Blueberry farming

[Limecuda]

I have been contemplating adding an acre or so of blueberries. There are several folks around here who have gotten into the business and seem to do very well. A friend of my dad turned his 3 acre garden into a blueberry field and grossed over $130k this year and clear over $80k. For those in the business what all is involved? As with any venture there are pitfalls.

 

[scgargoyle]

I'm not in the business, but I've got a friend starting a farm, and I've gotten some information from him. Here in FL, it's hard to find good blueberry soil- they like acidity. It could get expensive if your soil is all wrong. They build up raised berms for the plants- I guess they need drainage. You'll have to have a way to water them, especially while the new bushes are getting started. The bushes usually need to be trimmed once a year (not sure when). Usually you need 2 or 3 varieties to cross-pollinate for maximum production. The rest of it is pretty easy- the only pests are usually birds- you have to net the bushes when the fruit gets ripe. Larger operations will need hired help during the harvest- it's labor intensive. And you need to refrigerate the berries right after picking, and keep them cold. Otherwise they are quite perishable. I'm sure others with more experience will have more to add.

 

[bigshovel]

I'm not a blueberry farmer at all but this is what I have learned of them after hunting whitetails in Maine for fifteen years on a blueberry farm. You need a buyer, migrant workers, flail mower and alot of rain and few animals to eat them.

Brad

 

[farmerjim]

if i were going to start a blueberry venture, at least in my area, i would start it up a "pick your own". i would get a few types of b-berries that would mature a different dates say an early crop variety through a late crop variety. b-berries like acidic soil as stated b4, but ththe soil ph can be taken care of b4 planting and kept up fairly easily. w/ a "pick your own" operation there is not too much labor involved, as the customers do the picking, other than trimming bushes in the winter, which doesn't necessarily need to be done each year. the hardest part would be building a "cage systen" around the bushes as w/ out that you would be at the mercy of the birds, they love berries. if you're going t try it give the local ag extension a call they can probably give you some better tips.

 

[PitbullMidwest]

I looked into blueberry farming about 2 years ago and got a lot of info from the ag extention at ISU.

There are 2 types of bushes, highbush and half-high. The highbush grow to 6-8 feet while the half-high (as the name implies) grow to be about 2-3 feet high. You plant in the spring and the plants should not be allowed to bear fruit the first 2 years after planting. Any blossoms that form should be removed. Removal of the flowers maximizes vegetative growth and increases yields in later years. Blueberry plants should come into full production by the fifth or sixth year.

As far as yields, you can expect to harvest 5 to 10 pounds of fruit per plant from mature highbush and 1 to 3 pounds per half-high plant.

As mentioned before blueberries like acidic soil, 4.5 -5.5 pH is ideal and it has to be well drained since blueberries are suceptible to root rot. If you have to amend your soil, don't use aluminum sulfate as it is toxic to blueberry plants.

You can buy 1 or 2 year old plants to get a jump start but they are not cheap and pay back is slow since they are not in full prodcution for another 3-4 years.

If I were you, I'd call your ag extension service, they will be able to give you the most realistic assessment of growing for profit in your area.

 

[ampsucker]

agree with previous posts. would think your biggest challenges would be predators, watering, soil.

would suggest electric fencing to keep out most deer, squirrels, etc. you will probably have to put up netting during fruiting to keep out birds, but you want to let the pollinators in during flowering in the early spring.

blueberries are most desireable when organic. elemental sulfur is registered organic and is effective in lowering soil pH gradually. be sure to incorporate into soil along with lots of compost and organic matter to keep drainage good.

bberries are shallow rooted so watering is important - daily during high draught and heat conditions. mulch the plants well and keep trees away from the field so there is no root competition.

storage of just picked berries can be an issue. they do freeze well, but aren't as valuable as fresh. the organic label will help here, too. harvesting when perfectly ripe is critical as slightly over-ripe berries are easily damaged.

lastly, be sure to choose a variety good for your zone. as mentioned, the extension office or experience of others in your area will help here. hard frosts at the wrong time aren't your friend. site location also plays a role. if possible, plant the field on a gradual slope so cold air can "drain" away.

good luck!

amp

 

[RalphVa]

I've 9 of them in 3 rows on my N/E facing slope (ideal) on the way down to the creek. They're bearing pretty good now, some in their 3rd year.

I lost 7 out of 8 trying to plant them in my south-facing sunny front yard. Later, after taking Master Gardener training, I put them on the slope and planted them in practically all peat moss. Sprinkled iron sulfate around the edges of the very big hole I put the peat moss into and blueberry bush into that. Used the soil dug out, but mostly up above to make a water dam. I've 4 or 5 more in their 2nd year up here in a rain garden (an area that collects water during rains but can dry out a lot in between; mine's a dry stream simulation, not dug out deep like some.

All I did for water was to put in some old hose, blank it on the end and drilled 1/8" holes at each plant (to the ones on the N/E facing hill, no water supply to the ones in the rain garden). The water is connected to my rain tanks up here at the house. Blueberries, however, can tolerate fairly dry condition. Just mulch them pretty good. They need a little more moisture during berry ripening to help fill them out.

The high bush ones grow to about 8 to 10 foot bushes. There'll be a lot of picking once they get this big from about the end of May to about the end of June. THEN, the raspberries come in (that's what I have next).

Ralph

 

[toy1]

I have a blueberry farm located in CT. I started out planting 4 years ago, I presently have 5000 bushes in 19 varities. The Farm is a pick your own type operations, I have 2500 bushes that are producing a few pounds each at this stage.Soils 4.5to 5.5 ph blueberries do not like wet feet should have good drainage. Prune in early spring fertilize twice early spring and then 5 weeks later.need 1 inch of water per week as berries start to ripen.
Blueberries do not like competition so weed must be managed. you will find that weeding is tough I spent most of my time weeding.
Blueberries need 8 hours of sunlight each day.

The first fruit ripen around July 4 and we will continue to harvest up to Labor day.
Bee's do alot of pollenating this is of major concern to me with many of the bee problems that are in the enviorment today.
This year the field was pure white with flowers with out a bee in the field then 2 days later a swarm came in and the field was alive with bee's.

You can get cross pollenation with different varities but bee's increase the yield.

My advice is test your soil see were your PH is if you are close to the range you can a sulpher to get the PH down if you are to far away in PH you might look a some other type of fruit. The rule I have seen is you can take your PH down but it will want to return to it natural setting over time.

Hope this helps

 

[randy41]

if you contact the local bee club you will find pollinators.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

One acres of blueberries would be easy to cage in and rather inexpensive compared to the loss from birds and such. One acre would take roughly 600 feet of fence. If you use an 8' tall deer fence it will cost you roughly $900 for the wire. Go to the local lumber yards and buy their bent and twisted 12' 4x4's (you can usually get them for half price or cheaper). Space the post every 15' (10' on the corners). Then run post down every row or every other row of blue berries (16' 4x4's) depending on your row spacing. This way you can hang your netting over the tops and it will be peaked over the rows if you go with the taller variety. I would figure your total cost to build a cage around the field (you need to hang netting over sides also) would be around $3k plus labor (I am guessing on the netting cost).

For watering you can set up a drip tape system. Two problems with drip tape is if you bury it it can get plugged up and is harder to find and repair. If you go above ground mice like to chew on the tape. But these systems are ideal for watering crops like these as they don't waste a lot of water by watering in between rows where you don't need it as much.

I would definitely look at a pick your own operation to start and if you see a potential for a larger market (processor or stores) then you can expand. Just don't build a 10 acre operation to start unless you have an experienced manager helping you get established. It will be an expensive 1 acre as there will be a lot of plants (we have roughly 600 vines per acre in the vineyards but I can't recall the blueberry spacings). Just don't skimp on the start as it will haunt you later. Perpare your ground and stay on top of the field to keep an eye on things so if there is a problem you can fix it before it becomes widespread (disease, watering issues....).

Best of luck to you if you do start up. But don't expect to see the numbers others are telling you. You can usually make a nice chunk of change on vegetables and berries per acre but they require a lot more labor compared to a field crop like corn, oats, soybeans...

 

[AchingBack]

Just so you don't reinvent the wheel; Fruit Gardening in Texas: Fruit Gardening in the Landscape