Fall planting of blueberries in Madison, Wisconsin?

Question

I have three potted blueberry plants, about 2 feet tall, that I'd like to put in the ground. I've prepared a bed with reasonable soil acidity (we're in limestone clay here, so this was basically "build a mound out of peat and compost"), but I'm wondering when I should transplant.

I could wait until after the plants go dormant but before the ground freezes, I could do it now, or I could overwinter them in pots and plant in the spring. We have probably 4-6 weeks until first frost; the ground will probably freeze in early December.

Thoughts?

Answer 1

I tried to grow blueberries in northern IL. First; they really like acid soil , try adding aluminum sulfate or calcium sulfate ( gypsum drywall). Where I saw them grown commercially , the soil looked like beach sand ( acidic) and the water table was about three feet below the surface. Second: Rabbits really love blueberries, leaves, twigs, bark, etc. For winter they can be protected with Styrofoam "rose cones". In summer , exceptionally good fences are needed that extend into the ground. They need protection from birds also , I never had enough that the birds bothered with them . I would wait until spring to plant them.