Chandler and Bonus both produce really large berries. I found the Bonus plant at a local big box store on discount towards the end of the summer, Chandler I got online.
What is the yield like on those in your experience?
Simmons Plant Farm (AR) and Dan Finch (NC) have been my go-to mail-order sources for blueberries, for years.
Simmons’ plants are routinely the biggest, most robust plants I’ve received. Finch has a huge selection, but plant quality has been inconsistent.
Have purchased from Indiana Berry & Plant in the distant past, and those were fine.
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Here in Michigan people keep planting bluecrop, Duke also Draper.
Check Burnt Ridge. They have a good selection. I bought a bunch of harder to find varieties from them the past couple of years.
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Lots of great info in this thread. If you say what zone you are in you will get more specific advice.
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Chippewa and Northsky are my faves here but for sheer production, Patriot is hard to beat.
FWIW, last year I finally put in a bunch of blueberries. I wanted high quality varieties that ripen sequentially across the growing season. I ended up with this selection:
Earliblue
Patriot
Blueray
BlueCrop
Northland
Chandler
Herbert
Darrow
Elizabeth
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I want to get some patriot but I am bordering zone 7 and it appears their range is from zones 4-7…
it’ll be fine for you in Z6B. I’m also borderline 6-7.
p.s. I’ve bought a lot from Nourse and have been happy with them.
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Burnt Ridge is my favorite. Sell potted and packaged well.
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Well in that case I just might have to buy some!
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Simmons looks really good for sure!
No one has mentioned it yet, so I’ll add that I’ve grown a lot of varieties in 7b and O’Neal has been the best both for production and flavor. If I could only grow one it would be O’Neal for sure.
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Patriot is excellent. Ready July 5th near me.
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I’ll add 2 cents to the discussion.
Simmons nursery I’ll have to check out. Fitch, Jungs, Burnt Ridge–all have good bare root blueberries. And quart sizes in pots from Jungs also ok. (But don’t try the cuttings and little 4" sizes nor any from test tubes less than 2 years old–unless you’re an expert already–no matter the size of the nursery or the number of years in business.)
I’ve lost far too many of the plants from Hartmann’s this spring/summer…from the group order…quart sized.
There isn’t a ‘best’ blueberry, as the topic asks.
The best one in Florida isn’t best in Virginia and the best one in California isn’t the best one in Michigan or Maine.
Patriot does fine in Zone 6b.
Bonus died in the -5F cold in a one gallon container outside last December.
Right now, TiftBlue is the best…it’s the only one that still has any berries this year!!! (Though it tastes rather mediocre in side-by-side tests for flavor.)
@jrd51 good list
I’d add Toro, Sunshine Blue and Bluegold and some others to your list though. Attractive bushes. Then also Aurora, cause usually it’s the latest. (Has no fruit this year here).
Northland, NorthSky, Chippewa and Tophat aren’t ones I’d recommend for z. 6b
I have more to learn, but one of the Rabbiteye berries may eventually make the top of my list here in 6b.
An update: Most of these varieties were planted in 2021. I worked hard to properly prepare the soil. They have grown extremely well. There has been minimal damage from cold, despite a couple nights in Feb around -5 to -7 F. I harvested a decent crop this year. It would have been much better except for birds.
FWIW, I hate losing crops to pests. So I erected a PVC frame on which I will install some serious netting, but not in time for this year. I also have (and you will need) a fence that is capable of blocking deer and rabbits. And maybe some traps for chipmunks.
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I like the largest and juiciest blueberry, which is Rabbit eye varieties including Titan, Krewer etc. Yet, I have Biloxi, Chandler, O’neal. I am planning to get Rabbit eyes. If there is anything bigger than Rabbit eye variety, please let me know. I am not looking for super sweet or super flavor. I am more into texture (crunch) and nutritional value. As long as it is not tart, that will do.
Sweetcrisp has the best texture of any blueberry I’ve eaten. And up to 26 brix. Normal blueberries are half that at best. Sweet and crunchy, very crunchy.
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if you have heavy clay Patriot is your best bet. its also one of the hardiest highbush there is. Chippewa beats it flavor wise. why i mix all my blues together. they pretty much ripen the same time. have Patriot, Northland, Northsky and Brunswick lowbush. i have 1 other highbush i dont know the name of. has much lighter leaves and darker fruit. bears heavily but its not the best tasting. all my Hartmann’s blues made it but they are in pretty bad shape. why the hell they used peat pots is beyond me. everything else was in plastic.
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