Blueberry Acre Setup Costs

Blueberries are a perennial commitment — you spend three years before commercial harvest and 20+ before you replant. Getting year 0 right is the whole game.

Establishment cost per acre (rabbiteye or southern highbush)

• Soil amendment (elemental sulfur to pH 4.8–5.2): $400
• Pine bark bed prep (4 in deep, 3 ft wide): $1,200
• Plants (900/acre at $6–9, 2-year container): $5,400–8,100
• Planting labor: $650
• Drip irrigation install: $1,400
• Deer fence (8 ft, essential in Southeast): $3,500
• Year-1 fertilizer + herbicide + mulch top-up: $550
• Year 0 total: ~$13,100–15,800/acre

Year 0–5 cash flow (typical southern highbush)

• Year 0: −$14,500 (establishment).
• Years 1–2: −$1,800/yr (maintenance, no revenue).
• Year 3: −$500 (light first crop, ~2,000 lb).
• Year 4: +$3,500 (~5,000 lb).
• Year 5: +$8,500 (~8,000 lb, mature).
• Cumulative breakeven: year 7–8.

The two decisions that break the pro forma

• Skimping on pine bark. Blueberries want organic-matter-heavy, acidic beds. Skipping this at year 0 kills yield permanently.
• No deer fence. Southeast deer will graze a young block to nothing in one winter. Fence at planting, not year 2.