Blueberry Patriot

Early variety of highbush blueberry, bearing large, firm, juicy, deep blue berries with a excellent flavour, particularly good eaten fresh. The berries, rich in antioxidants and vitamins, ripen from mid-July, holding well on the bush. For the best flavour, pick a week after berries have turned completely blue and are developing a white ‘bloom’; keep picking as the berries ripen. A more compact bush with a spreading habit, good for container growing; reliable cropper. Prefers moist soils and tolerates heavy ones, so good in damp areas; also particularly cold-hardy. Must have acid soil; water with rainwater; mulch with ericaceous matter. Blueberry Patriot has lovely orange and red foliage in autumn.

Site: Fairly sheltered
Soil: Acid (pH 4-5.5), moisture-retentive but well-drained soil; can be grown in pots in ericaceous soil-based compost; tolerates heavy soils
Position: Sun or partial shade
Pick: From mid-July to August
Keep: Berries do not keep, but freeze well
Hardiness: Hardy
Pollination: Self-pollinates, but crops better planted with one or two blueberries of different varieties
Uses: Eating and cooking
Height: 3’-5’ (90-150cm) Spread: 3’-5’ (90-150cm)ap