Did not expect this thread to be revived, perhaps the more appropriate term would be “favorite”, my bad. I think I have a bluecrop but it might be dead.
I didn’t know about Georgia Giant. Now I am interested in getting one with most of Rabbit eyes. I don’t have to worry about cracking since I don’t get rain that much. Thank you for reply.
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I picked up two ‘Bonus’ plants at a big box around this time (I think) last year. Large berries, sweet with some tartness. My plants got rabbit’d pretty hard this Spring, but it was still relatively productive.
Question about blueberries, I moved 2 southern highbush and 1 Emerald to a container with acid loving soil, on top of that I added more peat. Am I supposed to trim them somehow. Do they bloom year round?
Are you getting it from edible landscaping by chance? That’s near me and I’ve gotten plants from them that did well.
I have sharpblue in Shenandoah valley of VA 6b but I think it’s a bit too cold here for that one. Should do well for you.
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When you have a diverse orchard that sucks time beyond your practical budget, the best blueberries are the largest ones. It takes me an hour to harvest a couple gallons of blueberries- and most of my varieties are large fruited, like Bonus and Berkley- for nectarines that takes about 2 minutes.
When I was a beginner, harvesting blueberries at dusk was a huge pleasure, but as my orchard has developed and I have so much to manage and enjoy, the difference in the flavor of blueberry varieties is virtually irrelevant and the main thing is to gather what I need in my freezer as quickly as possible. The range of taste tends to be much greater in tree fruits, according to my palate.
For blackberries it’s different as some don’t get much sugar until they are soft and loaded with SWD eggs (or worms, actually). This year my Natchez fruited for the first time and they are very impressive- and large. All the varieties from that breeding program tend to be sweet while still firm, but the Arapaho next to it suffered much more winter damage than the Natchez, so N may be hardier.
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I long ago lost IDs on any of the 40 or so blueberry plants here. I don’t know that I can say - “This one tastes best.” They’re all good, though I have one plant, different from all the others that makes a big round shiny dark - almost black - berry that we call ‘Big Juicy’. It’s my least favorite… berries fall off very easily while picking, and it doesn’t ‘hold’ at room temp for more than a day or two before beginning to rot.
IMO, the key to sweet blueberries is to let them hang on the bushes - don’t pick as soon as they turn blue - give them at least a couple of days longer to achieve full sweetness and flavor. I usually bring in the day’s pick, spread them out on a towel on the dining room table and give them another day to sweeten up - and it allows me the chance to pick out (and eat) any split or bird-pecked berries that I didn’t eat while picking. After that, they go into bags and into the freezer.
I have enough bushes that the birds get all they want - though they rarely take many if I’m having a good mulberry crop - which ripen at the same time as my early and mid-season varieties. Birds definitely prefer mulberries over almost anything. We still pick tens of gallons for the freezer and fresh eating, and have friends who come and pick, rarely leaving with less than 5 gallons of berries on a given picking day.
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Those plants are from my own yard, I bought them from the farmers market. Edible landscaping didn’t send me a Sharpblue. I’ve only ordered a tiny Pink Lemonade from them.
No Caras Choice is a small plant. No good for commercial production. kabluey has so called soft berries but I did not fnd them to be soft. Flavor on both is excellent. I feel both are worth growing. Legacy is a great plant too as is Raz
A note for.newbies. I have found blueberries once mature and have established roots produce sweeter berries. Don’t judge the tartness until the 3rd or 4th crop.
Oh my wife just made me a bowl of blueberries and yogurt. Excuse while I indulge. Those are almond slivers and walnuts on top to add crunch and lower cholesterol. Yum!
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You bring to notice a point often overlooked…“best” in healthful nutrients.
…wild blueberries contain more healthful polyphenols and anthocyanins than do most cultivated varieties. (And haskap/honeyberry has about double any blueberry).
- Be interesting if there is a chart somewhere on cultivars of blueberries that are “best” nutritionally rather than based on taste preferences. *
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Best in nutrients,I would skip blueberries and just grow mulberries. The only vitamins it’s more is Vitamin K and Beta Carotine.
Source here
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I could use some of those “Beta Caroline” vitamins. 
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@Lucky_P … the rabbit eyes i have will turn blue and look ripe… like you said a few days before they are actually truly ripe and at max flavor and sweetness.
That may be true for most…
I find that if you give it a light pull and it does not come off… you dont want it to come off… its not really ready… not perfectly ripe.
Most berries… blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, logans, goumi, etc… will come off easily when peak ripe.
If you have to force them off… they are about half ripe… usually more tart, less sweet.
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Your eyes need glasses?
Yep, for sure. I still don’t see Beta Carotene.
You need something for your brain for sure, picking on mundane stuff. Let’s move on.
I have Patriot, Blueray and BlueCrop, all 2 year old at this time. I tasted a few that didn’t get eaten by the birds. They were all good, but I expect to be larger and tastier next year.
I do have 7-8 Northskies that are 4 years old and produced like gang busters this year. They’re still going! I got over 20+ lbs of fruit from them so far.
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i have1 northsky and it is a very productive bush with big, easy to harvest berries. just picked the last small crop of of my 2 Chippewa and 1 Razz. both 2 years old. Chippewa is my favorite with Razz a close 2nd. northsky 3rd. northblue 4th and a lost named variety 5th. like blueberries but prefer Aurora honeyberries over all. 
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Everytime I search blueberry varieties Cara’s Choice come up as a great one. I’m a bit confused as to why it’s not available?
If anyone has cuttings to share I would be happy to pay, trade or make another donation to this forum.
Is there something I’m missing with Cara’s Choice as to why it’s not commercially available?
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