Harvest guide

Blueberry harvest guide: when to pick and how much to expect

A blueberry bush takes a few years to get going, then crops for decades. Here is when berries are ripe, what a mature bush yields and how many bushes a family needs.

First crop: Starts bearing about three years after planting and can live 20–30 years.(NC State Extension Gardener Handbook)
Harvest months: July–September(RHS)
Per plant: 2.3–5 kg (5–11 lb) per plant(RHS)
Spacing: 100–200 cm (39–78 in) apart(RHS)
Family: Ericaceae (heath family)
Botanical name: Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)

Blueberry planting and harvest calendar

Plant October–March. Harvest July–September.(RHS)

Blueberry season timeline

Plant
Harvest

Months are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate, based on RHS (UK) guidance. Shift them earlier or later to match your own frost dates, or by about six months in the Southern Hemisphere.

Plant out
Harvest

When to harvest blueberries

Berries ripen from green to a dusky blue from midsummer onwards.(RHS)
They don't all ripen together, so expect to pick over several weeks. Pick ripe berries one at a time with a gentle pull.(RHS)

How often to pick

Check bushes regularly through July, August and September.(RHS)

How many blueberries to expect

That works out to 2.3–5 kg (5–11 lb) per plant. A fully productive bush, around seven years old.(RHS)

Yields vary with variety, weather, soil and care. Treat these as ballpark figures, not targets.

Plan for your family

For 4 people eating blueberries fresh, plan on about 6 plants(NC State Extension Gardener Handbook). That should give 14–30 kg (30–66 lb) a year once plants are mature(RHS).

About 6 highbush plants for a family of four.

See the full planting-per-person guide →

Storing your blueberries

Refrigerate unwashed berries and use within two to three days, removing any squashed ones first.(University of Maine Cooperative Extension)

Track it

Log every blueberry harvest

Harvest Journal is a private garden journal for your phone. Tap to log each picking of blueberries by weight or count, and see your season add up, with no account needed.

Prefer paper? Make a free harvest report PDF in your browser, with no account needed.

Blueberry harvest FAQ

How many blueberries does one bush produce?

The RHS says a fully productive plant, at around seven years old, can give 2.25 to 5 kg (5 to 11 lb) a year. NC State Extension gives about 8 lb for highbush types.