Daily Orchard Update
Today: Monday 10th March 2025
We are: for pick your own
We are now closed for the 2024 / 2025 season. We would like to thank all who came out and supported us with their custom during the season. After almost 30 years of PYO Don and Wendy are retiring from running Blueberry Bliss and it is our loyal customers that we will miss the most. We are handing the reins over to the next generation of our family and hope that you will give them the same support you have given us. Soooo Blueberry Bliss open again for PYO next summer in mid December. Meanwhile have a safe and happy year.
How To Find Us
WHY PICK YOUR OWN?
It’s easy….. there are no prickles on blueberry bushes. The bushes grow to 1.8m or so with fruit spread from top to bottom so you don’t have to bend if you don’t want to and there are blueberries down low for little ones to find. Ripe blueberries will fall into your hand with the slightlest tug leaving the green ones on the bunch to ripen for next time.
It’s relaxing…. something about the fresh air and the park like surrounds and the hypnotic rythmn of picking… not sure what but most folk leave smiling!
So fresh…. nothing tastes better than fresh off the bush that day.
It’s satisfying …. nothing like that “I gathered this myself” feeling.
It’s enviromentally friendly ….. we encourage customers to bring their own containers, no waste there. If you forget we have reusable, recyclable containers for sale that are made from recycled materials.
It can be social …. an ideal time for a natter. Or not up to you.
Blueberries all year round ….. blueberries have a natural bloom on them that means that if you drop a container full of them into the freezer without washing them (safe to do as we don’t spray nasty chemicals our fruit) they will atuomatically free flow freeze.
Pick Your Own Etiquitte
Bring your own container to pick into…. do your bit towards saving our wonderful planet. Come see us before you start…. we will weigh your empty container so you will only be paying for your fruit when you are finished. We will show you how to pick and tell you where you should head for the best picking.
Wash your hands before picking…. we provide hand sanitiser just inside the gate of the orchard and ask that everyone entering wash their hands.
Please pay for your fruit before you eat it…. just as you would in the supermarket.
Pick only what you intend to pay for and take home…. if you drop berries as you are picking take the time to pick them up, it’s worth it.
Mind that child in the orchard…. we love having families come out, it is so important for children to learn where food comes from and to value it… so please help them learn how to pick, keep them close and encourage their labours. They will love it. And the other customers will thank you for it.
Mind that child in the car park…. please keep an eye on your children in the car park and when you are driving go slow and watch out for the littlies please.
Keep yourself safe…. this is a working orchard and it’s beautiful place, but there are hazards…. the ground may be uneven in places. There are stumps of dead plants in some places so don’t push through the rows.
Types of Bushes
The bushes grown at Broadfield Berryfruit are called high bush varieties. The bushes grow from 0.6 up to 1.8m high. There is very little bending to pick the fruit.
These bushes are based on the blueberries grown in the United States. They are slightly different from the bushes that grow in the forests in Europe. Our berries have white flesh, they are not blue all the way through and the berries grow a lot bigger than the European berries. High bush varieties thrive in free draining soils so ground in our Christchurch orchard is usually dry.