Blueberries, Honeyberries & Huckleberries

The blue berries we grow for cold country: honeyberry, half-high blueberries and huckleberry. Honeyberry is the easy one and grows in about any soil. Blueberries and huckleberries want acid ground, so in most of Montana you'll be building them a spot.

More about growing blue berries in cold country

Honeyberry (haskap) is one of the first fruits to ripen in our orchards and one of the toughest plants we grow. It takes well below -40°F and gives sweet-tart, blueberry-like fruit even in a short season. Our bundle comes with Aurora, the biggest, most productive and best-tasting honeyberry we've grown in Montana, plus a pollenizer, since honeyberry needs a second variety. Net them, because the birds love them as much as we do.

Our cold climate blueberries are half-highs from the University of Minnesota, a cross between lowbush and highbush that keeps the plants compact and crazy cold hardy. Most Montana soil runs pH 7.5 to 8.5, so plant them in at least 50% sphagnum peat and add elemental sulfur now and then (don't overdo it). Watering with surface water instead of well water helps, since it's usually less alkaline. Our blueberries in alkaline soil page goes deeper.

Our huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata) comes from the northern Midwest into Saskatchewan. It's not the huckleberry native to Montana, but it does well here and has fruited consistently for us in western Montana for five years. Unless you're planting into forest duff, mix at least 50% sphagnum peat, 25% compost and 25% native soil. On heavy clay, push it to 75% peat, 15% compost and 10% native soil.

Questions we get

Can you grow blueberries in Montana?

Yes, with some work. Half-high blueberries are hardy to zone 3, but they need acid soil, so plant them in plenty of peat and add sulfur. If you don't want to fight your soil, grow honeyberry instead.