Highbush Blueberry
Chandler Blueberry is a high-chill cultivar that produces the largest berries you're likely to encounter in a home garden, with a harvest window stretching from mid-summer into late season. Hardy in zones 4 through 8, this compact shrub reaches about 6 feet tall and thrives in full sun with acidic soil (pH 4.5 to 5.5). It begins producing fruit within 2 to 3 years and will continue yielding for at least a decade, making it a long-term investment that rewards patient gardeners with weeks of jumbo blue berries suited to fresh eating, baking, canning, and freezing alike.
Set your location to see if this variety matches your area
Full Sun
Low
4-8
72in H x 60in W
Perennial
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Chandler produces berries of exceptional size with firm flesh and a long, extended ripening season that stretches more than a month from mid to late summer. The vigorous, upright plants feature durable oval foliage that turns striking red in autumn, functioning as both a productive fruit source and attractive landscape element. Its cold hardiness down to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit and self-pollinating nature eliminate many of the complications gardeners face with other blueberry varieties, while the robust flavor and firm texture make these berries exceptional fresh from the bush.
Fresh eating is where Chandler truly excels, as the oversized, firm berries pop off the branch into your hand ready to eat. The robust flavor and meaty texture also make them outstanding for baking into pies, muffins, and cobblers without collapsing into jam. These berries freeze exceptionally well, making them a favorite for preserving large quantities for winter use, and they can be canned or made into preserves if you have the harvest to support it.
Transplant blueberry plants in early spring while dormant, after your last hard frost. Plant into acidic, well-amended soil, setting the root ball at the same depth it was growing in its nursery pot. Water thoroughly after planting and maintain consistent moisture during the first growing season.
Begin harvesting in the second or third year once plants are established. Berries ripen over several weeks from mid into late July and beyond, so harvest regularly by gently picking fully blue berries that are slightly springy when squeezed. Do not wash berries until you're ready to eat them, and refrigerate them shortly after harvest to preserve quality and shelf life.
Minimal pruning is required for Chandler's compact growth habit. Remove any dead or crossing canes in early spring, and thin out older wood to encourage vigorous new shoots that will carry next season's abundant fruit. Light shaping helps maintain the shrub's attractive upright form.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.
“Introduced in 1995, Chandler represents a modern advancement in blueberry breeding, developed through the New Jersey blueberry testing program as a high-chill variety engineered to produce exceptionally large fruit. Raintree Nursery was among the first Western U.S. nurseries to offer this cultivar commercially, recognizing its potential as a garden-scale answer to the desire for giant, sweet berries with extended harvest periods. The variety builds on decades of blueberry breeding work, taking advantage of improved genetic lines to deliver berries and productivity that would have seemed impossible to gardeners just generations before.”