Berries & kiwi · 2027 season
Sweetheart Blueberry Bush
Vaccinium
Better with a partnerEarly-season blueberry with excellent flavor, bred here in New Jersey.
- #1 container
Pick up in Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March. Pay cash, check, Venmo or PayPal at pickup.
Sweetheart is an early-season blueberry with excellent flavor. In mild autumns it sometimes flowers again and sets a small fall crop, but don't count on it every year.
The berries are medium to medium-large, a little smaller than Duke, and very good eating.
Plant it with Duke or Patriot for better pollination and bigger crops.
Sweetheart was bred in New Jersey: the cross was made in 1996 by USDA breeder Mark Ehlenfeldt at Chatsworth, and it was released in 2010.
How it tastes
Sweet with excellent flavor. Pick promptly, because berries left too long turn overripe.
At a glance
- You get
- #1 container
- Hardiness zones
- USDA About 5–8 (Salem County is 7)
- Blooms
- Mid season
- Ripens
- Mid to late June
- Starts bearing
- A small crop the second year, more each year after
- Mature size
- About 4–6 ft
- Pollination
- Better with a partner
- Botanical name
- Vaccinium
- Price
- $13 each, paid at pickup
- Pickup
- Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March
The fruit
- Looks
- Medium to medium-large, attractive light blue
- Flavor
- Very good flavor
- Best for
- Fresh, Baking
- Keeps
- Stores well in the fridge
Pollination
Partly self-fertile. Planting two or more different blueberry varieties near each other gives noticeably bigger crops and berries.
Good partners from our list
Growing tips
Watch for: Pick promptly; berries left too long can go overripe
- Blueberries need acidic soil (pH 4.5–5.5). Much of South Jersey is naturally acidic, which is why blueberries do so well here. Test your soil if you're not sure.
- Blueberries are the exception to our native-soil rule: mix peat moss or pine bark into the planting area, and mulch with pine needles or wood chips.
- Plant two or more varieties for bigger crops.
- Keep the soil evenly moist. Blueberry roots are shallow.
- Remove the flowers for the first year so the plant puts its energy into roots.
New to planting fruit trees? Read our step-by-step planting guide: square hole, graft above the soil, native soil, and no fruit for the first two years.
Photos show the variety, not the exact plant you’ll get. Reservations are for the 2027 season, picked up at our farm in Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March, and aren’t guaranteed until we confirm them. Questions? Ask us or call or text (856) 345‑4538.
