What Blueberry Plant Variety Is Good For My Area?

Blueberries used to form a question mark.

What Blueberry Plant Variety Is Good For My Area?

What So you’ve decided that you want to give growing blueberries a try! If your like most, you are wondering what blueberry plant variety is good for my area? There are several things to consider when finding a blueberry variety that will work for you.

The most important thing to consider is your location. Below you will find information about Northern High Bush, Southern High Bush, and Rabbit Eye varieties of blueberry plants. If you would like more information about our recommendations, please give our office a call.

We would be happy to help you determine which varieties would fit well in your area. Or feel free to scroll down towards the bottom and read about each of the blueberry plant varieties we offer.

If you are unsure of your hardiness zone, be sure to click the button to see the USDA Zone Charts.

If you are a nursery or garden center it would be best to select a blueberry variety that is hardy and does well in your area.

Blueberry Plant Varieties for Blueberry Farms

If you are a seeking to establish a blueberry farm there would be a few more things to consider when asking what blueberry plant variety is good for my area. It is important to know when the blueberry variety fruits. It would be wise to find a variety that fruits early, one that fruits in the middle of the season, and one that fruits late. This way all the blueberries won\’t come in at the same time. This can also give a competitive advantage. If you are able to have fresh berries early and late in the season when other blueberry farms don\’t more people will come to your farm. It is also important to know which varieties are better for machine picking. If you establish a commercial blueberry farm and machine harvest you need a variety that does well for machine harvest.

U-Pick Blueberry Farms

It is also important to know whether you are wanting to do a a U-pick at your blueberry farm. U-picks can be very successful with blueberries. There are a couple important things to keep in mind when deciding to do a U-pick blueberry farm. It is better to get blueberry varieties that have larger berries. When U-pickers are picking large berries they will fill their buckets faster and be more motivated to pick. Also, it\’s good to give good spacing with U-pick operations so people can easily move around the blueberry bushes when picking.

Northern High Bush Blueberry Plants

Northern High bush varieties are types of bushes that need a high amount of chill hours* to set their fruit. If Northern High bush varieties do not get the required number of chill hours, they may (and often will) grow great, but will not produce any fruit. These bushes are generally rated zone 4 through zone 7 which includes most of the Central, Western, Mid-West, and Eastern United States as well as some parts of Canada. If you are unsure if they will do well in your area, please ask. We will be happy to speak with you.

*Chill hours are an accumulation of hours where temperature’s reach between 30 degrees F to 45 degrees F (0 degree C to 70 degree C).

BLUEBERRY PLANT DESCRIPTIONS

Early Fruiting Varieties

BLUE JAY BLUEBERRY PLANT – It is a Northern high bush. Grows 5 to 7 ft. at maturity. The fruit ripens the first to middle of June (Kentucky). Yield is 10 to 20 lbs. per bush. Fruit size is medium/large ( approx. 75 berries per cup ) and berry quality is firm. It can be hand or mechanical harvested.

DUKE BLUEBERRY PLANT – It is a Northern high bush. Grows 4 to 6 ft. at maturity. Fruit ripens early-mid June (Kentucky). Yields 15 to 20 lbs. per bush. Fruit size medium-large ( approx.65 berries per cup ). Very sweet, harvesting is usually done by hand but can mechanical harvested.

SPARTAN BLUEBERRY PLANTS – It is a Northern High bush. Spartan\’s average height at maturity is 5-6 feet tall. The fruit ripens early-mid June (Kentucky). Yields 10 to 20 pounds at Maturity. The Fruit size is large. It is known for great Flavor. It can be a good choice for a U-Pick Farm if the soil is good.

PATRIOT BLUEBERRY PLANT –  It is a Northern High bush. Patriot\’s average height is 4 to 5 feet tall. The fruit ripens over a long period from June into July.(Kentucky) Yield is high 10 to 20 pound on average. The Fruit size is very large (averaging from 50 to 60 berries per cup). The berry is firm with small picking scar. Harvesting can be done by hand or machine.

EARLY BLUE BLUEBERRY PLANT – It is a Northern High bush. Early Blue\’s average height is 4-6 feet tall. The Fruit ripens early June (Kentucky). Yield is 10-20 pounds per bush. The fruit size

Middle Season Fruiting Varieties

BLUE CROP BLUEBERRY PLANT – It is a Northern high bush. 5 to 6 ft. at maturity. Fruit ripens mid/late June. It yields 10 to 20 lbs. per bush at maturity. It has a large fruit size ( approx. 65 berries per cup ). Berry quality is firm and very sweet. It can be hand or mechanical harvested.

BLUE RAY BLUEBERRY PLANT – It is a Northern High bush. Grows a average 5 to 7 feet tall at maturity. Fruit ripens around Late June/Early July. Yield is high 10 to 20 pounds expected at maturity. Fruit size is very large (around 60 berries per cup). The berry is firm with small picking scar. Best harvested by hand and is an excellent choice for the fresh or u-pick markets.

NORTHLAND BLUEBERRY PLANT – It is a Northern high bush. Grows 4-6′ at maturity. The fruit ripens early-mid season. Fruit size medium and flavor is sweet.

Late Fruiting Varieties

ELLIOT BLUEBERRY PLANT –  It is a Northern high bush. Grows 6 to 7 ft. at maturity. Fruit ripens mid-late. July. Yields 10 to 20 lbs. per bush. The fruit size is small to med ( approx. 75 berries per cup ). It has a  slightly tangy flavor and can be hand or mechanical harvested.

JERSEY BLUEBERRY PLANT – It is a Northern high bush. Grows 5 to 7 ft. at maturity. The fruit ripens mid-late July. Yields 7 to 10 lbs per bush. The fruit size is small/medium ( approx. 110 berries per cup ) known for good flavor and baking. Can be hand or mechanical harvest. We no longer carry this variety due to low yield and disease issues in Kentucky.

Southern High Bush Blueberry Plants

Southern High bush varieties are types of bushes rated zone 6 through zone 10. They require less chill hours* to set fruit. Some of these varieties we grow only require 150 chill hours. This means they could thrive in Florida, Texas & California.  The Southern High bush varieties will do well for much of the Southern and West Coast states as well as some of the South Central states. If you are unsure if they will do well in your area, please ask. We will be happy to speak with you.

*Chill hours are an accumulation of hours where temperature’s reach between 30 degrees F to 45 degrees F (0 degree C to 70 degree C).

BLUEBERRY PLANT DESCRIPTIONS

MISTY BLUEBERRY PLANT – It is a Southern High bush. It grows 5-6 feet tall at maturity. The Fruit ripens late May to early June and yields are high. The fruit size is large (approx. 65 berries per cup). The fruit quality very good and the berries are firm. It can be hand or mechanical harvested. It is a vigorous grower and ripens near the same time as Sharp Blue. Misty is often used to pollinate with Sharp Blue for higher yields.

O’NEAL BLUEBERRY PLANT – It is a Southern High bush. The average height 6 feet tall and about 4 feet across. It has a early ripening and yields 10 to 20 pounds at maturity. The fruit size large. It is best to hand harvest. The Flavor is good.

SHARP BLUE BLUEBERRY PLANT  – It is a Southern High bush variety. It grows 5 to 6 feet tall at maturity. The fruit ripens late May yielding of 8 to 16 pounds per bush at maturity. The fruit size is medium/large (approx. 75-80 berries per cup). The fruit quality is good to fair, they should be shipped same day as harvested to insure good shelf life. Hand picking is recommended. Sharp Blue is often used to pollinate with Misty to increase yields, and is a very vigorous grower. Sharp Blue is the number one high bush variety of blueberry grown in Florida.

BILOXI BLUEBERRY PLANT

-It is a Southern Highbush variety. It grows 5 to 6 feet at maturity. The fruit ripens early June. It can yield 12-15 pounds per bush. This bush is very popular in southern climates as it needs virtually no chill hours. This bush is self-pollinating.

Rabbit Eye Blueberry Plants

BLUEBERRY PLANT DESCRIPTIONS

Brightwell Blueberry Plant- This is a rabbit eye variety. It can grow from 8 to 10 feet tall. It is best for zones 7-9. The berries are small. They can produce around 10 pounds a bush. It ripens in July.

Premier Blueberry Plant- This is a rabbit eye variety. It can grow up to 10 feet tall. It is best for zones 7-9. The berries are medium sized. They produce around 10 pounds a bush. It ripens in late June.

Climax Blueberry Plant- This is a rabbit eye variety. It can grow up to 12 feet tall. It is best for zones 7-9. Berries are medium sized. They produce up to 15 pounds a bush. It ripens in July.

Columbus Blueberry Plant- This is a rabbit eye variety. It can grow up to 10 feet. It is best for zone 7-9. Berries are small. They produce up to 12 pounds a bush.

Powder Blue Blueberry Plant- This is a rabbit eye variety. It can grow up to 8 feet tall. It is best for zones 7-9. Berries are small. It can produce 10 pounds a bush.

Tifblu Blueberry Plant- This is a rabbit eye variety. It can grow up to 8 feet feet. It is best for zones 7-9. Berries are small. It can produce 10 pounds a bush.

We hope this helps as you begin your search for what blueberry plant variety is good for my area!

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