This year I have (or will be) planting at least 15 varieties of blueberries in ground and in pots. I used Hartmannsplantcompany.com for an approximate date for many varieties based on their location (probably within a week of ripening times for me). I also checked Burnt Ridge’s website for a few but they give a general time frame.
I also found a chart at https://www.alphanursery.com/Blueberry.pdf which I found pretty helpful, giving a range of dates for many varieties. Some have a much longer ripening period than others. If you have any inputs, feel free to add! I am considering putting together a spreadsheet with this information for personal use but would be happy to share it with the community too!
O’Neal??? (early, May/June)
Hannah’s Choice June 28
Duke July 1
Patriot July 5
Northland July 7
Blue Crop July 15
Toro July 15
Spartan??? (early /mid)
Reka??? (early /mid)
Blue Gold July 25
Bonus July 30
Liberty ???
Chandler Aug 15
Nocturne? (late)
Eliot Sept 1
North Sky July 15 (lowbush, potted)
Top Hat ??? (Potted)
Tldr: kabluey and patriot start my season around June 10th, Elliot finishes it in late August. My liberty is young but bore for most of July last year. My reka is also young but I expect late June.
Per Hartmanns, Hannah’s Choice ripens about 3 days prior to Duke. Had I known it existed I probably wouldn’t have Duke but my Duke is at least at 4th leaf so I’ll be keeping it for a while.
Based on the alpha nursery link I shared, some of the southern highbush are earlier like O’Neal.
We have Earliblue, Hannah’s Choice, Duke and Patriot. In my limited experience so far (two years of fruiting), Hannah’s Choice ripens a day or two after Earliblue and a few days before both Duke and Patriot.
I thought Earliblue first in my trials, but I sold my Earliblue and it lives in a Backyard next to Toro and Blueray and one I forget. I’ll be hoping my Hannah’s blooms this spring and didnt’ get buds frozen in December like some plants did. I also have Chandler that might have first fruits this year. If it and Bonus are bigger fruited than Herbert, that’ll be a novelty if nothing else.
You are in my zone and Elliot is often destroyed early in its season when heat gets into the '90’s, it seems. Its been a while since I enjoyed its fruit in Sept. However, it is certainly much later than any other BB I grow. I prefer the biggest fruiting varieties, which includes Berkeley in my stand- Dukes first berries are large also. Bonus isn’t terribly productive but I do love the taste of its big fruit. Blue Crop is exceedingly productive of good sized fruit.
That said, the varieties don’t matter all that much to me as long as I have plenty of early to late middle season fruit- it just that the baskets fill a lot more quickly when the berries are large. By late season the fruit quality tends to drop off a great deal and I often let the fruit drop.
I’m having a waffle with thawed and warmed blueberries, nectarines and apricot sauce right now. The problem with growing your own fruit is once you get used to the quality of true-ripe it is very difficult to settle for store bought, and there are only so many hours in the day. Picking berries is very time consuming.
I had GOOSEBERRY upside down cake with my coffee. Yummy. I still have a couple freezer packets of blueberries…but this was surprisingly tastier than blueberry.
Earlyblue is first here … at least until I find one earlier.
Sunshine Blue ripens about time of BlueRay or Patriot…or a couple days after.
Aurora is last…although for some Elliott might be. For me, Elliott disappointed, small berries, dried up on vine.
Yes once you have your own, it does spoil you. Not just fruit either herbs are especially tasty right from the garden.
I had home made fig newtons with my coffee this morning, it it blows away, not even close to commercial product. The recipe is really tough to make, you must know how to bake. Well worth it though. Little touches like orange zest in the dough make it snap! The recipe calls for dried figs which concentrate the flavor. I used only premium home grown figs. The 4th time I made this it’s so good. Next year I’m going to try the recipe with dried cherries.
Back to blueberries I grow 12 cultivars and mine were picked mostly for diversity in flavor and also for time of ripening as a secondary consideration. I do get blueberries from the start to the finish of the season. Also only those that will grow here decent.
Many are still young so production increases each year and will continue for a few more years. I added 2 new ones this year. Added 2 last year. Life is good! Yield is already fantastic. Love it!
Somethin’ wrong with that specific bush. My Elliots are medium-to-large and develop a nice sweet/tart balance after being blue for a few days. They hang for a long time.
Ha! That’s how I treat most my plants. I call it “Darwinian gardening.” The bigger taproots and runners the better.
My blueberries are the big exception. Best spots in the yard, annual holly-tone, regular watering in dry spells, gentle weeding, deer nets…I reeeeally like blueberries.
@disc4tw Thanks for starting that ripening time list. @Itmaybejj your spreadsheet with harvest times is very useful to me. Here is a chart from Rutgers. FS419: Selecting Blueberry Varieties for the Home Garden (Rutgers NJAES)
Because of bird and yellow jacket problems I need blueberries that can be picked over a narrow ripening window. Early is also good since yellow jackets don’t become a problem till August. I know ones that ripen over a long period are great for some growers put that’s not what I want.
Looking through lists some that I don’t have that might work are:
Earliblue
Ivanhoe
Stanely
Duke Spartan
Northland
Bluejay
Sweethart
Chippewa
Northsky
Anyone like some of these?
Thanks I’ll add those to my list. Occasionally we get 0F so Sarp’s Blue may or may not be ok.
Another early to mid one I’ll consider is Star. Looks like a short picking window that I like.
Hannah’s Choice
Honey Creek
Spartan
Patriot
Blue Ray
Kabluey
Sweetheart
Top Shelf
Draper
Razz
Stanley
Legacy
Elizabeth
Liberty
Clockwork
Blue Ribbon
BlueCrop
Bonus
Nocturne
Chandler
Aurora