Even 6-8 days after turning blue is probably too long for most blueberries here, as the birds are not that patient. I just picked quite a few berries yesterday that were just turning a few days ago. They were fantastic.

One variety that I planted last year really surprised me, Sampson. It has large clusters of big tasty berries that are as early as Oneal, but it is much more productive. I got it from Finch Nursery. I'll definitely consider putting in more of these.

I planted a few Star and Revielle this spring. No fruit on the Revielle yet, as they are small, so I'll have to wait until next year to for fruit.

Soutmoon was recommended to me by a nursery worker, and WOW was she right! They are by far the yummiest of my varieties

Carla in Sac

Mine simply aren't sweet right after they turn color. In fact my opinion of blueberries has been that they are a second tier fruit in terms of eating quality. This was based on store bought, pick your own, fruit stands, and several yrs of fruit tastings at university plantings in California. The fruit generally isn't that good. These Southmoon are a first tier fruit. One yr I had some good Santa Fe on my plants but not like these.

Santa Fe and Star have larger fruit and are much easier to pick. Next yr I've got to get the fruit load down on all and see how they taste as they hang longer. In my greenhouse there are no pest/birds and the fruit hangs until it shrivels up.

The Fruitnut

How early does Southmoon bloom? I may want to give it a try here. It needs 400 hours of winter chill and is highly tolerant of winter warm spells according to the patent info.

BTW, the bush doing so well for me is not Sampson, but Sierra. I was off by a row. Strange, as I have several other Sierra bushes that have not grown and fruited nearly as well. The real Sampson is not doing very well. Last year, the Easter freeze and the severe drought really put the hurt on many of my blueberries, and a few are still recovering. Ozarkblue is still doing far better than all my other varieties (I have 21 now).

The only blueberry here that can match or surpass Southmoon for size and flavor in my yard is Misty. Both have large berries with a wonderfully sweet, complex flavor when ripe, and a size and mouthfeel like small homegrown grapes. Southmoon has a slightly more acid taste than Misty, so would appeal to people who like more of a tang in their fruit. Or maybe IÂm picking them before they develop their full flavor. All my blueberries seem to post ripen off the bush, and are even better if they sit after picking for a week.
My Jubilee, Sharp Blue, OÂNeal, and Sunshine Blue have an abundance of medium sized berries, with an okay taste, but are just not as good. I didn't thin them. The more I pick, the bigger they get.
Reveille has won a number of taste tests, but requires 600-800 hours of chilling. IÂm not sure if it would fruit here. It might be worth a try.
The birds donÂt seem to be eating my blueberries this year. I donÂt know why that is. The mockingbird of our turf is keeping a close eye on them, and perhaps is driving other birds away.

Southmoon is extremely vigorous, evergreen, and appears to need almost no chilling. Mine blooms from Oct to March but mostly in spring. Don't think it would be good in a cold winter area but should be good in almost any warm winter climate. I doubt that it needs 400 hrs chilling but could be wrong there. It acts as thou it needs none. You won't have to remove the fruit on a small plant. It outgrows anything else I've got by 2:1. But the fruit is ~60% the size of Star and 75% of Santa Fe and hard to pick. The fruit is in tight clusters and is hard to separate from the stem. I'd hate to have acres to pick commercially. But that is the only fault I see.

I think crop load has a huge effect on bb quality. Misty in central Ca was very prone to overbear and as a result was mediocre in quality every time I've tried it. I'm also of the opinion that 90% of the bb I've had in the past were picked too early. Picking too early and overcropping are a recipe for tasteless mush. The only thing worse is insufficient winter chill. Had one variety like that. It set a boatload of big fruit and had almost no leaves until after the fruit turned color. Of course it was worthless fruit.

The Fruitnut

fruitnut, my Southmoon grows much much faster than mine Misty too. It's really vigorous. I just bought it this year and I wonder if I should prune it after all fruits (only a couple dozens left) are picked.

How do you know that Southmoon requires nearly no chill hours? Your zone should get much more than 400 hours any way.

I'm going by the fact that Southmoon begins to bloom in October and blooms all winter. Also, it never drops any leaves. True I get more than 400hrs chilling even in my greenhouse which is where the Southmoon is from Nov to harvest. Maybe it does need 400 hrs but usually those estimates are too high on low chill stuff.

The Fruitnut