Blueberry bushes are best harvested between June and August. Any u-pick blueberry farm will operate during these months. If you don’t want to visit a berry farm though, you can grow your own blueberry plants for harvesting. You’ll know your blueberry varieties are ready for picking when they are plump and fully blue in color. Remember that ripe blueberries practically fall off the vine and don’t require much force to pick.
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How Do You Know When a Blueberry is Ready to Be Picked?
Ripe blueberries have a few telltale signs that they are ready for picking. They should be plump blueberries with a deep blue color that verges on light gray in sections. You may even see some blueberries that are deep purple in color.
- Ripe blueberries will be dark blue or even purple in color and very plump.
- If blueberries are ripe, they should come off the bush with little to no resistance.
Perfect blueberries will practically fall off the bush when you pick them. If a blueberry shows any resistance to being picked, it’s probably not quite ready yet. Let these berries mature for a few more days until they are ready for picking.
What Month is Best to Pick Blueberries?
July is the peak blueberry picking month. However June and August will have plenty of blueberry harvesting too. This is why the blueberry season is generally considered to be June through August.
- June through August is the best time of year to pick blueberries.
- July is the ideal month to pick blueberries
You may see some blueberry festivals happening outside this timeframe but that is uncommon. Most farms and festivals will operate during the peak picking months. Blueberries are a summer berry that is harvested prior to fall fruits such as apples.
What Time of Day Should Blueberries Be Picked?
Blueberries can be picked at any time that they are ripe. However, for safety reasons, you’ll want to pick blueberries during daylight hours. You may also want to finish harvesting blueberries before noon to reduce heat stress on the berries.
How Do You Pick Blueberries?
Gently place your forefinger and thumb on fresh berries and roll the berries towards you. Perfectly ripe berries should disconnect from the plant with minimal effort. If the berries show resistance, they are not fully ripe and you should wait to pick them. You can damage blueberries if you try to force them off the vine before they’re ready.
- Gently roll berries off the bush with your thumb and forefinger.
- Store picked berries in an airtight container and don’t overcrowd the container.
Place your picked berries into an airtight container. Be sure to not pack too many blueberries into one container. The weight of too many berries can crush or bruise the berries at the bottom.
Do Blueberries Ripen After You Pick Them?
Some fresh blueberries do ripen after picking if picked at the right stage of development. Blue and purple-colored blueberries will continue to ripen a bit. White and green pre-picked blueberries will not ripen.
- Blue blueberries continue to ripen after being picked.
- White and green blueberries will not continue to ripen.
- Freeze blueberries to halt the ripening process and let them last longer.
Because blueberries continue to ripen, you’ll want to learn how to freeze blueberries. Frozen berries will last longer than fresh blueberries, which will make using all your blueberries more feasible. Harvest all of your blueberries during blueberry harvesting season to reduce food waste.
When Should You Pick Blueberries?
Blueberries are best harvested between June and August. Most blueberry festivals and u-pick blueberry farms will operate during these periods. You can also buy a lot of fresh pre-picked berries during this time. Here are some key things to know about picking blueberries in case you want to visit a berry farm or grow your own blueberry patch:
- Blueberry picking season is from mid-June to early August.
- Ripe blueberries should be plump with a deep blue or even purple color.
- You’ll know blueberries are ready to be picked when they practically fall off the vine.
- Be sure to store pre-picked blueberries in an airtight container.
- Blue-colored blueberries will continue to ripen after picking while white and green blueberries will not.
Be sure to get all your blueberries harvested during blueberry harvesting season. Even if it seems like there are too many berries, you can make frozen blueberries to extend their shelf life.
