Blueberry bushes by USDA zone
Zone tells you how cold winter gets; chill hours tell you how long it stays cold. Blueberries care about both. Find your zone on the USDA map, then use this table — and check your state extension's chill-hour map for the second number.
| Zone | Winter character | Varieties that fit | Grower's note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | Fewer than -30°F lows; 1,000+ chill hrs typical | Half-highs under snow: Northblue, Northcountry, Chippewa; Patriot in sheltered spots | Snow cover is insulation — keep it. Pot-grown bushes need winter protection or a buried pot. |
| Zone 4 | Deep winter; 900–1,200 chill hrs | Patriot, Duke, Bluecrop, Northblue, Chandler, Pink Lemonade | The heartland of northern highbush. Plant in spring so roots establish before freeze. |
| Zone 5 | Cold winter; 800–1,100 chill hrs | All northern highbush; Legacy; half-highs for pots | Widest choice of any zone. Watch late frosts on early bloomers — Duke's late bloom helps. |
| Zone 6 | Moderate winter; 700–1,000 chill hrs | Northern highbush of every season; Legacy; Sunshine Blue in pots | Full-season trios (early+mid+late) shine here. |
| Zone 7 | Mild winter; 500–800 chill hrs | Legacy, late northern types in cooler pockets; southern highbush; early rabbiteyes | The crossover zone — check your actual chill hours, not just the zone number, before choosing northern types. |
| Zone 8 | Short winter; 350–650 chill hrs | Southern highbush (Misty, O'Neal, Emerald, Jewel) and rabbiteyes | Northern highbush usually fails on chill here. This is rabbiteye and southern-highbush country. |
| Zone 9 | Very mild; 200–450 chill hrs | Emerald, Jewel, Sunshine Blue, Misty; rabbiteyes at the chillier end | Low-chill varieties only. Afternoon shade in the hottest inland areas can help. |
| Zone 10 | Minimal winter; ~150–300 chill hrs | Sunshine Blue, Emerald and the lowest-chill southern highbush, often in pots | Grow in containers with acidic mix so soil is never the problem; keep water steady in heat. |