Mecklenburg County, Va., farm thrives during summer
July 2025
Candy Rose began planting blueberry bushes on her husband’s family farm in 2012, shortly after moving to Virginia from Florida. (by Michelle Dean Greene)
by Michelle Greene Dean, The Delmarva Farmer
Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative member Candy Rose of Bracey, Va., enjoys growing blueberries and keeping her farm neat and clean, but she says it’s the returning customers that keep her going.
“My customers, especially the frequent pickers, are why I continue to work the blueberry farm,” Rose says. “I tried commercial sales, but it just wasn’t worth it. Word of mouth is the best advertising.”
Open late May through July, Rose’s Blueberry Hill of Rosemont was started 13 years ago when she purchased some 2-year-old blueberry bushes from Michigan.
The northern highbush varieties have produced sweet, beautiful blueberries ever since.
Rose, originally from Florida, moved to Virginia in 2012, where she and her husband, John, built a little farmhouse. They then planted the field with blueberry bushes. Rose and her husband also started Rosemont Winery.
She says they planted the blueberry bushes in a fallow pasture on her farm. “Blueberries don’t like to be close to each other,” she says. “I planted mine 5 feet apart, in rows 9 feet apart. This gives the blueberry bushes plenty of space to grow, allowing the blueberries to fill the lightweight branches with an abundance of uniform berries.”
Rose says her blueberries first appear as a light pastel green, then shift to a reddish-pink color before showcasing various shades of blue. Blueberries begin blooming in March on Rose’s farm, with harvest beginning late May through the end of July.
“Blueberries are surface feeders, this means they have a shallow root system; therefore, they need water frequently,” she says. “I water my blueberry bushes three times a week, about four hours at a time. Excessive heat can make the berry tart, so keeping the bushes watered helps keep the berries sweet.” Since blueberries need to be picked daily, Blueberry Hill of Rosemont offers pick-your-own from 7-11 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Pickers get large, yellow rectangle tubs that can hold 5 gallons of berries and are directed to rows of bushes that are designated daily.
Rose says she enjoys seeing families and friends meeting at her blueberry farm to pick the blue fruit and have fun while the berries drop into the containers. Brenda Sadler, a long-time summer employee, helps keep the grass cut between the rows of blueberry bushes. She also assists with berry picking with help from seasonal employees. Rose says she’s fortunate to have employees who respect the harvest and the land and take pride in their work.
Blueberry Hill of Rosemont has several peach, plum and cherry trees, and a vegetable garden as well.
“This farm has been in my husband’s family since the late 1800s,” Rose says. “I want to pass this passion on to generations to come … being a good steward of the land is really important.”
This article comes from The Delmarva Farmer, an agricultural newspaper for the mid-Atlantic region.
