How Soon to Harvest Blueberries?

Time of Year

• Blueberries put on flowers in spring and begin to develop berries by June. These berries slowly turn from green to red to blue over the next few weeks. As the weather warms, the sugar content within the berry increases as it matures. Most blueberries fully ripen during July and August. Berries harvested earlier than this will be sour.

Color Change

• Just because a blueberry is blue does not mean it's ready to harvest. However, if you pay attention to your blueberry shrubs, the change from red to blue will give you an indication of how soon you can pick your berries. Once a berry turns blue, leave it on the shrub for two to 10 more days. During this time, sugars and water build up inside making the berry sweeter and juicier. A berry harvested too soon after it turns blue will have an acidic tang.

Feel

• Before harvesting the berry you think is ripe, gently squeeze it between your thumb and forefinger. A blueberry that feels hard or firm is not ripe and shouldn't be harvested. Instead, wait for the berry to have a slight give when you squeeze it. This indicates it has had time to pull in water and develop its flavor. Ripe berries will also pull easily from the plant without tugging.

Harvesting

• Although they grow in clusters, blueberries must be picked individually because the berries ripen at different rates. Each week, inspect your blueberry shrubs for ripe fruit and for fruit that will be ripening soon. Harvest the ripe fruit by gently pulling it from the plant. It is best to wait for your berries to ripen fully because, unlike some fruit, they won't ripen any further if harvested too soon.