The Best Blueberry Plant Spacing for Your Garden

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Blueberry Spacing Basics

Recommendations for blueberry plant spacing exist to help you grow and maintain optimum conditions for full grown blueberry plants. However, even though the blueberry spacing recommendations usually come across as cut and dry, there is some flexibility in the guidelines.

There is no one size fits all solution to blueberry plant spacing but there is a best blueberry plant spacing for you and your garden space! To enable you to determine the best spacing for your situation, there are some basic questions to ask yourself.  

Will you add a trellis and netting? 

After growing my own Northern Highbush blueberries following the recommendation given by the nursery I bought the blueberries from, I remember thinking that there was way too much space between the rows. For my small garden, I would have liked to utilize that space better.

However, as the plants grew, and the bird pressure increased, I ended up needing all that extra space. My husband constructed some framing to hold up bird netting so it wouldn’t get all tangled in the plants as it had in years past. 

How will you maintain the rows?

An important thing to consider is how you will maintain the space between the rows.

Will you add mulch or landscape fabric? Will you keep a low growing grass or clover in between rows? 

The space in between the rows and where the blueberries are will need mulch, mowing, and maintenance. It’s important to consider the full grown size of the blueberry bush and then plan any extra space needed to bring through a lawn mower, wheelbarrow, or even a small tractor if you choose.

Perhaps you would rather utilize that space better and shovel in loads of mulch with smaller walking paths. Allow space for what you need for maintenance, pruning, and for picking comfortably.

What type of blueberries will you grow?

A hugely important part of knowing what space you need for your blueberries depends on the type you grow. Usually, the geographical location of where you are growing will determine it for you. But in some areas you have the option of growing several different types. 

Blueberry Types

Northern Highbush: A blueberry bush native eastern North America. 

• Typical US Zone Compatibility: 4-7
• Height: 4-5 feet wide and tall
• Pollination Requirements: Generally self-fertile but you’ll get larger blueberries and more fruit with more than one variety.

Rabbiteye: A blueberry bush for the south. It has a low chilling hours requirement with vigorous growth and high yield.

• Typical US Zone Compatibility: 7-9
• Height: 12-15 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide. Can be pruned to reduce height.
• Pollination Requirements:  Needs at least two varieties for cross pollination and fruit set

Southern Highbush: This is a hybrid of the northern highbush and native southern blueberry plants. It combines the fruit quality of the northern bush with the heat and disease resistance of the native southern blueberries. This type also has a low chilling hour requirement.  However, very early flowering makes southern highbush cultivars quite susceptible to late winter/early spring freezes.

• Typical US Zone Compatibility: 7-10
• Height: 5-6 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide
• Pollination Requirements:  Needs at least two varieties for cross pollination and fruit set

Blueberry Plant Spacing Recommendations 

Based on how you answered the questions above, you may want to adjust your spacing a little bit. Don’t go to extremes of course, these spacing requirements help you to have enough light, air, and root space for healthy blueberry plants.

The basic plant spacing recommendation below is for anyone with plenty of space that need a little bit wider rows for maintenance and netting. The intensive plant spacing recommendation below is for a tighter rows for a smaller space. When the bushes are full size the space between the rows will be around 3-4 feet wide.

It’s important to note that the spacing in between the plants doesn’t change very much at all in either basic or intensive spacing. You need to maintain that space for proper growth and vigor.

Northern Highbush Blueberry Spacing

• Basic plant spacing is 4-5 feet apart between plants and 10-12 feet apart between rows.
• Intensive planting for a small garden plant 4 feet apart between plants with 8 feet between rows.

Rabbiteye Blueberry Spacing 

• Basic Plant Spacing is 8 feet in between plant centers and 12-14 feet in between rows.
• Intensive planting for a small garden, 6-8 feet between plants and 10 feet between rows.

Southern Highbush Blueberry

• Basic Plant Spacing is 6 feet apart and with 10-12 feet between rows
• For intensive plantings in a small garden space 5-6 feet apart and 8-10 feet between rows. 

Happy planting!