Harvest Time for Blueberries

Harvest Months

• Blueberries start to ripen between early summer and late summer. The berries start to ripen in July and continue through September, according to Ohio State University. North Carolina State University indicates an earlier first harvest date of May in that region. The best way to decide harvest time for blueberries is to start watching the bushes in early summer. When the first fruits start to turn blue, you know harvest time is near.

Harvest Duration

• Not all the blueberries ripen at the same rate. When the first berries turn blue, wait four or five days and then go through and harvest the ripe fruit. A single cluster of berries has fruits in different stages of development so harvest carefully to remove only the ripe fruit. After the first harvest, wait seven to 10 days and then go through a second time. Harvest blueberries every five to seven days until the the bushes are done producing.

Harvesting Blueberries

• Ripe blueberries turn from a red color to deep blue. The white dust often found on blueberries is natural and even desirable, according to North Carolina State University. Remove the blueberries from the stem by gently pulling the fruit with your thumb and index finger. When harvesting, place the fruit in a shallow bucket or basket. Deep baskets fill up fast damaging the fruit at the bottom. In the home garden, harvest blueberries continually as they ripen.

Storing the Fruit

• Keep blueberries in the fridge for up to two weeks. For best preservation of the fresh fruits, get blueberries into the fridge within four hours of harvesting. Fresh blueberries store better when dry. Ideally, harvest blueberries in a dry day and put them strait in the fridge without washing them. Freeze blueberries for use later in the season. Rinse the fruit in fresh water and place the berries in zip-top bags in the freezer.