Hi Anthony,
Snow is okay,it actually acts like an insulator.Being in the ground with some mulch around them will give them the best protection,but half barrels are big and should probably be fine.There is a guy who grows Blueberries in Southeastern Washington State where it can get in the single digits and he wrote that his barrels froze solid but the plants came back fine the next Spring.
What varieties are they and how old and big? Brady

I like the barrel idea. I grow my blueberries in containers and have had good results. As long as the growing mix is correct from the start they're fairly simple to grow.

Sunshine Blue.

What's the right growing mix? I'll have to buy it at the garden center when I get the barrel planters.

Thanks all.

Pine bark mulch and peat moss,about 60/40 to 70/30 ratio is what I do.
The Sunshines will do okay on their own,but will produce more fruit if they have another Southern Highbush to accompany them. Brady

Here is a 3 year old Sunshine Blue in mostly peat with some pine bark. This was my first attempt at potting blueberries. The potting soil has held up pretty well so far but after the next fruiting season Im going to attempt to root prune and repot with a little different potting soil. 70/20/10 pine bark, peat, perilite.

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You wouldn't have to worry about them freezing out. As Brady mentioned,I have had plants freeze solid in pots and they come out in the spring just fine.

Having said that, however, I would plant them in the ground. Why? Because I grew BB in pots for several years and once I put them in the ground they really took off.....much faster growth, easier to care for, just healthier more robust plants. I put them into 3/4 peat and 1/4 native soil. My soil here is pretty good though, it's a silt loam and drains well. If you have a clay I wouldn't recommend it. If you had pine bark I would use mostly that and a bit of peat. I can't find pure pine bark here so I use lots of peat. I'm not a botanist or an expert, just a guy that likes to grow blueberries. I am still learning every year.

My plants on June 4, 2011

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Same plants, October 2012

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Different angle, 2011

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2012...

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Reka I planted this spring.....it was maybe 10 inches tall when I planted it. I clipped this plant back a couple times trying to make it branch. The plant is about waist high.

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This Reka is several years old and probably 4' wide, had lots of berries this summer.

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Sorry the pictures aren't that great, I used my iphone today for convenience and the photo quality isn't the best.

Hey thanks. I think we'll stick with pots for at least a little while. If I find a spot they seem to love we may reconsider the ground (but we do have clay, so drainage is a problem).

I'll be sure to pick up some peat and pine bark when we get the containers.

Thanks again all.