When do blueberries come in season? Is blueberry season different in the Northern hemisphere vs the Southern hemisphere? When does blueberry season start and when does it end? How long does blueberry season last? Are blueberries available fresh outside their natural season? Find out when is blueberry season by month and how blueberry seasonality fluctuates.
About blueberry seasonality
Blueberries are naturally a seasonal summer fruit, that is, they are ripe and ready to pick in summer. However, the berries are heavily reliant on climate and weather conditions for ripening and regional variations will cause their season to vary. Given their extensive cultivation that spans over two hemispheres, it stands to reason that original blueberry season is no longer more than just a very general reference point with the berries being available quite abundantly outside what used to be their original season.
When are blueberries in season?
While blueberries are a seasonal summer fruit, blueberry season is actually late spring to early fall. Not just this, but blueberry season is at different times of the year in the two hemispheres where the seasons are reversed.
That means that blueberries are pretty much available all year round, despite originally being seasonal summer fruits.
The supply of fresh berries may dwindle during the transition between blueberry season in the Northern hemisphere and blueberry season in the Southern hemisphere, despite modern agricultural practices and extensive cultivation making it possible to extend original blueberry season beyond its natural reach. Nonetheless, that’s when frozen blueberries come in to compensate for the limited intervals of low supply of the fresh berries.
Blueberry season in the Northern hemisphere
When does blueberry season start and end in the Northern hemisphere? In the Northern hemisphere, blueberry season is May to August. However, very warm regions see blueberries becoming ripe and ready to pick as early as the end of March or start of April, with the last harvest taking place in late September.
Blueberry season in the Southern hemisphere
When does blueberry season begin and end in the Southern hemisphere? In the Southern hemisphere the seasons are reversed, including blueberry season. That means that blueberries are in season at opposite times compared to the Northern hemisphere.
More exactly, in the Southern hemisphere blueberries are typically ripe and ready to pick at the start of October and up until late March. However, it’s not uncommon for blueberries to come into season as early as September and be available as late as April, meeting demands for the fresh berries right up until the season picks up again in the Northern hemisphere.
Blueberry season by month
Blueberries season by month in the Northern hemisphere:
- Early season blueberries: late March or early April through May
- Mid-season blueberries: early to mid May through July or August, depending on region
(e.g. mid-May through June, mid-June through July, July through August) - Late and very late season blueberries: August through September
Blueberries season by month in the Southern hemisphere:
- Very early season blueberries are available in September
- Early season blueberries: start of October through December
- Mid-season blueberries: December through February
- Late season blueberries: February through March
Also see when are yellow raspberries in season.
How long does blueberry season last?
Blueberry season can last anywhere between one month, one month and a half, two months and four to six months, depending on the region and its size, how prevalent blueberry cultivation is in said region and how many climates said region covers.
Some regions only allow for a short harvest season of just one to one a half months e.g. typically mid-June through July in most of the Northern hemisphere, April through May in warmer regions such as Florida, May through June in regions such as California, June through July, July through August or August through September.
If a region is large enough and warm enough for long enough, and blueberry cultivation is extensive, there is a constant supply of fresh berries for up to six months. In this case, it can be said that blueberry season lasts about six months.
Observations
Berries that are ready to pick in full season taste the best and have optimal nutrition, whereas very early season blueberries and late season blueberries don’t always have the best flavor, although this is not a fixed rule since regional climate conditions and yearly weather variations are what ultimately determine how good blueberries taste.
