Blueberries are one of the most beloved and iconic berry fruits, known for their bell-shaped form, dusty bloom, and deep purplish-blue color. But if you’ve snacked on fresh blueberries, you probably noticed they come in a range of sizes. So just how big do blueberries get? Let’s take a look at the factors impacting blueberry sizes.
An Overview of Blueberry Dimensions
Wild blueberries collected from the mountains average 5 to 9 millimeters (mm) or 0.2 to 035 inches in diameter Through selective breeding over decades, cultivated varieties emerged with larger, plumper berries. Most commercial highbush blueberries fall between 15 to 18 mm or 0.6 to 0.7 inches across.
There are differences among blueberry species too Some typical size ranges include
- Highbush blueberries: 15 to 18 mm, the size of dimes
- Rabbiteye blueberries: 14 to 16 mm, medium to large
- Lowbush (“wild”) blueberries: 6 to 9 mm, smaller peas
- Hybrid half-high blueberries: 10 to 14 mm, small to medium
So blueberry sizes overall extend from tiny wild fruits of 5 mm to extra large highbush cultivars reaching over 20 mm across. But what impacts the dimensions of these petite, flavor-packed berries?
Factors Influencing Blueberry Size
While blueberry varieties have inherent size ranges, several elements can cause fruits to become larger or smaller than their baseline:
Climate and Growing Conditions
Ideal conditions of cool nights, warm days, and consistent moisture during fruit development maximize berry size. Hot, dry climates often produce smaller fruits. Providing adequate irrigation where it’s dry boosts dimensions.
Plant Health
Vigorous, robust bushes with healthy foliage bear larger fruit. Stressors like nutrient deficiencies, pests, diseases, or insufficient sunlight can restrict plant growth and reduce berry size. Optimal care promotes the best fruit.
Pruning Regimes
Annual pruning focuses growth into fewer buds, resulting in larger berries. Heavy pruning temporarily decreases yields but improves berry size versus unpruned plants.
Crop Load
Plants carrying heavy crop loads with dense fruit clusters typically have smaller berries. Thinning fruits early allows the remaining berries to grow bigger.
Pollination
Adequate bee activity and pollination leads to higher seed counts and larger, rounder blueberries. Varieties lacking pollinators often have misshapen, smaller fruits.
Sizes of Popular Blueberry Varieties
While blueberry sizes are diverse, some key varieties are prized for extra large fruits:
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Jersey – 15 to 20 mm, high yielding with big, firm berries.
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Elliott – 18 to 25 mm, produces exceptionally large, flavorful fruits.
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Nelson – 20 to 25 mm, a leading variety noted for very big berries.
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Aurora – 18 to 20 mm, abundant large, sweet berries that store well.
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Draper – 18 to 22 mm, an early variety with massive berries.
On the small side, wild mountain lowbush blueberries commonly reach just 6 to 9 mm diameter. Even smaller are the berries of Velvetleaf blueberry at 5 to 8 mm across.
Why Blueberry Size Matters
While blueberries always deliver outstanding flavor, their dimensions impact:
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Large berries are prized for fresh eating and higher prices.
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Bulk is valued for processing, so small wild berries are heavily used.
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Compact berries work well in baked goods. Oversize ones bleed and get mushy.
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Uniform sizes enable reliable, efficient packaging and mechanized harvesting.
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Smaller berries have higher skin to flesh ratios, intensifying nutrition and flavor.
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Larger fruits are easier to hand pick and hull than tiny wild berries.
So growers, distributors, and consumers all have reasons to care about blueberry dimensions!
Enjoying Blueberries of All Sizes
The diverse spectrum of blueberry sizes each lend themselves to certain uses:
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Smaller wild varieties are ideal for baking, jams, and sauces.
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Medium highbush berries are great for snacking, pancakes, salads, and muffins.
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Large highbush varieties are fantastic for fresh eating, yogurt, fruit salads.
Whether you prefer tiny wild lowbush berries for pie filling or giant Jersey blueberries for snacking, there is a blueberry size for every purpose!
So the next time you enjoy these colorful, nutrient-dense gems, take a moment to appreciate the spectrum of sizes, from wild pea-sized berries to the hefty cultivated fruits. Their compact round shapes and deep blue hue never fail to delight, no matter the dimensions. With an appreciation for the factors impacting size, you can find just the right blueberries for any recipe or use.
What better plant to have in your backyard than one that grows delicious, healthy fruit and is beautiful to look at? This blueberry guide to growing blueberry bushes will lead in the right direction.
- Northern Highbush Blueberries need 800-1000 hours of chilling, depending on the variety;
- Southern Highbush varieties need 150-800 hours; and
- Rabbiteye varieties, most popular in the southeastern United States, need 350-700 chill hours.
- Beckyblue blueberry is tolerant of hot and humid summers, and needs only 350 chill hours for ideal fruit set. This rabbiteye variety offers early season (late May to early June) ripening, exceptional production of medium to large sized berries, and showy fall color. Beckyblue gets 6-15’ tall and 6-10’ wide.
- Tifblue blueberry produces big, delicious berries on hardy bushes 3-15 feet tall and 3-10 feet wide. Tifblue tolerates colder weather than other Rabbiteye blueberries, and needs around 650 chill hours to fruit properly. The berries are large, light blue and ripen later in the season, usually in mid-June to late July.
- Premier blueberries are large, light powdery blue and ripen early in the season, around late May to early June. Premier needs around 550 chill hours for the ideal fruit set. This variety gets 6-10 feet tall and 6-8 feet wide. Premier tolerates a higher soil pH than other blueberry varieties.
- Climax blueberries need around 450 to 500 chill hours and offer exceptional performance in hot and humid climates as well as attractive fall color. The climax is an early season fruiter and the bushes max out around 8-15 feet tall and 6-10 feet wide.
- Powder Blue blueberry is a heavy producer of large fruit that ripens later in the season, generally from late June to mid-July. It has attractive foliage, especially in autumn, and is a good choice for a shrub border or hedge. Powder Blue gets 6-15 feet tall and 6-10 feet wide. Powder Blue needs around 600 chill hours for ideal fruit set.
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FAQ
What is the average size of a blueberry?
The fruit is a berry 5–16 mm (3⁄16–5⁄8 in) in diameter with a flared crown at the end; they are pale greenish at first, then reddish-purple, and finally uniformly blue when ripe. They are covered in a protective coating of powdery epicuticular wax, colloquially known as the “bloom”.
Why do some doctors say not to eat blueberries?
How big are blueberries in CM?
Berries are blue to black in color and 0.6–1.3 cm (0.25–0.5 in) in size. Lowbush blueberry plants (including Vaccinium angustifolium) are smaller in stature, reaching heights of 35 to 60 cm (13.8–23.6 in) and with proper management can produce fruit for between 40 and 50 years.
How big do blueberries get?
How big are blueberries?
But blueberries do come in a range of sizes, both for different species and cultivars. Read on to find out just how big (or small) these nutrient-packed berries can be! Wild blueberries collected from the mountains average 6 to 14 millimeters, around 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch in diameter.
How tall do blueberry bushes grow?
The height of a blueberry bush at maturity depends on the variety. Here are the heights of blueberry bushes by variety. Northern Highbush Blueberry – grows 6 to 12 feet (1.8 to 3.6 meters) tall at maturity. For more information, check out this article on Northern Highbush Blueberries from Wikipedia.
How big do lowbush blueberries get?
Lowbush Blueberries are much smaller plants. They can be quite diminutive at just 6 inches tall, but can grow to between 1.5 and 2 feet tall.
How big do rabbiteye blueberries get?
Rabbiteye blueberries: 14 to 16 mm, medium to large sized. Lowbush (“wild”) blueberries: 6 to 9 mm, smaller pea-sized fruits. Hybrid half-high blueberries: 10 to 14 mm, small to medium sized. While blueberry species and cultivars have inherent size ranges, several factors can cause the fruits to become larger or smaller than their typical baseline:
What do blueberries look like?
Blueberries are one of the most popular and beloved berry fruits. Their characteristic bell-shaped form capped with a crown-like calyx, and their dusting of pale powdery “bloom” makes them instantly recognizable. But blueberries do come in a range of sizes, both for different species and cultivars.
How long does a blueberry take to grow?
Lowbush blueberry varieties only take 2 to 3 years to mature because of their small size. Northern highbush, southern highbush, and half-high varieties all take 6 to 8 years to reach full size. Rabbiteye varieties take a bit longer, needing 8 to 10 years to reach full size.