueberries in containers. Placing them on a sunny balcony can yield a good harvest. You can plant companions in the same container as long as it’s big enough and you don’t disturb the blueberry roots. Try:
- Strawberries
- Pineapple
- curly parsley
- Thyme
- Basil
Be sure to account for the additional water and nutrients the plants will need.
Plants to avoid with blueberries
Unfortunately, some of the tastiest vegetables don’t like blueberries and it’s usually because of the acidic soil that blueberries need.
1. Tomatoes
Tomato plants are big eaters and having them near blueberries can stunt growth and affect berry count. Keep them well away from each other. Many tomato plants do not like the same soil pH as blueberries because they prefer alkaline soils. In fact, avoid all nightshade related plants, including:
Eggplants and blueberries don’t mix. Even though eggplants are part of the nightshade family, they deserve a special mention. Eggplant stunts the growth of blueberries to the point that you shouldn’t plant blueberries where you had eggplants the previous season.
2. Beets
Beets and blueberries will stunt each other’s growth. Even when you harvest fast-growing beets before the blueberries are ready, you will see the problem with the blueberry harvest. Keep beets out of the blueberry field.
3. Brassicaceae
Brassicas prefer a much higher pH than blueberries. They can also grow large and shade blueberries too much. This will affect the health of the blueberry plant as well as the harvest. Crucifers not to plant near blueberries include:
- kale
- Cabbage
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
5. Legumes
Legumes prefer a soil pH up to 6.8 and therefore do not make a good companion for blueberries. Although some legumes can grow in more acidic soil, they will take over from blueberries causing a small crop of berries.
Legumes include:
- Beans
- Peas
- Clover
- Alfalfa
- Peanuts
- Lenses
- Soy
- Chickpeas
As you can see, the biggest problem with companion planting with blueberries is soil pH, and second, plants that cause stunted growth in one or both pairings.
Research the pH of any companion plant and try them if they like acidic soil.
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