Berry Donation Tracker

Quick Links: How & Where to Grow | Temperature | How to Care For | Harvest Signs | Harvesting | Pruning | Pests | Companions | Varieties | Preservation | Recipes | Michigan Tips | Fun Facts

🌱 How & Where to Grow Blueberries:

• Critical: pH 4.5-5.5 required – test soil BEFORE planting!
• Plant 2-3 year old bushes in early spring or fall.
• Space plants 4-6 feet apart in rows 8-10 feet apart.
• Plant 2+ varieties for cross-pollination and extended harvest.
• Sunlight: Full sun (6-8 hours) for best fruiting, tolerates partial shade.
• Soil Type: Well-drained, acidic soil rich in organic matter.
• Soil Amendment: Add sulfur to lower pH, peat moss for acidity and organic matter.

Michigan’s naturally acidic soils are often perfect – but always test first!

🌡️ Temperature Guidance:

Need 400-1,000 chill hours. Hardy to -20°F. Flowers damaged at 28°F.

• Winter chill: Different varieties need different hours below 45°F.
• Spring frost: Open flowers killed at 28°F – choose late-blooming varieties.
• Growing season: Optimal fruit development at 60-80°F.
• Dormancy: Fully dormant plants extremely cold hardy.
• Michigan easily meets chill requirements for all varieties!

Late spring frosts are the biggest threat – site selection is crucial!

💧 How to Care for:

• Consistent Moisture: 1-2 inches weekly – critical during fruiting.
• Watering: Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses – avoid overhead watering.
• Mulch: 4-6 inches of pine needles, sawdust, or wood chips.
• Fertilizer: Use acid-loving plant fertilizer, avoid nitrate forms.
• pH monitoring: Test annually – maintaining proper pH is crucial!

📏 Harvest Signs:

Deep blue with bloom. Easy release. Wait 5-7 days after turning blue.

• Color: Completely blue with whitish “bloom” on berries.
• Firmness: Slight give when gently squeezed.
• Release: Ripe berries fall into hand with gentle touch.
• Patience pays: Berries continue sweetening after turning blue!
• Not all berries ripen at once – expect 3-6 harvests per season.

The longer berries stay on the bush after turning blue, the sweeter they become!

🧺 Harvesting:

Harvest every 5-7 days. Gently roll berries off cluster. Keep cool immediately.

• Use both hands: One to hold cluster, one to gently roll off ripe berries.
• Morning harvest: After dew dries but before heat of day.
• Don’t pull: Ripe berries release easily – force means not ready.
• Container choice: Shallow containers prevent crushing.
• Cool quickly: Get berries into shade/refrigeration ASAP.

✂️ Pruning:

No pruning first 3 years. Annual dormant pruning after. Remove 1/3 old wood.

• Years 1-3: Remove flowers only – let bush establish.
• Mature bushes: Prune in late winter before bud break.
• Remove: Dead, damaged, crossing, and low branches.
• Renewal: Cut 1-2 oldest canes to ground annually.
• Open center: Improve air circulation and sun penetration.

🪲 Michigan Pests:

Birds (netting essential), Japanese beetles, blueberry maggot, mummy berry.

• Birds: #1 pest – use netting when berries start turning blue.
• Japanese beetles: Skeletonize leaves – hand-pick or use traps away from bushes.
• Blueberry maggot: Tiny flies lay eggs in fruit – use yellow sticky traps.
• Spotted wing drosophila: New pest – harvest promptly when ripe.
• Mummy berry: Fungal disease – remove affected berries, mulch well.

🫱🏽‍🫲🏼 Companions:

Good with thyme, azaleas. Other acid-lovers share soil needs.

• Acid-loving plants: Azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias thrive together.
• Thyme: Ground cover that doesn’t compete for nutrients.
• Avoid: Plants needing alkaline soil or heavy feeders.
• Cover crops: Clover between rows fixes nitrogen.
• Pine trees: Natural companions – needles help acidify soil.

🫐 Varieties:

‘Patriot’, ‘Duke’, ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Jersey’, ‘Elliott’.

• ‘Patriot’: Early, cold hardy, large berries, good for fresh eating.
• ‘Duke’: Early, consistent producer, excellent flavor.
• ‘Bluecrop’: Mid-season, most popular variety, reliable.
• ‘Jersey’: Late, small berries excellent for baking.
• ‘Elliott’: Very late, extends season into September.

🫙 Preservation:

Freeze unwashed on trays. Can as jam/preserves. Dehydrate. Fresh 1-2 weeks.

• Freezing: Don’t wash – spread on trays, freeze, then bag.
• Fresh storage: Refrigerate unwashed in covered container 10-14 days.
• Canning: Make jam, jelly, or pie filling – follow tested recipes.
• Dehydrating: Makes sweet “blueberry raisins.”
• Wine/juice: Excess berries make excellent beverages.

🧑🏽‍🍳 Recipes:

Blueberry pie, muffins, pancakes, jam, fresh eating, smoothies.

• Michigan blueberry pie – the state’s signature dessert!
• Blueberry lemon muffins for breakfast.
• Fresh blueberry sauce for pancakes and ice cream.
• Blueberry BBQ sauce for grilled meats.
• Simple syrup for cocktails and lemonades.

✋🏼 Michigan Tips:

• Michigan is the #1 highbush blueberry producer in the U.S.!
• West Michigan’s sandy soils naturally acidic – perfect for blueberries.
• SE Michigan clay needs major amending – consider raised beds.
• Plant on north slopes to delay spring bloom, avoiding frost.
• Michigan-bred varieties often best adapted to our climate.
• Join Michigan Blueberry Growers Association for local tips.

🧠 Fun Facts:

• Native to North America – one of few fruits originating here!
• Michigan produces 100+ million pounds annually.
• Blueberries are one of the highest antioxidant foods.
• Native Americans called them “star berries” – see the star on top?
• A single bush can produce for 50+ years with proper care.
• The Vaccinium genus includes cranberries and lingonberries too.
• July is National Blueberry Month.
• One cup contains only 84 calories but 24% daily vitamin C!