When Are Blueberries In Season: Harvest Months By State

At Fruit Information, we're deeply committed to the quality of our content. Every piece of information undergoes a rigorous editorial process to ensure accuracy and enhance user experience.

About the Authors Editorial Process

Blueberries are being grown in more and more different States across the United States. They are a hardy bush and can tolerate a good range of temperatures and climates due to the many different cultivars now available. I thought it would be good to list the picking and growing seasons State by State. So here goes:

Summer months are the harvest season for blueberries, which grow very well throughout the United States. Harvest time for blueberries, is from March to September depending on what State you are in. Florida has the earliest harvest beginning late March and Maine and Idaho the latest harvest ending in late September.

Since there are also many different varieties of Blueberries that have different harvest times, by growing a few different cultivars, you can have fresh blueberries throughout most of the year.

Here is a complete list of States in alphabetical order below with the general harvest time for Blueberries. Be sure to read on as we also consider a few highlights from some of the States blueberry harvesting and growing season.

State	Blueberry Season
Alabama	Middle May – Early July
Alaska	Late August – Late September
Arizona	June – July
Arkansas	June – August
California	Mid May – Late July
Colorado	Early June – Late July
Connecticut	Early July – Mid October
Delaware	Mid June – August
Florida	Late March – Late May
Georgia	June – August
Hawaii	Can Grow and Flower All Year Round
Idaho	Mid July – Late August
Illinois	July – August
Indiana	June – August
Iowa	Mid June – Mid September
Kansas	June – July
Kentucky	Early June – Early August
Louisiana	May – Mid July
Maine	Late July – Early September
Maryland	Late June – Early August
Massachusetts	Mid July – Late August
Michigan	July – Mid August
Minnesota	July – Mid August
Mississippi	May – August
Missouri	Early June – Early October
Montana	Late July – End of August
Nebraska	Late July – End of August
Nevada	Late July – End of August
New Hampshire	July – September
New Jersey	Mid June – Mid August
New Mexico	June – Mid July
New York	Mid June – Early September
North Carolina	Late June – Early August
North Dakota	Mid July – August
Ohio	Mid June – End of August
Oklahoma	Early June – Late July
Oregon	Mid June – Late September
Pennsylvania	Late July – Late September
Rhode Island	Early July – Mid October
South Carolina	Early June – Mid August
South Dakota	Mid July – End of August
Tennessee	Mid June – Mid August
Texas	May – July
Utah	Mid July – End of August
Vermont	Mid July – Late August
Virginia	June – August
Washington	Late June – September
West Virginia	Mid July – End of August
Wisconsin	Early July – Mid August
Wyoming	Mid July – Early September

As you can see from the table above, blueberry season generally runs from late March through to late September or early October in the United States. Florida has the earliest crop with Connecticut, Missouri and Rhode Island having the latest crops in October.

We thought it would be helpful to distinguish the best varieties to grow by State, as certain varieties are better suited to certain temperature zones. We list the best varieties in order of preference. For example in Alabama the best variety would be Rabbiteye then Northern Highbush and Southern Highbush. The data is gathered from University, Agriculture and Government websites. Take a look at the references for further varieties and planting information in each State.

State	Best Blueberry Varieties To Grow
Alabama	Rabbiteye, Northern Highbush, Southern Highbush ^[1]
Alaska	HighBush – Northblue, Northsky ^[2]
Arizona	Southmoon, Sharpblue, Sunshine Blue ^[3]
Arkansas	Northern Highbush, Rabbiteye ^[4]
California	Southern Highbush ^[5]
Colorado	Bluegold, Polaris ^[6]
Connecticut	Highbush – Bluegold, Ivanhoe ^[7]
Delaware	Bluecrop, Lenoir, Nelson ^[8]
Florida	Rabbiteye, Southern Highbush ^[9]
Georgia	Rabbiteye ^[10]
Hawaii	Misty, Sharpblue, Sunshine Blue ^[11]
Idaho	Patriot, Blueray, Nelson ^[12]
Illinois	Collins, Patriot, Bluejay, Bluecrop ^[13]
Indiana	Northern Highbush – Bluecrop
Iowa	Patriot, Blueray, Bluecrop, Rubel ^[14]
Kansas	Bluecrop, Patriot
Kentucky	Ozarkblue, Sierra, Nelson, Darrow ^[15]
Louisiana	Rabbiteyes – Climax, Tifblue, Brightwell, Premier
Maine	Patriot, Northland, Blueray ^[16]
Maryland	Bluetta, Duke, Earliblue, Spartan, Patriot ^[17]
Massachusetts	Bluejay, Duke, Patriot and Spartan ^[18]
Michigan	Bluecrop, Jersey, Elliott, Duke, Rubel, Bluejay ^[19]
Minnesota	Chippewa, Northblue, Northland ^[20]
Mississippi	Rabbiteye – Baldwin, Southern Highbush – O’Neal ^[21]
Missouri	Bluejay, Blueray ^[22]
Montana	Northland, Patriot ^[23]
Nebraska	Blueray, Bluecrop, Patriot ^[24]
Nevada	Blueray, Patriot, Bluecrop
New Hampshire	Blueray, Bluecrop, Patriot, Earliblue, Jersey, Meader ^[25]
New Jersey	Bluetta, Blueray, Patriot ^[24]
New Mexico	Northern Highbush, Southern Highbush
New York	Highbush
North Carolina	Climax, Columbus, Powderblue ^[26]
North Dakota	Canadian haskaps* ^[27]
Ohio	Highbush – Bluecrop, Bluejay ^[28]
Oklahoma	Highbush, Rabbiteye, Southern Highbush ^[29]
Oregon	Northern Highbush, Half-High, Rabbiteye ^[30]
Pennsylvania	Bluetta, Bluejay, Spartan, Patriot ^[31]
Rhode Island	Earliblue, Blueray, Lateblue
South Carolina	Rabbiteye, Southern highbush, Northern highbush ^[32]
South Dakota	Highbush
Tennessee	Rabbiteye – Climax, Highbush – Blueray, Bluecrop ^[33]
Texas	Rabbiteye – Climax, Powderblue ^[34]
Utah	Halfhigh – Northblue, Highbush – Blueray ^[35]
Vermont	Northern Highbush, Lowbush ^[36]
Virginia	Lowbush, Highbush, Rabbiteye
Washington	Northern Highbush, Southern Highbush, Rabbiteye
West Virginia	Northern Highbush – Spartan, Bluecrop, Jersey ^[37]
Wisconsin	Half High – Northblue, Northsky ^[38]
Wyoming	Honeycrisp, Haralson, McIntosh

When selecting a good blueberry bush to plant make sure you get one from a reputable nursery or reputable online store. Try to find a bush at least 1 to 3 years old, with preference on 3 years as they will produce fruit more quickly and take less time to get established. Sometimes you may notice that your blueberry bush leaves have a red or purple colour. You will need to fix this by following the steps in this article: Why Are My Blueberry Leaves Turning Red?

You will also need to make sure you have two different varieties as blueberry bushes require cross pollination and even those varieties that don’t require cross pollination produce better crops if they are cross pollinated. For all the details on how to plant blueberry bushes please check out our article: How To Plant Blueberry Bushes.

We thought it would be helpful to look at a few of the more interesting growing and harvesting blueberry season tips from a few of the States.

Florida Blueberry Season

If you are wanting to grow blueberries in Florida then two types grow well. There is the rabbiteye and southern highbush. Rabbiteye do well in Northern Florida, however, if you are in South Florida then you should plant the Southern highbush.

Florida is the first State to see the blueberry season begin, with the season running for 6 to 8 weeks. In fact, such a lot of fruit trees do well in Florida, you might like to check out our article: Best Fruit Trees To Grow In Florida to get a few more ideas on what fruit trees to plant.

Maine Blueberry Season

Blueberries that are very hardy and that ripen early are best suited to Maine’s short growing season and cold winter temperatures. Always plant more than one variety, such as the Patriot and Bluecrop variety as cross-pollination among different varieties will improve fruit numbers and fruit size. You will also lengthen the harvest season as the two different varieties will ripen at different times.

California Blueberry Season

The bluecrop blueberry variety is a very good producer starting in late May in San Jose. This fruit has a good flavour with medium sized fruit. It is of the Northern Highbush variety so performs well in California.

If you are looking for a blueberry with high chill hours and a crisp texture with excellent flavour, then the Reveille blueberry is sure to please. It is a Southern Highbush variety requiring 500 chill hours for the fruit to set. It is easy to grow in both hot or cool climates and has an early season.

Colorado Blueberry Season

Colorado has high pH soils making it hard to grow blueberries in the ground. However, they do very well grown in pots. The best potting mix to use to get a good pH range of 4.2 to 5.0 pH that blueberries thrive in would be a mix of 40% shredded coconut husk (coir), 40% peat and 20% perlite.

The varieties grown are mostly half-high blueberries. These are bred to have a sweet berry like the highbush and to be hardy like the lowbush varieties.

Connecticut Blueberry Season

In Connecticut it is preferred that blueberry planting is done during late fall, however, a March timing is also acceptable for planting.

Earliblue has a very early season, whereas Bluecrop has a mid season and Elliott has a very late season. Growing three varieties such as these not only improves berry production and fruit setting but will also extend the blueberry season for longer due to the different times the fruits ripen.

North Dakota*

Blueberries are almost impossible to grow in North Dakota due to the alkaline soils and harsh cold winters. You can however grow other fruits, such as the Canadian haskaps, which taste and look like a blueberry.

Haskaps are a Good Blueberry Alternative

Haskaps taste is described as delicious and has been likened to a blueberry with an essence of raspberry. Its texture is similar to that of a blueberry.

Haskaps are harvested in late June or early July.

For more information on taking care of your blueberry bushes please take a look at the article: How To Care For A Blueberry Bush, where you will get the best advice from an organic blueberry farm.

References:

^[1] Alabama A&M And Auburn Universities: Commercial Blueberry Production Guide for Alabama
^[2] United States Department of Agriculture: Blueberry Trials on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula
^[3] Garden Guides: How to Plant Blueberries in Montana
^[4] University of Arkansas: Blueberry Production in Arkansas
^[5] University of California: Blueberry Varieties
^[6] Colorado State University: Blueberries in Pots
^[7] New Jersey Agricultural Expermient Station: Selecting Blueberry Varieties for the Home Garden
^[8] University of Delaware: Choosing Blueberry Varieties For Delmarva
^[9] University of Florida: Blueberries
^[10] University of Georgia: Home Garden Blueberries
^[11] College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources University of Hawaii: Growing Blueberries for Home Production in Hawaii
^[12] University of Idaho: Growing Blueberries
^[13] University of Illinois: Small Fruit Crops For The Backyard
^[14] Iowa State University: Which Blueberry Varieties Perform Well In Iowa
^[15] University of Kentucky: Growing Highbush Blueberries In Kentucky
^[16] University of Maine: Growing Highbush Blueberries
^[17] University of Maryland: Selecting Varieties, Planting, and Growing Blueberries
^[18] Massachusetts Cultivated Blueberry Growers Association: Growing Blueberries
^[19] Michigan State University: Blueberry Varieties for Michigan
^[20] University Of Minnesota: Growing Blueberries In The Home Garden
^[21] Mississippi State University: What Varieties of Blueberries Should Be Grown?
^[22] Missouri State: Growing Blueberries in Missouri
^[23] Montana State University: Berry Production in Montana – Varieties and Markets
^[24] New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station: Selecting Blueberry Varieties for the Home Garden
^[25] University of New Hampshire: Which Blueberry Varieties Should I Plant In My Backyard?
^[26] North Carolina State University: How Do I Grow Blueberries?
^*[27] North Dakota State University: “Blueberries” For North Dakota
^[28] Ohio State University Extension: Growing Blueberries in the Home Garden
^[29] Oklahoma State University: Blueberry Production for the Home Garden
^[30] Oregon State University: Growing Blueberries in Your Home Garden
^[31] Pennsylvania State University: Blueberry Variety Selection in the Home Fruit Planting
^[32] Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center: Blueberry
^[33] The University of Tennessee: Blueberries in Home Gardens
^[34] Texas A&M University: Blueberries
^[35] Utah State University: Blueberries in Utah? Difficult, But Maybe Not Impossible
^[36] University of Vermont: Basics Of Growing Blueberries
^[37] West Viginia University: Growing Blueberries For Beginners
^[38] University of Wisconsin: Growing Blueberries In Containers