While Florida is known nationwide for citrus, and winter vegetables, the Florida commercial blueberry industry has expanded recently with over five thousand acres in berry production producing over 20 million pounds annually. You may already notice Florida blueberries are in our grocery stores and farmers markets.
Some Blueberries are Native
Several species of vaccinium (huckleberry, farkleberry and blueberry) are native to Florida, including highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum), rabbiteye (Vaccinium virgatum), and evergreen (Vaccinium darrowii). Historically, blueberries have been farmed in Florida for over 100 years. Early production using the later ripening rabbiteye type peaked in northern Florida in the 1920s with more than 2,000 acres. With no seasonal competitive advantage over northern blueberries, the blueberry acreage declined to less than 100 acres during the middle of the 1900’s. It was not until the 1970s, when researchers bred northern highbush varieties with native blueberries producing earlier ripening berries that the industry started to expand again. Fruit specialists at the University of Florida have helped with the recent blueberry expansion by breeding southern highbush cultivars that ripen in late April to May that can be ready for harvest earlier than the rest of the country and fetch a higher price. The growth of Florida blueberry farms continues to move farther south into areas such as DeSoto, Highlands, and Okeechobee counties.
Grow Your Own Blueberries
If all this talk about blueberries has you wanting to grow your own, keep in mind that blueberries have some very specific site requirements. You may have some work to do before you head to the nursery. Blueberry bushes need full sun, fairly acidic but well drained soils with a pH between 4.0-5.5 and an organic matter content that is between 2-3 percent. If you do not know your soil pH, it is a good idea get a soil test. Most residential soils are higher in pH and blueberries will not perform well in those soils. If you find your pH is too high, amendments of elemental sulfur, and organic matter can reduce the pH, but it will take several months for those biological processes to occur. The best time to plant blueberries is in the late fall through winter anyway, so you have some time to prepare the site, and identify a source for your choice of blueberry cultivar.
As mentioned earlier there are two types of blueberries grown in Florida. Southern Highbush types produce berries earlier but are more susceptible to late frosts and are typically grown in Putnam/ Alachua Counties and south.. Rabbiteye types are native, easier to grow, more drought-tolerant southern highbush types. However, they produce berries about a month later than southern highbush. When you purchase your blueberry plants, don’t just buy one. Rabbiteye types require cross-pollination from another rabbiteye cultivar (cultivated variety) planted nearby that blooms at the same time. Even cultivars that are known as self-fertile will produce more with cross pollination. The rabbiteye cultivars recommended for homeowner use are ‘Brightwell’, ‘Powderblue’, ‘Tifblue’, and ‘Woodard’.
If your pH is too high, don’t give up. You can grow a couple of blueberry plants in containers. Folks that grow in containers use a mixture of composted pine bark and Canadian peat moss to increase the soil acidity. There are even commercial blueberry growers that produce blueberries solely in containers. Growing blueberries in containers is great if space is limited or soil conditions are not ideal. Additionally, if you have your containers on wheels and can move them, it gives you the ability to grow the more cold sensitive southern highbush types because you can move the plants in the event of a hard freeze.
After you prepare the site, and plant your blueberries, be patient. It can take three to four years before new plants start producing more than just a few berries. In fact, for the first two years, it is recommended to remove the blooms/berries early to encourage the plant to divert more of its resources towards vegetative growth. Think of it as an investment in good structure, preparing the plant to be able to hold up all those future berries.
Pick Your Own Blueberries
If you don’t have any blueberry plants, or you don’t want to grow your own, don’t worry, there are several U-Pick blueberry farms in within short drive growing the southern highbush that are ready to pick now. The U-pick farms growing the rabbiteye types will have fresh berries ready for harvest in the next few weeks. A few of the U-pick farms also sell fresh blueberries already picked. Visiting U-Pick growers offers a great way to get outside and get high quality fresh berries at reasonable prices. When picking blueberries don’t worry about picking too many at one time. Blueberries can be preserved in jams or frozen whole to be used later. Eating blueberries that you picked yourself in a 4th of July desert is hard to beat.
To locate a local U-pick blueberry farm, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has a U-Pick farm locator for all sorts of crops, check it out at www.fdacs.onsumer-Resources/Buy-Fresh-From-Florida/U-Pick-Farms. A quick check found 8 blueberry farms within a short drive listed for U-pick blueberries.
If growing blueberries is something you might want to try check out the Florida Blueberry Gardeners Guide at: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG359 for further information.
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