Cooperative Extension: Maine Wild Blueberries

Maine’s Native Berry

Maine’s lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) is native to northern New England and Atlantic Canada. In Maine, this crop is not planted but inhabits large fields on mountain tops and in glacial outwash plains which formed 10,000 years ago. Any given field can have as many as 1,500 genetically distinct wild blueberry plants that create a patchwork of berry flavor, shapes, and colors which is why many people refer to them as wild. Wild blueberries are grown in a two-year production cycle that alternates between a “prune year” and a “crop year.” Following the harvest in August, plants are pruned to the ground by mowing or burning. This makes the entire year after harvest, a vegetative year where stems, leaves, and buds develop. In the second year, plants bloom and produce blueberries.  Wild blueberry farmers typically divide their acreage equally between the two cycles in order to harvest a crop every year.

Maine Vaccinium Blueberry Species

All blueberries and cranberries are in the genus Vaccinium and heath plant family, Ericaceae. While we generally refer to the commercial production of wild blueberries to be Vaccinium angustifolium, there are several species of wild, lowbush, blueberries found in Maine fields. The most abundant wild blueberry in our commercial fields is the low-sweet, Vaccinium angustifolium. 

University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Our wild blueberry team provides research-based knowledge for farmers. We are a group of extension specialists and researchers who do field and lab studies directly with growers on topics that improve the economic and environmental sustainability of Maine farms. We work with graduate students, technicians, and other researchers in the US and Canada. We have a strong relationship with the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine industry group. There are 38,000 acres of commercial wild blueberry in Maine, managed by 485 farmers.

Get Involved! Dr. Calderwood and her team organize several on-farm fields days throughout the growing season and conferences over the winter.

Check out our Events Page to join us!

Growing Wild Blueberries at Home

Wild blueberries are best transplanted as sod. Growing wild blueberries from seed is easy in a planter but not recommended for landscapes at this time. Wild blueberry is slower growing than other plants and will be easily out-competed by weeds. Sod arrives with a fully intact, established root system that has a better chance of survival. Look for a sod retailer on our Marketplace page. If you decide to plant wild blueberry seed, make sure it is planted in mulch or another water holding material. Seed will dry out very quickly.

Click here for details on growing wild blueberries at home!

The University of Maine recognizes that it is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation, where issues of water and territorial rights, and encroachment upon sacred sites, are ongoing. Penobscot homeland is connected to the other Wabanaki Tribal Nations — the Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi’kmaq — through kinship, alliances and diplomacy. The University also recognizes that the Penobscot Nation and the other Wabanaki Tribal Nations are distinct, sovereign, legal and political entities with their own powers of self-governance and self-determination. The Wild Blueberry Cooperative Extension & Research team recognizes that the ongoing cultivation of wild blueberry in Maine is based on the knowledge and experience gained by generations of Passamaquoddy, Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, and Penobscot communities; these communities continue to cultivate and celebrate wild blueberry today.  

Revised August 2022.

Information in this publication is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied. © 2020

Call 800.287.0274 (in Maine), or 207.581.3188, for information on publications and program offerings from University of Maine Cooperative Extension or visit extension.umaine.edu.

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