Pie in the Sky? Photo By Photo by Randall Hamasaki, courtesy of
THE University of Hawaii Blueberries are often associated with
cooler growing climates, but early tests on the Big Island are
proving that the crop may have a future here in Hawaii. In
February 2007, Dr. Stuart T. Nakamoto, of the College of
Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at UH Manoa, and his
team installed two test fields, one on the wet side of Waimea,
and one on the dry side. “There must be dozens of varieties of
blueberries and we wanted to see which one did best.” Challenges
included a plant disease and birds. “These animals have never
seen blueberries, but somehow they know they are delicious,”
explains Nakamoto. “We have to cover the whole field with nets.”
On the plus side, once the plants are established, they fruit in
a year. And with fuel costs rising, locals are increasingly
interested in Island-grown produce. By May, the team finished
its first harvest. “It’s one of the reasons we are so excited
about blueberries in Hawaii—