My late late rabbiteyes just coming on. The variety in the pic is "Ocklockonee" a patented variety out of Georgia. Here in Oregon it starts in mid- August and we'll be picking until the end of October. About 15 lbs per plant.

They can send a plane load of Afghans here to Oregon...I need pickers!

Those are long gone here where it was bred. LOL

How do you like it? There's a big planting of it about five miles south of me at the Griffin experiment station. I believe it was developed down in Tifton and trialed here before release.

I drive past the experiment station almost daily and crane my neck to see what they got growing. That big block of peaches they put in a few years ago should've come into production this year.

I like it a lot better than the pollenizer for it "Powderblue" which is an oldy out of North Carolina. Has a lot of sugar and our customers like the size.

We just put in three more acres of rabbit eyes with "Overtime" and "Centra Blue" as well as "Ocklokonee". Overtime was developed here in Oregon and Centra Blue in New Zealand. All are varieties that fit our late late window where the better money is.

Sounds like an interesting variety of blueberry.

I keep asking the folks down at the station is they ever need a taste tester, lol. I do a bee presentation down there every year for school kids at their demonstration garden.

When does Ocklockonee end in your area Warrior?

Don't know specifically as I don't have one but the latest blueberries I see locally are in red haven season end of June first of July. That one may be the last to go.

Just noticed that mine are ripening right now.

An update:

Here is a pic from last year's rabbit eye harvest on our farm. 'Centra Blue' from a breeding program in New Zealand:

Those blueberries are huge! How's the flavor?

Keith

When mature Centra Blue produces an average of 15-20 lbs of fruit per bush. The flavor is really good and the berries firm, never mushy.

And maybe the best attribute of this cultivar is it produces over about an eight week harvest window from late August until the end of October. We're on the 45th parallel in zone 7a.

We produced a first crop of maybe 80-100 flats last year and all the stores wanted just Centra Blue over the others after that. LOL

have finger,, (lots larger then your wifes in the picture ),,, will travel.....

I have never had a cultivated blue berry that compared to wild ones for taste. The wild ones I picked never got much bigger than a pea. But they were real good. When you buy blue berries in a store, I have never seen the type listed, just says blue berries.

Can anyone get the bushes or is it a commercial variety only?

It's a patented variety and in the US only Fall Creek Nursery has a permit to sell them.

A 700 plant minimum order, prevents Fall Creek from being a source for most of us.

Keith

I wish We didn't live in zone 3 - 4

Don't know when that variety of blueberry makes, but the Ochlokonee River is about 65 miles due west of me. Nice little black water river that runs through the longleaf pine-wiregrass woods of SW Georgia and on down into Florida.

I went to that site and didn't see them...must of missed them somehow.
Yeah 700 minimum is a tad too many..