Blueberry Top Hat (Vaccinium Corymbosum) Fruit Bush 3ltr Pot

About Blueberry Top Hat

Bred by the Scottish Crop Research Institute, Big Ben is an outstanding early season variety with many excellent qualities. Its standout feature however is that it produces enormous blackcurrants – two or three times the size of other varieties. Developed especially for the fresh market, the fruit has a soft shiny skin and is extremely sweet –particularly so when eaten straight from the bush! Mature bushes of this variety develop a slightly arching habit which makes the fruit easier to pick and enables the plants to be wire-trained if so desired. Resistant to powdery mildew and leaf spot.

• Self fertile
• Planting Distance 1.5m apart
• Height & Spread 1.5m x 1m
• Crops July

The blueberry is one of the most popular fruits in the country. The top hat is a late yielding dwarf variety that will produce fruit between June and August. It's small purple berries bring ornamental appeal into the garden. This is a high-yield fruit that can be grown in a container or garden border. The round fruits hang from woody stems that also produce rounded green leaves which create a wonderful garden display. These wonderful berries have a subtle, sweet flavour and produce a lot of juice if crushed. Because of their subtler taste they are a wonderful fruit to use in baking, making fantastic muffins or pancake fillers.

How to grow blueberries

Choose a sunny, sheltered spot with moist, well-drained, acidic and light soil to plant your blueberry. The plant will tolerate a more shaded spot, but this will mean your fruits will take longer to ripen. Blueberries will not grow well in soil with a PH higher than 5.5, so you will get better results by planting in a container which makes the PH balance easier to control. Prune back in late autumn and look out for mildew.

How do I harvest blueberries?

The berries start to ripen from mid-summer onwards, changing from green to dusky blue when ready to pick. They won't all ripen at once, so check over plants several times. When ready, pull gently until the berry comes off the stem.

How do I store blueberries?

Blueberries can be eaten fresh or can be frozen in an airtight bag for later use. They also are a very good fruit for making jam.