REGION — Irish’s Berries and Honey at 20 Davenport Hill Road in Jay posted on its Facebook page that it planned to open for highbush blueberry picking Wednesday, July 10.

Highbush blueberries are ripening with one area farm now open for picking and others planning to open next week or later this month. File photo/Livermore Falls Advertiser

“The crop is looking pretty good, the berries are ripening quickly,” Rhonda Irish told The Franklin Journal Tuesday, July 9. “My granddaughter is picking some for a business right now, and I’ll either open this afternoon or tomorrow as I said on Facebook.”

Husband Jeff Irish does the fertilizing every year, Rhonda said. She didn’t know if he applied more this year than normal due to the heavy rains last December and this year.

The Irish’s operation is small, only has about 130 bushes, people can walk right out to them, Rhonda stated. Picking on the honor system is available daily sunup to sundown, she said. The price, $4 per quart is the same as last year and berry boxes are provided.

When asked about the fruit fly that has impacted some strawberry operations, Rhonda said the flies tend to impact later ripening varieties. Traps are put out to monitor for them, she noted. “It does tend to be a little bit later into the season,” she stated.

Pickers may pick in the rain, Irish said. If the field has to be closed for mowing or any other reason, updates will be given on Facebook, she added.

For more information, call 207-897-5708 or visit the Facebook page.

Grace Firth, who with her husband John have a pick your own operation at 26 Intervale Road in New Sharon expected to open Monday. “The berries look good, are ripening,” she said.

Rain did impact the latter part of the crop last year, isn’t showing a difference so far this year, Grace noted. Nothing different has been done this year, she said.

The Firths will be open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., the price is to be determined, Grace stated. People can bring their own containers, there will be buckets to pick into, she noted. A few vegetables will also be available for sale, she added.

For more information call 207-778-3904.

Thistle Moon Farm, formerly Wilton Blueberry Farm at 83 McLaughlin Road in Wilton is owned by Mat Bickford and his partner, Stephanie Henley. “The plan is to open that last week in July,” Bickford said. “We are doing Open Farm Day that Saturday [July 27].”

The berries are coming along good, are turning blue, he stated. “I got a handful the other day off three bushes,” he noted. “There are going to be a ton of them. We may open earlier depending on the weather.”

Hours will be Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Bickford said. The price this year is increasing, will be $3.50 a pound, he noted.

People can bring their own containers, some pint and quart boxes will be available, Bickford said.

A lot of obstacles have affected plans to offer vegetables and cut flowers this year, there may be some, he noted. The tent will be up again, Henley’s botanical skin care products and herb mixes will be found there, Bickford said. The plan is to grow, be able to offer baked goods eventually, he stated.

The rain last year impacted the crop, Bickford said. “We were only open three weeks total,” he noted. “Berries ripened up, the next day they were mush. There was just so much water. Construction and ditching is going on now, we don’t want to repeat that.”

The fruit fly definitely has potential to impact the crop, has been an issue in the past, Bickford said. “We don’t spray,” he explained. “We’re not even using any organic combatants. We do keep the fields mowed down, keep the perimeter around the blueberry fields mowed because the flies will travel across the top of the grass. We won’t know until blueberries are ripe.”

For more information call 207-645-4678 or visit the Facebook page.

Attempts to reach David Handley, small fruit specialist at Extension’s Highmoor Farm in Monmouth for information about this year’s blueberry crop were not successful.