Tips for Starting a U-Pick Highbush Blueberry Operation
Highbush blueberries make a great U-pick crop and are one of the easiest for customers: no bending, the fruit is out in plain view instead of under leaves, and ripe berries are easy to spot. The berries also hold well on the bush and after picking. Well-cared-for mature bushes yield heavily over a long season, and the flavor beats anything from the grocery store.
About Our Interviewees
To learn what it takes to set up a U-pick blueberry patch and what advice they'd give new growers, the Hensley's team talked with two highbush blueberry U-pick farms:
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A U-pick farm in northern Michigan, USDA Zone 4a.
This family-run farm has grown highbush blueberries since the late 1980s on about 40 acres in northern Michigan. It started with both U-pick and wholesale berries and later went all U-pick. A few acres of bushes produce several thousand pounds of berries in a typical year, with big swings depending on weather. -
A diversified fruit farm in central Maine, USDA Zone 5b.
Bought by its current owners in 2020, this central Maine farm offers U-pick highbush blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, a self-serve farm stand, wholesale fruit, nursery plants and bulk materials. It has about an acre of mature highbush blueberries grown with organic practices.
Variety Selection
Both farms count on proven older varieties like ‘Patriot’ and ‘Bluecrop’.
Both farms rely on dependable older varieties. The Michigan farm grows about a dozen, most of them bred at universities in Michigan, Minnesota, New York and New Jersey. In northern Michigan, the owner has found older varieties (such as ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Blueray’, ‘Patriot’, and 'Herbert') the most consistent in their soil and climate. The Maine farm likewise counts on ‘Patriot’ and ‘Bluecrop’ for a big, reliable crop.
To pick varieties, the Michigan grower read bulletins from Michigan State University, the University of New Hampshire and the University of Minnesota (this was the 1980s, well before the internet) and talked and wrote to university researchers and commercial growers. A blueberry nursery in southwest Michigan was a big help and supplied most of the farm's bushes, which are still producing decades later. The nursery was just as curious to see which varieties would survive northern Michigan winters that can hit -40°.
Season Extension Through Variety Selection
His advice: plant a mix of early, mid- and late-season varieties for your area so the patch has ripe berries for 6–8 weeks, rather than everything ripening at once and leaving you open only two weeks a year. The Michigan farm's U-pick season usually runs from mid-July through Labor Day, about 6 weeks.
With 'Patriot' and 'Bluecrop', the Maine farm gets a similar season, usually opening in mid-July and running into early September depending on weather and pests. The owner says it's a fairly long season with those varieties.
- For more on choosing varieties to stretch the season, see the Blueberry Harvest Program.
Field Layout & Parking
At the Michigan farm, rows are about 8 feet apart center to center, leaving room for a compact tractor and for pickers.
At both farms, a farm road leads pickers to parking and a staging area next to the patch. The Michigan farm has a few dozen long rows, roughly 8 feet apart center to center so a compact tractor fits and pickers have room. The Maine farm's rows are each numbered and labeled, which makes it easy to tell pickers where the best picking is that day.
Staging Area
The staging area at the Maine farm.
The Maine farm keeps its staging area simple: a tent, a table and signs showing prices and what's being picked. The Michigan farm sells by the pound, so its staging area has a scale and gallon pails for picking, plus a portable toilet and a hose with soap for handwashing. Usually the owner shows pickers where to go, while someone else greets customers at the entrance and handles checkout.
Picking Instructions
The Maine grower stresses giving first-time pickers clear instructions. Not everyone has picked berries before, so a friendly quick overview helps: who supplies containers, when to pay and how much, how to spot ripe berries, and which rows are best.
She also invites pickers to taste and notice how varieties differ. Many people have never had truly great blueberries, she says, and once they taste them they understand the value of what they're picking.
The Michigan farm also encourages tasting while picking, with the idea that if you like them in the field, you'll like them at home.
Payment Methods
The Michigan farm takes cash and local checks. The owner says this has rarely been a problem; now and then people mail a check because they forgot cash or their wallet or didn't know about the policy.
The Maine farm takes cash, checks and Venmo. It has a card reader for credit cards but uses it mainly for larger sales because of the fees.
People Management
Signage
Lots of clear signs help direct traffic.
An "open" flag at the road, and even at nearby intersections, helps people notice the farm and draws in passersby. The Maine grower finds plenty of signs very helpful: the farm has a flag at the road and a second sign partway up the drive showing whether it's open and the hours. She suggests signs for hours, arrows for traffic, and signs and cones for parking, because signs have to be impossible to miss.
Children & Pets
The Michigan farm now sees a third generation of kids picking berries.
Both farms welcome children and haven't had real problems with kids on the farm. The Michigan grower is already seeing grandchildren of early customers picking.
Safety & Liability
Both farms carry liability insurance and report no serious safety problems beyond the odd hornet nest or patch of poison ivy. The Maine grower suggests prominent signs warning drivers about children and pets living on the property.
Open Hours
The Michigan farm was first open for U-pick every day, but found Thursday through Saturday were busiest and now focuses on those days. That also leaves time to treat pest and disease problems, since any spray must be followed by the label's required wait before picking. The Maine farm is open for U-pick Friday through Sunday, and its self-serve stand sells picked berries every day.
Marketing & Communications
Location & Online Visibility
Both farms sit in popular vacation areas, which helps bring in pickers: one near Lake Michigan and the Huron-Manistee National Forest, the other in central Maine's lakes region, both summer favorites for outdoor lovers. People who enjoy the outdoors are more likely to want to pick berries, the Michigan grower notes, and plenty arrive with kayaks or bikes on the car. Tourists find the farm easily through online search.
Marketing Channels
Both farms use Facebook to post hours and events. The Michigan farm also advertises in local papers. The Maine farm sells wholesale to several local farm stands, which send customers asking about U-pick its way. Both get lots of word-of-mouth business.
