i think i may have that. i have 1 bush i put in 4 yrs. ago and lost the label. is it a med. sized berry?
Bigger than average, just not big as Chndler or Herbert.
My highbush are finished unless Aurora has some on it, but I donāt think it does.
A couple rabbiteye still have fruit.
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I planted Northland, Bluecrop, and 2 Patriot blueberries this year. I used this as a guide.
Blueberries.pdf (1.2 MB)
I will probably add a couple more varieties next year.
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Youāll like all 3 of those varieties. All 3 have been very productive and they each have a unique flavor.
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Iām still picking some Tiftblue and some Aurora.
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How good is Aurora? It is one of the berries I am considering adding. I am also looking at Chandler, Jersey, Reka, and Spartan.
Aurora isnāt very sweetā¦mine on the sour side. But, I do grow them in containers in partial shade from trees. Itās lateā¦picked half dozen yesterday from one bush and a good number of green unripe berries remain. Certainly Chandler, Jersey, Spartan are goodā¦and I canāt recall if Iāve eaten a Rekaā¦although it makes a good plant, an attractive plant is what I mean.
Bluecrop
remains āstandardā in popularity, and Patriot is a good one. Have not tried Northland.
Most of the cultivars have something going for them, mostly need to find what works for you. I like Chandler as it is a big plant, produces huge berries. They need to hang to become sweeter. They can have a tartness to them. Still when left to hang are very good. Toro is super sweet and not as firm as some berries. If you like sweet these are sweet before they are ripe. So slightly under ripe berries are sweet. It is very productive. Legacy keeps getting better. It did overproduce which resulted in a lot of small fruit. I plan to remove some of the old wood. I noticed the newer wood produced bigger berries. Even with a lot of berries they were sweeter than anytime before. A very nice upright plant too.
Flavor is excellent.
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I donāt mind tartness. Most of the berries will be for smoothies, yogurt, and baking. Maybe jam if there is enough.
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Indiana Berry does some things wellā¦field grown strawberries for instance.
But I was very disappointed in the itsy bitsy blueberry plants in little pots I got from them.
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With 4 kids, one of whom would - and did, frequently! - eat a gallon of berries a day, in season or out of the freezerā¦ quantity has long been a driving force hereā¦ hence, Rabbiteyes win out over Northern highbush typesā¦ easily 10X the production.
Honestly, I canāt tell much difference in flavor between any of the 10-12 different varieties I have. Butā¦ Iām of the opinion that āsweetnessā - at least here - is a function of when you pick those berries. The longer they stay on the plant, the sweeter they getā¦ and the better the flavor.
A friend recently posted the accompanying photo on his FB page, announcing the beginning of blueberry season at their U-pick operation.
If I picked mine and had that many underripe berries, I can guarantee you theyād be more tart than I would care to eat. It may be hard for some folks to resist picking those berries that have turned mostly blue, but I try very hard not to pick those that are absolutely fully ripe.
Granted, we have 30+ bushes that are 15-25 yrs oldā¦ So many blueberries that the birds can eat all they want and Iāll never miss the few they getā¦ Iāve been picking anywhere from 2-6 gallons of berries almost every day for the last 4+ weeks; birds canāt eat enough!
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How was your Draper this year? Mine was not good this year. Mostly sour although I waited till some started to shrivel.
My plant is not doing well. Itās planted by northland both in the same raised 3x3 bed. Northland is thriving and growing well. So not sure what the problem is? So far Iām not impressed and may replace it.
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