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U-Pick FAQ
When does the season start?
How much do the berries cost?
What do I need to bring?
Do you have pre-picked berries available?
What forms of payment do you accept?
Do you have plants for sale?
Why are there field rules?
Why are there roped off areas?
Can I bring my dog?
Any tips for picking blueberries?
Do you use pesticides on your blueberry plants?
How many varieties of blueberry are at the farm?
What are those small, white, dried up berries?
The season usual starts mid-July and lasts until the berries run out (typically two weeks). Sign up for the mailing list to receive updates on the farm for the upcoming and future seasons.
The price is $2.00 per pound.
We provide buckets for picking and bags for you to take your berries home in. There are restroom facilities and drinking water available. Bring sunscreen on sunny days - there is little to no shade in the field.
Do you have pre-picked berries available?
No, we do not have picked berries available, but Terry's Berries may have picked blueberries for sale.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept cash or check only (no credit or debit).
We are working on propagating our plants both for the future of the field and to eventually sell! Please check back for any updates.
During the blueberry season, we sell Grow Your Own Blueberry Plant from Seed kits.
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When you visit please respect the field rules. They are not only for the protection and health of the blueberry plants; they are for the protection and health of you! |
Why are there roped off areas?
There are several reasons areas are roped off: part of the field is contracted out, the berries are not yet ripe (see the answer to "How many varieties of blueberry are at the farm?"), and for your protection from hornets and wasps.
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For example, this area was roped off because of a wasp nest in the blueberry bush. |
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An unpleasant surprise for any picker.
So please remember the ropes are there for a reason!
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For your safety, please respect the ropes and warning signs.Hornets and wasps often make their nest in the field. Native hornets general nest in old rodent holes in the ground (non-native European hornets commonly build their nest in the sides of houses). Paper wasps build structures like the one pictured above.
Please remember that these wasps and hornets serve an important function in the field and in your garden! They feed on caterpillars, aphids, beetle grubs, and flies, all of which can directly harm crops or can transmit plant diseases. To read more on the benefits of living with hornets please read more here.
| Katie, the farm dog, says, "Please leave your dog at home." |  |
Any tips for picking blueberries?
When you find a variety of blueberry that you enjoy, pick the bush clean! Look up at the top of the bush and look inside the bush to pick all the berries. Careful move limbs (without bending them too much) to look into the bush. It is amazing how much fruit can be hiding behind a few leaves!
To pick ripe berries, take a cluster in one hand and gentle roll your thumb over the berries. The ripe berries will fall off into your hand (without a stem) while the unripe berries will stay on the bush.
A ripe berry will be entirely blue and should come off the bush without much effort. An unripe berry is green, entirely red, or has a red blush around the stem. Please leave these on the bush so others many pick and enjoy them in the future.
When picking berries, remember to be gentle to the plant - do not bend, break, or twist the branches. The future health of and the amount of fruit on the bushes depend on how the plants are treated by pickers.
Do you use pesticides on your blueberry plants?
Pesticides have not been used on our plants since we have owned the farm (1998).
At least 20 varieties of blueberries, which were planted in the 1940s (click here for more information), grow on our farm. There is only a total 50-60 varieties of blueberries in the world, and half of those are grown in the northern regions. So our farm hosts the majority of blueberry varieties grown in the northern region!
The berries are very different between varieties in size, shape, and taste. The plants of each variety also have a distinct growth pattern and ripening cycle. Some berries ripen early, while others ripen later in the season. For example, in our field, we have a popular commercial variety whose berries turn blue early in the season. However, those berries don't produce sugar and get sweet until much later (these berries are usually roped off during the U-pick season).
Since the majority of the field was planted before the commercialization of produce, most of the blueberry varieties must be hand-picked. Some blueberry varieties in our field are not typically found in grocery stores. So when you visit the field use your senses to taste and see the difference in our fruit.
What are those small, white, dried up berries?
Those are called mummy berries. A disease caused by a fungus can grow on the berries eventually drying out the berry, causing it to shrivel. When the mummy berries fall on the ground, they spread their spores, continuing their life cycle.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact us at farmer@linboblueberries.com or call (253) 229-6438.
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Linbo Blueberry Farm
1201 South Fruitland, Puyallup, WA 98371 www.linboblueberries.com |