With Florida spring vegetable shipments to peak later this month, Florida blueberry shipments are already there.
Florida’s blueberry harvest is in full swing and state officials estimate acreage at 5,200 and production near 20 million pounds.
Blueberries grow throughout the state of Florida, primarily from Hendry County in the south to Alachua and Putnam counties in the north, Doug Phillips, University of Florida’s blueberry extension coordinator, said in a news release. “There are some rabbit eye blueberries grown in the Florida Panhandle, mostly on smaller farms with U-pick operations,” he said. “Most blueberries grow in central Florida, although there is significant acreage in both the north-central and south-central regions.”
Florida has the first U.S.-produced blueberries to reach the domestic market in early spring. Harvest generally begins in March in the south-central and central regions and continues through early May, when market prices decline. Phillips said the state’s market window is when prices are typically the highest, which is an advantage for Florida growers. The state ranks eighth in the U.S. in terms of utilized blueberry production.
“We are not very large, but we do produce the first fresh fruit of the country and that makes us very relevant,” Phillips said.