How to Rake Blueberries

Wild blueberries are smaller than cultivated blueberries

Blueberries grow on bushes and come in two types, highland and lowland. Lowland berries are native to the US and grow wild in states like Maine, while highland blueberries are the cultivated blueberries. Blueberries need highly acidic soil in which to grow, usually with a pH of 4.8. Raking blueberries is how blueberries are harvested from the blueberry bushes. A blueberry rake, a toothed tool with a small area to catch the blueberries, is used to get the berries off of the bush. It is more efficient than handpicking in most cases.

Things You'll Need

• Blueberry rake
• Bucket

Instructions

1. Find a blueberry bush on which at least 70 percent of the blueberries are ripe. The blueberries are ripe when they give slightly in your fingers and are sweet.

2. Bend down to the bottom of the blueberry bush, and drag the rake up through the bush. Shake the rake as you drag it to dislodge more berries from the bush.

3. Pour the blueberries that fall into the rake's catch area into the bucket. Repeat the process in Step 2 until all the ripe berries from the blueberry bush are raked.

References

• The University of Maine: Maine's Native Berry
• Clemson University: Blueberries
• North Carolina State University: Growing Blueberries in the Home Garden
• The University of Maine:Production - 220-Wild Blueberry Culture in Maine