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Early Mid-Season
Standard Varieties
Bluehaven: Bush is upright and productive but not sufficiently hardy for northern areas of the state. Berry is large, light blue, and exceptionally flavorful.
Bluejay: Bush is vigorous, upright, and open. Berries are long stemmed and hang in loose clusters; they hold on the bush without losing their quality until most are ripe. Fruit is of medium size. Berries are firm and light blue. Wood and buds are resistant to low winter temperatures. Flowers are less resistant to frost than Bluecrop. Production is sometimes erratic. Moderately resistant to mummy berry and resistant to shoestring virus.
Blueray: Plant is vigorous and propagates easily. Fruit is borne on small, tight clusters and canes tend to bend over. Tight clusters can cause berries to drop, especially in hot weather. Berries are large, dark blue, and firm, with good flavor. Consistently productive, but may overproduce if not pruned properly. Upright spreading habit; very hardy. Highly susceptible to mummy berry disease and anthracnose; also susceptible to red ringspot virus.
Collins: Ripens about 5 to 7 days after Earliblue; susceptible to winter injury. Bush is vigorous and upright with some spreading canes. May not sucker freely. Fruit is large, firm, light blue, and has very good flavor. Has narrow soil adaptation and produces only moderately.
Duke: A vigorous, upright bush bearing medium-sized, light-blue, firm fruit with a small dry scar. Blooms late, avoiding early frosts, but ripens relatively early. Plant has numerous canes that are stocky and moderately branched. Buds and wood tolerate fluctuating winter temperatures well. Harvest can be completed in two or three pickings. Flavor is mild and sweet. This variety is performing well in a number of locations. Moderately susceptible to mummy berry and anthracnose. Stem blight problems have been noticed.
Patriot: Plant is upright and vigorous, though only small to medium in height. Fruit is large and firm and has excellent flavor. Fruit must be completely ripe to have good flavor. Though hardy during the winter, this variety blooms early and is subject to frost. Developed in Maine and has excellent cold hardiness. Plants resistant to root rot.
Spartan: Plants are vigorous, upright, and open. Fruits are large, firm, light blue, and highly flavored, but plant performs poorly on amended "upland" soils. Blooms late, but harvests relatively early. Late bloom date helps prevent frost injury. Highly susceptible to anthracnose; partially resistant to mummy berry.
Recent Releases
Draper: A new release from the breeding program at Michigan State. Ripens with Duke, but with better flavor.
Nui: Produces a very high-quality, large berry. However, winter hardiness is questionable and growth is slow.
Reka: An introduction from New Zealand. Untested in the northeastern United States. Upright, vigorous habit that has been very productive where grown. This variety's outstanding characteristic is that it appears to be very adaptable to a wide range of soil types. Moderately susceptible to anthracnose.