Cultivated blueberries are fairly uniform in their size, color and taste. Wild blueberries are generally much smaller in size than cultivated. They also vary in color from different shades of blue to almost black. Taste varies from very sweet to not-so-sweet.

Maine is the largest producer of wild blueberries in the world. Maine produces 10 percent of all blueberries in North America, including both wild and cultivated production.

Reason One: The Wild Blueberry Has A Short Season. The wild blueberry has an incredible short season lasting only a few weeks. It usually runs from the middle or latter part of August until the middle part of September. Fresh berries have a short shelf life so they seldom appear too far from where they are harvested.

It's important to plant wild blueberries in well-drained soils, like sandy soils. Do not plant wild blueberries in clay soils. Identify your soil pH by taking a soil sample. Apply sulfur to decrease the soil pH to 4.0 – 4.5; see wild blueberry fact sheet #254, Soil pH Management for recommendations on applying sulfur.