How profitable is a blueberry farm?

How profitable is a blueberry farm?

How much can an acre of blueberries make a year? Once your blueberry bushes reach maturity they could produce from 5,000 to 20,000 pounds a year. If they all sold for $5.00 a pound this means that you could bring in anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 an acre a year once they reach maturity.

Are blueberries hard to farm?

Blueberries generally grow well on moist, but reasonably well-drained, acid soils with a high organic matter content. Mineral soils can often be modified for blueberry culture by adding organic matter and/or soil acidifiers. Certain types of blueberries may be grown on acid mineral soils without soil amendments.

How many blueberries can you plant per acre?

Typically, you can plan on between 1,300 to 2,000 blueberry plants per acre. It is ideal to create flat-top raised beds in long rows with incorporated organic matter such as sawdust or wood chips (pine or fir) or peat moss.

How much does a blueberry plant produce?

Gardeners can expect to harvest 5 to 10 pounds of fruit per plant from mature highbush blueberries. Half-high blueberries generally produce 1 to 3 pounds per plant. Once established, an annual application of an acid-producing fertilizer, such as ammonium sulfate, in early spring is sufficient for blueberries.

What is the most profitable berry to grow?

Goji Berries With yields up to 7,000 pounds per acre in fresh berries, this is potentially a lucrative cash crop for American farmers. Goji berries, a close relative of tomatoes, grow on head-high shrubs.

How much do blueberry bushes grow per year?

This shrub grows at a slow to medium rate, with height increases of anywhere from less than 12″ to 24″ per year.

How many years will a blueberry bush produce?

Blueberries will live and produce for 40 to 50 years. Attending to their ideal location and conditions at planting will guarantee you delicious fruit for many years.

Is growing berries profitable?

The average berry farmer reports a loss for the first few years. After that, however, average profits are reported at between $1.3 million and $2.8 million.

How long does blueberries take to grow?

Blueberry plants grow slowly, and they may not seem to get much bigger from year to year. It takes a blueberry bush about 10 years to reach mature size, but this also means they will live a long, long time. It will be 2 or 3 years before you start getting large harvests, but it is definitely worth the wait.

Are blueberries easy to grow?

Blueberry bushes are easy to grow, and don’t need much attention. The main thing to remember is that they need to be grown in acidic soil and ideally, watered with rainwater. If you don’t have acidic soil in your garden, blueberries grow very well in pots.

How long does it take for a blueberry bush to start producing blueberries?

Highbush blueberry plants usually require six to eight years to reach full production and range from 5 to 8 feet high at maturity. Highbush blueberry plants usually require six to eight years to reach full production and range from 5 to 8 feet high at maturity.

How do commercial growers pick blueberries?

Across the country, commercial blueberry growers are increasingly using over-the-row (OTR) mechanical harvesters (MH) to pick their blueberries for fresh market (Figure 1). Growers everywhere are experiencing difficulties in finding sufficient labor for hand harvest operations and due to the rising costs of labor.

How many times a year do blueberries produce fruit?

You see, this new blueberry produces two crops each year, one in mid-summer, like other blueberries, then the new growth bursts into bloom a second time, resulting in a second crop just before the plants goes dormant for the winter. And two crops are always better than one!

What is the best climate for blueberries?

Blueberries are typically grown in humid, northern climates that have winter chills, mild summers and low-pH or acidic soils, conditions that limit their range. But many new varieties are available for lower chill areas, very warm areas and coastal areas. The blueberry now has an enormous range.

How long does it take for a blueberry tree to bear fruit?