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Duke Highbush Blueberry

plants
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$19.50
Item: 7459-A
stock details: gallon pot, 15–20"
Vaccinium corymbosum
Early season.

4-6' tall. G-100 (Ivanhoe × Earliblue) × 192-8 (E-30 × E-11) USDA, NJ, 1987.

One of grower Seth Yentes’s favorites in his U-pick. Medium-large light blue firm fruit with excellent sweet flavor. Even after temps of –30° the winter of 2019, the branches were still loaded with fruit that summer. Flavor holds up better than other varieties in the freezer.

Long stems and loose clusters. Vigorous upright high-yielding bush. Zone 4.
ships in spring
Quick Details
Harvest Season
early season
Color
light blue
Hardy to Zone
4
Compare
Compare with other Highbush Blueberries
Variety Product Type Harvest Season Color Hardy to Zone
Bluegold plants mid to late
Bluejay plants early to mid light blue 4
Blueray plants early to mid dark blue 4
Bonus plants mid to late bright blue 4
Chandler plants mid to late dark blue 5
Draper plants early to mid
Duke plants early light blue 4
Elizabeth plants mid to late blue 4
Elliott plants very late
Hannah’s Choice plants early
Jersey plants mid to late dark blue 4
Legacy plants mid light blue 5
Patriot plants early to mid blue 3
Rubel plants mid
Additional Information

Highbush Blueberries Vaccinium corymbosum

Many of Maine’s lakes are lined with massive stands of highbush blueberries, native to North America. Grazing the shore requires only time and a suitable vessel; we prefer kayak or canoe. The beautiful vigorous shrubs are extremely easy to grow at home, productive and reliable. By planting several varieties, you can harvest berries from early July through most of August. First crops come 3–5 years after planting. Productive for at least 20 or 30 years. Berries may turn blue before they reach their peak flavor. Leave them on the bush until they are fully ripe. Check a few before you pick them all!

Growing Highbush Blueberries

  • Soil: Light acid soil with plenty of organic matter. Keep them watered.
  • Sun: Full.
  • Pollination: Two varieties required, three or more recommended.
  • Spacing: Plant 6' apart (or closer for smaller lowbush-highbush types) in rows 8–10' apart.
  • Planting: Mulch yearly with at least 3–6" pine needles, wood chips, hay, cardboard, even old slab wood. They don’t like grass competition.
  • Pruning: Fruit is produced on one-year shoots off healthy canes. Older canes become twiggy and less productive. After three years, head back long sprigs of new growth for a bushier plant. Each bush should be allowed to grow 6–10 canes varying in age from 1–6 years old. Thereafter, remove dead canes and those over 6 years old to encourage new replacement canes. Bushes with regular moderate pruning produce the most berries.

Shipping

Items from our perennial plants warehouse ship from early March through mid-to-late May, weather depending, beginning with warmer USDA zones.