Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gardening

This is when blueberries are in season

How to tell if your blueberries are ready to harvest

By
Blueberries on a bush
Nowaja / Pixabay

Blueberries are a sweet, delicious treat in the summer, and harvesting them from your own blueberry bush makes them an even more convenient snack. They’re an easy-to-grow addition to any fruit garden. If you’re ready for your blueberry harvest and feeling a little impatient while watching them ripen, you might be wondering how long you have to wait. So, when are blueberries in season, will they ripen after you pick them, and how do you know when they’re ripe? We’ll answer all your questions!

When are blueberries in season?

Close-up of a cluster of blueberries on a bush in bright sunlight
Alex Ushakoff / Unsplash

Like any plant, the exact time your blueberries will be ready to harvest depends on your climate. Blueberries are in season from late spring to late summer, typically from April to September. Start watching your blueberry bush (or your grocery store produce aisle, if you aren’t planning on growing your own blueberries) when the weather in your area starts to heat up.

Recommended Videos

Warmer regions tend to have slightly earlier harvest seasons than cooler regions, since it becomes warm earlier in the year. You can estimate the harvest time for your specific blueberry bush by paying attention to when it blooms. You can expect your harvest to start a couple of months after the flowers open.

Related

Do blueberries ripen after harvest?

Stems with clusters of blueberries ripening
Tony Lee Glenn / Pixabay

Some fruits will ripen after harvest, but are blueberries one of them? Blueberries will continue to ripen after harvest, but only slightly. Blueberries that are mostly ripe will finish ripening after they’ve been picked, while blueberries that aren’t close to being ripe will not. Color is a good metric to use for this. Blueberries that are dark blue or purple will ripen slightly after being picked. Blueberries that are pale blue, white, or green, however, will not ripen enough to be palatable after being harvested.

Unripe blueberries are not entirely useless, however! Some people enjoy pickling them or creating a verjus with them. Their tart flavor may not be as suitable for sweet blueberry pies or muffins, but some people enjoy the sour flavor of unripe blueberries.

How to tell if blueberries are ripe

Blueberries on a blueberry bush
ChiemSeherin / Pixabay

There are a few ways to tell if blueberries are ripe. Color is the first indicator of ripeness. A ripe blueberry will be completely blue or purple, without any white or green. Look for blueberries that are darker or more vibrant, as pale blue blueberries are almost, but not quite, ripe.

Texture is another important way to tell how ripe a blueberry is. A ripe blueberry will be soft, with just a little give. Unripe blueberries are firm or hard, and overripe ones are squishy. The final way to tell if a blueberry is ripe applies only if you are the one harvesting them. Ripe blueberries will practically fall off the bush, requiring little to no effort to pick. Unripe blueberries will cling more firmly to the bush.

Now that you know when blueberries are in season and how to tell if your blueberries are ripe, you’re ready for this year’s blueberry harvest! Start watching for your blueberry harvest when the weather begins to warm up, and only harvest blueberries that are ripe. Then, all that’s left is to enjoy your delicious blueberries. Be sure to store them carefully to keep them as fresh as possible.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Cayla Leonard
Cayla Leonard
Contributor
Cayla Leonard is a writer from North Carolina who is passionate about plants.  She enjoys reading and writing fiction and…
This is how many pumpkins per plant you can grow
What to expect from a pumpkin harvest
A small pumpkin sitting on top of a fence post

As summer ends and fall begins, the pumpkin harvest season is almost here! These lovely gourds have so many uses, from baking them into delicious pumpkin pies to carving them into Halloween decorations. Knowing when to expect them is one thing, but how many pumpkins can you expect to harvest? Is there any way to encourage your pumpkin plant to produce more pumpkins, or should you plant a specific type of pumpkin to ensure the biggest harvest? Here’s everything you need to know about how many pumpkins per plant to expect this harvest season.
How many pumpkins can grow per plant?

On average, pumpkin plants grow two to five pumpkins per plant. However, this depends on a few factors. Each pumpkin needs space and nutrients to grow. The larger the pumpkins are, the fewer you can expect to see on your vine. On the other hand, varieties with smaller pumpkins tend to produce more pumpkins. Pumpkin vines growing in poor soil or that are weak, sick, or stressed also tend to produce fewer gourds. These pumpkins may also be smaller than the species’ average, since the plant has less energy to devote to each pumpkin.

Read more
6 incredible types of basil for your herb garden
Add a little variety to your garden with one or all of these basil types
Basil plant bathed in sunlight

Herbs are fun to grow and useful to have around, both for flavoring meals and for keeping certain pests away. Basil is one of the most popular herbs, and for good reason. This tasty herb is versatile and easy to grow, both indoors and out. Did you know there’s more than just one type of basil? If you’re planning your next herb garden, here are six types of basil you should consider including to add a little variety to your garden.
Sweet basil

Sweet basil, also called genovese basil, is the most common type of basil, but there’s a reason it’s the classic. Reliable and delicious, sweet basil gives you the basil flavor and look that you’re familiar with. If you’ve grown basil before, it was likely sweet basil. Place your sweet basil in full sun, with some light afternoon shade if it’s outdoors. Water it regularly to keep the plant fresh and healthy, and you can begin harvesting leaves in just a few weeks, as soon as the plant has four sets of leaves. Be sure to leave a few leaves on the plant so it can continue to grow.
Thai lemon basil

Read more
Your complete sago palm maintenance guide
Grow a sago palm to add a tropical flair to your home
A small sago palm in a pot designed to resemble a wicker basket. It sits on a table of light wood, next to a bookshelf of the same wood. The wall behind it has a dacorative pink, blue, and white triangular pattern.

Sago palms may not be true palms, but they are just as gorgeous. However, with these subtropical houseplants, you won’t have the same kind of look offered by those tall trees. Instead, the green fronds grow directly from the trunk without branching out. Sago palm maintenance is fairly simple, relying mostly on proper growing conditions. Adding this lovely houseplant to your collection is an excellent way to bring the tropics to your home. If you want to grow your own today, this guide will explain everything you need to know to help it thrive!
Care requirements for your sago palm

Because they’re native to tropical regions, sago palms prefer to be in warm, humid environments. This is why, for the most part, they’re grown as houseplants outside of these areas. Sago palms grown indoors should be protected from any drafts or air flowing from heating and AC units as the extreme shift in temperature can cause damage.
Light
Sago palms prefer bright, indirect lighting and shouldn’t be placed in direct sunlight. Direct lighting, especially on hot summer days, can cause sunburn damage and result in wilting leaves. As a houseplant, sago palms will favor east-, west-, and south-facing windows so long as they receive a lot of lighting throughout the day. Keep in mind that too much shade will also cause adverse effects, most noticeably spare foliage.
Soil
Like most houseplants, sago palms need only well-draining soil (and of course, a pot with a drainage hole for excess water to escape through)! There are potting mixes made specifically for palms grown in containers, and although the sago palm isn’t a true palm, this should do the trick.
Water
As a tropical plant, sago palms prefer moderately moist soils. They can tolerate some drought, but not very well. Proper sago palm maintenance requires watering the plant whenever the soil is dry to touch; however, be mindful of how much you’re watering to avoid soggy soil and leaving your plant susceptible to root rot.
Diseases and pests to be aware of

Read more