Blueberry Variety Selection in the Home Fruit Planting

A description of many available varieties follows. These are grouped according to production season.

Early Season

Earliblue

Vigorous bushes with an upright-spreading growth habit. Fruit is large, firm, and light blue with fair flavor. Fruit set can be problematic; Susceptible to phomopsis twig blight and anthracnose.

Northland

A "half-high", plants are very winter-hardy, shorter than most, and bushy. Berries are somewhat soft, size is medium, and flavor is very good. Tends to be favored by Japanese beetles.

Sweetheart

Initially gained attention because it can produce late berries on current-year growth, albeit a minuscule crop, in addition to an early crop on existing growth. Vigorous and productive. Stores well. 

Weymouth

Very early; bees are needed for the best pollination; fruit is dark, soft, and mildly flavored but sweet. Fruit size is average. Resistant to a number of diseases except for phomopsis. This is a very old variety that is no longer sold by nurseries, but has been widely planted.

Early-Mid Season

Bluejay

Bush is vigorous, upright, and open. Berries are long-stemmed and hang in loose clusters; the fruit holds on the bush without loss of quality until most are ripe. Fruit is medium-sized, firm, and light blue with a small stem scar. Wood and buds are resistant to low winter temperatures. Resistant to mummy berry and other diseases. Production can be erratic.

Blueray

The plant is upright, vigorous, hardy, and propagates easily. Fruit is borne on small, tight clusters, which can cause berries to drop, especially in hot weather. Berries are large, dark blue, and firm, with excellent flavor. Productive plants may over-fruit if not pruned sufficiently.

Draper

Plants are compact and stocky. Berries are large and sweet, but harvest is somewhat concentrated, resulting in a relatively short picking season.

Duke

Vigorous upright plants with numerous stocky canes. Fruit is medium-sized, light blue, and firm. Flavor is somewhat lacking, but is said to improve in storage. Plants bloom late, so frost is avoided, and tolerates fluctuating winter temperatures. The harvest period is concentrated and thus will be shorter than for other varieties. Young plants are susceptible to stem blight issues.

Patriot

Plants are vigorous and upright, but only medium in height. The fruit is large and has excellent flavor. 'Patriot' was developed in Maine and has excellent cold hardiness; it is resistant to root rot.

Reka

Plants are vigorous, upright, and have wider adaptation to various soil types than other varieties. The berries are numerous and small with a somewhat spicy flavor. Reka is an introduction from New Zealand.

Spartan

Ripens about 3 to 5 days after 'Earliblue'; plants are vigorous, upright, and open; good machine harvest variety; fruits are large, firm, light blue, and highly flavored. This variety does not perform well on heavier "upland" soils.

Midseason

Bluecrop

A standard midseason variety. Bush is vigorous and upright. Fruit is medium to large, depending on how much the plants are pruned, and firm, with very good true-blueberry flavor if fully ripe. Productivity and hardiness are consistent; harvest season is long.

Bluegold

Plants are vigorous, cold-hardy, and productive, but flavor is lacking. Stems tend to remain attached to fruit in hot weather.

Legacy

This variety has a southern blueberry species in its background, so it tends to retain its leaves in the winter and thus may be more susceptible to winter injury than most northern highbush varieties. Fruit is medium to large and has excellent flavor. Productivity is high due to a long harvest season.

Northblue

A "half-high" blueberry, which means it is a cross of lowbush and highbush types. Plants were bred for winter hardiness. Berries have a good size and excellent flavor. 

Toro

Plants are vigorous and upright, and tolerate fluctuating temperatures. Fruit is large with good flavor and color, but the harvest is concentrated and thus short. Not as self-fertile as most, so should be planted with another cultivar.

Mid-Late Season

Berkeley

Bush is vigorous, open, spreading, and stout, but tends to drop fruit; fruit is very large, light blue, and flavor is only fair but sweet, and keeps well; clusters tend to be hidden by heavy foliage, which slows hand picking; production can be inconsistent; tends to be susceptible to fungus diseases during wet seasons.

Bonus

Little testing has been done on this cultivar; fruit flavor and size is very good.

Chandler

Plants are stocky but send up few canes. Pruning is done mainly on existing canes. Fruit is huge with excellent "true blueberry" flavor.

Darrow

Plants are vigorous and upright. Fruit is very large with excellent flavor, but can be slightly acidic.

Liberty

Bushes are spreading and productive. Fruit is large and somewhat flattened. Flavor is lemony-tart.

Nelson

Plants are vigorous and upright and tolerate cold temperatures well. Productivity and fruit size are moderate; fruit has very good flavor.

Rubel

A very old selection from wild plants. Plants are very upright and relatively disease-resistant. Fruit is quite small and has a higher concentration of antioxidants than most other highbush varieties.

Late Season

Aurora

Bushes are cold-hardy and vigorous. The fruit is very large with excellent flavor. Canes are very stocky. Does not produce as many canes from the base as other varieties, 

Elliott

Bush vigorous, plants productive and hardy. The berry size is small, and the flavor can be tart; interplanting with another late-blooming variety has provided cross-pollination and improved size and flavor.

Jersey

Bush vigorous and erect with open fruit clusters; Fruit is medium in size and with a very sweet flavor; may have fruit set problems; tends to set fruit parthenocarpically (without undergoing pollination); when that happens, the fruit does not size.