Valley Bounty: The joy of blueberry season: Sobieski’s River Valley Farm in Whately has been growing blueberries since 1977

Blueberry season is here. Whether from farm stands, farmers markets, or in the fields for pick-your-own, the beloved berry freezes well, dries well and makes sublime jams and preserves — if they last beyond being eaten fresh.

Sobieski’s River Valley Farm in Whately has been growing blueberries since 1977, when Francis Sobieski planted 3,000 highbush blueberry bushes. The elder Sobieski retired 14 years ago, when his son, Robert Sobieski, took over as the current owner/operator of the farm.

The younger Sobieski went to the University of Massachusetts and served in the Coast Guard. “After seeing a bit of the world, I came back to the farm because there’s a connection to the land that I really enjoy,” he says. “I love being outside, and there are many different things about farming that I love.”

Blueberries are a native plant to Massachusetts, and Indigenous people foraged them throughout the region. In 1910, botanist Frederick Coville published “Experiments in Blueberry Culture,” which led to collaboration with grower and botanist Elizabeth White. In 1916, Coville and White cultivated the first blueberry variety for food production.

The Coville variety was one of the first blueberry bushes planted at Sobieski’s River Valley Farm, and they continue to grow that variety to this day, one of 12 varieties on the farm. “Some are sweeter, some are in-between: both sweet and sour,” Sobieski notes. “Every variety has a particular flavor, which I find interesting … I like them all, and it's nice to have all those varieties because you're never just getting the same flavor over and over again.”

The subtle differences in flavor keep fans of Sobieski’s berries asking when their favorite sections are ripe and ready. “We have some people who come every year for pick-your-own,” Sobieski says. “They know which varieties are their favorites and they ask for their favorites by section, like, ‘are you open in lot two today?’”

Careful selection of 12 bush varieties has allowed Sobieski’s berries to tolerate cold temperatures to -15 degrees and allows the farm to extend the season from late June through mid-September.

Growing blueberries is a year-round endeavor. The farmer prunes from late November through early April, because it takes a long time to complete the task. “It’s peaceful,” Sobieski says. “Sometimes, it’s me and a couple of crows in the middle of winter.”

Pruning is essential for invigorating the bush for the next growing season. “Pruning is one of those jobs that have to be done to get the best tasting berries possible,” Sobieski explains, “it’s very much a cycle.”

The bushes require attentive care in the spring, when the berry clusters form and the waxy green berries emerge. Sobieski’s River Valley Farm practices Integrated Pest Management, which allows them to manage pests with minimal chemical intervention. The farmer walks the rows daily in the spring, monitoring, clipping, and removing berries, leaves, or branches that indicate the presence of problems before they spread, like the cranberry and cherry fruit worm, or the mummy berry disease.

Birds can challenge blueberry patches, and Sobieski has tried many passive deterrents for birds over the years. “In the end, there’s not much I can do about birds,” he says. “Birds get used to everything, like scare balloons or sounds. They watch, then a few birds go into the field, and when nothing happens, the rest follow. Netting works, but that requires a lot of work and maintenance.”

Sobieski observes that bears prefer to stay near the tree line perimeter and rarely venture far into the patch. “Thirteen years ago, I planted 2,000 bushes to offset the loss from birds and animals, and it’s working out well. I factored in that people are not the only ones who enjoy blueberries. I don’t stress because we have enough to supply our customers.”

More than birds or bears, changes in weather over the last 10 years have challenged the farm’s ability to adapt and still grow a healthy crop of blueberries. “It used to be that the cold in spring gave me time to prune,” Sobieski notes. “When we get an early spring that heats up, it rushes everything. This year is more what I remember — the cool weather kept the bushes dormant until mid-April.”

On May 18, 2023, a late freeze took out a large portion of their crop. Since then, the farm invested in infrastructure to mitigate weather extremes. Now they have a wind machine to manage temperatures to protect the bushes from late frosts and they have an overhead irrigation system to protect from frost or freeze by misting the early buds, forming a protective coating around the bud when temperatures plummet. The irrigation system also works for water management during the growing season, or to protect the plants from damaging heat when the temperatures surge.

Wholesale blueberries are a mainstay of the family business. The farm sells wholesale to Marty’s Local, Food Connects, River Valley Market, and other midsize grocers. “It’s a very loyal bunch of customers that we have,” Sobieski says. “They keep coming back year after year.”

“I have a large group of customers I have known for years,” Sobieski says about his wholesale customers, “and the blueberry harvest is the only time I get to see them and talk to them. It’s a joy.”

The farm grows wholesale blueberries, plus raspberries and seasonal vegetables for their farm stand, at 239 River Rd. in Whately. The pick-your-own berries are an opportunity for Sobieski to meet his local customers. “I really like seeing families having fun and coming to the farm,” he says.

Sobieski’s River Valley Farm stand is open for pick-your-own blueberries daily, seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 239 River Rd. in Whately. For severe weather, check their Facebook and Instagram pages for updates. For the sake of food safety, please leave your dogs at home. The farm stand accepts cash, checks, and Venmo.

Lisa Goodrich is a communications coordinator for Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA). To find pick-your-own blueberry fields near you, see CISA’s online guide at https://tinyurl.com/LHblueberries.