Oh No He Didn't.....Plant Blueberries in September???

Our family loves blueberries!!! The thought of picking them out of our backyard just gets me gosh darn excited. So much so that I went out and ordered six plants without even researching when, how, or where to plant them. All of this happened back in the second week of September and the plants arrived quickly so I had to do research fast. Unfortunately, that research revealed that the overall conditions in my yard along with the time were less than ideal for blueberry growth. Here is the checklist of what I did right and wrong:

• The best time to plant blueberries is during winter = FAIL
  It was hot as heck outside when we planted these the week of September 14, 2011. Word of advice, don't shop for plants until a week or two before they are supposed to be planted. Not two months!
• Plant blueberries in highly acidic soil, pH from 4.0-5.5, that is high in organic matter and well drained to a depth of at least 24 inches = PARTIAL CREDIT
  I don't know have a device to measure soil pH because I am hoping to show that gardening is not that complicated. Of course if I never pick a single blueberry I will revisit that notion. However, I did plant in a mixture of compost and peat moss at a depth of 24 inches
• Blueberries must have full sun = PASSThey are getting 8 hours plus where we planted them. Now I have read that the sun positioning may shift with the seasons but it is Oct 1st and I have not observed that.
• Blueberries should be located at least 20 feet from a house or other structure. Wherever you plant them give them plenty of room. = FAILShow me an urban gardener that has plenty of room! Based on our assessment of the back yard we had no other choice but to plant right in the middle. They are definitely not 20 feet from the yard or the shed.

Ok, enough chit chat. Lets get to the pictures then I will break down the planting instructions step by step. That way if mine die or never fruit you will know exactly what not to do.

In the middle of each of those luxurious of pine mulch is a tiny blueberry plant. Here is another angle showing the spacing a little better.