Vaccinium angustifolium
Origin: Saranac Lake, New York
Improvement status: Wild
Seeds per packet: ~50
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
This is the classic "wild" blueberry of commerce, produced primarily in Maine and Atlantic Canada from large "blueberry barrens" where once-wild patches are tended to by farmers to maximize productivity. Often utilizing the Indigenous practice of burning (but sometimes bush-hogging or mowing the plants nearly to the ground), farmers encourage further rhizomatic spread of the plants and rejuvenation of the patch. It's said that wild blueberry rhizomes can lie dormant underneath the surface for a century and resprout when conditions are just right, such as following a fire.
Growing generally less than 3 ft tall, these plants are very different from the domesticated "highbush" blueberries found fresh in supermarkets. The vast majority (99%) of wild blueberries are frozen, with the rest turned quickly into baked goods or (rarely) sold fresh in local markets. Over 95% of wild blueberries produced commercially come from Maine. Wild blueberries are smaller and more tart than highbush blueberries, but they are also more strongly flavored, higher in antioxidants and other nutrients, and grown with far fewer chemicals — though some growers of conventional wild blueberries due use pesticides or herbicides, so it's still valuable as a consumer to seek out certified organic wild blueberries. Or, better yet, grow some yourself!
These seeds come from wild plants near Saranac Lake, New York, in the Adirondack Mountains. They come our way thanks to the good folks at Sheffield's Seed in Locke, NY.
GROWING TIPS: To germinate, cold-moist stratify for 90 days, then surface sow and keep moist in mostly shade for the first year or so. Plants will ultimately be more productive when planted in full sun. Like other blueberries, they want acidic soil.
NOTE: The first five images here are by photographer Gilles Ayotte, preserved by the Bibliothèque de l'Université Laval in Quebec City and are shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. The image of three ripe berries just above the ground comes from Signal Hill in Saint Johns, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada; it is by author Ryan Hodnett and shared under the same license as the first five. The image with a lone tree and what looks like a field is actually a "blueberry barren" in Jonesboro, Maine; its author is Kim Carpenter and it's shared under the is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
