Northern Nevada Jr. Gardener: I'm planting Blueberry bushes this Spring in Fallon

Today while shopping for some potting mix at the local Walmart, I came across a display in the garden center that had blueberry and raspberry young plants. I have always wanted to grow blueberries, so on impulse I purchased 3 blueberry plants: two Jersey and one Legacy. The reason for the Legacy was because the packaging information states the plants have best production when two or more varities are planted together for cross-pollination. Both the Legacy and Jersey plants produce a "Late Season" harvest.

Does anyone grow Blueberries in Fallon, Nevada? I'm not really sure, but I think I've heard that Lattin Farms up the road from me grows blueberries. I plan to find out if they do and ask for some advice from them if indeed they do grow them.

I got these home and decided to plant them in some used 3-gallon nursey pots that I have laying around the side of the house. I washed out the pots and then filled them with Miracle Grow Potting soil. The instructions state the plants are to be watered throughly and then planted in the biodegradable container they were purchased in, after removing the outside wrapper.

Here is one of the Jersey Blueberry plants. I will keep them in these pots in the house until the first of June. As you can see from the photo, the plant has lots of buds which I think is a good thing. My only concern is the ph of the Miracle-Gro potting soil. From reading on the web, Miracle-Gro potting soil has a ph of around 6.5. I know that blueberry plants like acidic soil with a ph about 4.5. Maybe I can mulch with some pine needles and/or buy a good fertlizer made for blueberry plants to get the proper ph for my blueberry plants.

My plan is to plant these three blueberry bushes on the East side of the house (see photo below) to protect them from the wind and provide them some shade from the harsh afternoon sun. I will plant them 5 to 6 feet apart. They will get the morning sunshine. I think they will do well at this location. Now, I have a few months to figure out how to prepare the soil at their soon to be home before I plant them there.

I think I will start off by weeding this area and then mulching with pine needles from the pine tree growing over the fence in the front yard. You can see the pine over the fence in this photo. Also, I will start collecting coffee grinds and adding them to this garden bed.

Update: I've done some research on the web and have found that I need to re-pot my blueberry plants using 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 medium-size bark. I need to add some fish blend, cotton seed blend, and a hand full of sulfer. This combination should result in giving the blueberry an acidic ph soil that they need to grow. I plan to repot this weekend.

In the meantime, I have found that the plants I bought at Walmart were selected and packed by VanZyverden, Inc. headquartered in Meridan, MS. There are both good and bad reviews on the web regarding products different customers have purchased and whether the plants grew or didn't grow.

I am optimistic about the plants I purchased, as all three look healthy.

UPDATE: Feb. 20, 2011: