About DiMeo Farms
DiMeo Family Blueberry Farming History in NJ
The DiMeo’s are real blueberry experts. Our roots run deep as pioneers in the American blueberry industry. DiMeo Farms and Organic Blueberry Plants Nursery is a fourth generation family blueberry farm in NJ that passionately continues a 108 year-old blueberry growing history. The DiMeo family, with all different farms combined, grow about 986 acres of NJ blueberries in the beautiful New Jersey Pine Barrens. We supply homeowners, edible landscapers, home gardeners, blueberry plant nurseries and blueberry growers all across America with the best super cold hardy, non-greenhouse grown organic blueberry plants at the lowest prices in the country.
CALL NOW (609) 561-5905 to get a fast April 2024 shipping quote, or to schedule a drive-thru pick up appointment to buy ultra-heavy bearing ORGANIC, Non-GMO, Heirloom blueberry bushes. There is a good reason why home gardeners, home growers, commercial growers, edible landscapers, fruit tree nurseries and retailers buy blueberry bushes direct from our expert NJ blueberry farmers. Faster growing, super cold hardy, higher yielding organic blueberry plants at the lowest prices for blueberry growers of all sizes. Our large organic blueberry bushes grow better tasting heirloom NJ blueberries. We don’t genetically modify our blueberry plants and we don’t grow or raise them in greenhouses like all the big box stores, online nurseries and local nurseries do today. Because greenhouses ruin the cold hardiness of the plants. Why would you want to buy blueberry plants that never experienced a real winter before you bought them? Greenhouses are only good for plant sellers, not plant buyers.
The original DiMeo family blueberry farms in Hammonton, NJ were established back in 1916 by Michael DiMeo, the father of Anthony DiMeo, Sr. He came to America from the Abruzzo region, just outside of Rome, Italy with his two brothers Salvatore DiMeo and Nicholas DiMeo. Michael’s sons, Frank DiMeo, Anthony DiMeo, Sr., Michael DiMeo, Jr. and William DiMeo worked hard throughout their whole entire lives to build the family fruit farms. They wisely invested and bought as much NJ farm land as they possibly could, and focused on planting blueberries on the various DiMeo family blueberry farms. Photoed below is second generation 83 year-old DiMeo blueberry farmer Michael “Bootie” DiMeo, Sr. checking packed pints of fresh New Jersey blueberries coming out of our new blueberry packing machine at our packing house, with smart automated AI color and soft blueberry sorters and pint labelers.
Our DiMeo family farm blueberry pint logo is a heart of blueberries, because we love growing healthy NJ blueberries. Blueberries are so healthy. We love our customers, and we are passionate about encouraging families from across America to support local American farmers. Now in 2024, the average age of the typical American farmer is about 63 years-old, with many of them about to retire. But the problem is that there are not enough new generation young farmers to replace all of them. Today, most American kids just don’t want the farms anymore. Over 53% of farmers in America say that they don’t have someone from the next generation to take over their family farm. This is why more and more of our fruit and produce is not coming in from outside the United States and it has no taste or flavor because they had to pick it before it was ripe to account for shipping time and shelf life at the supermarket. Mechanization and AI is the next generation’s opportunity to cut costs. We upgraded and reconstructed our NJ blueberry packing house with state-of-the-art USDA Food Safety ready blueberry packing machines.
DiMeo Family Picking NJ Blueberries in Season
The DiMeo's still use hand picking of blueberries to sustainably harvest their annual NJ blueberry crop every summer. But toward the end of each New Jersey blueberry season, blueberry farmers typically use blueberry picking machines to pick the last blueberry harvest. Watch below video of fourth generation DiMeo blueberry farmer operating one of the IBF blueberry picking machines as he picks the last blueberry picking of the season. These blueberry harvesters reduce NJ blueberry farmer picking costs to about $.90 cents per 12 pint blueberry crate. Instead of paying migrant farm workers up to $6.00 per blueberry crate to hand pick the blueberries during the long, extended NJ blueberry picking season. Operating this blueberry picking machine may look easy, but the farmer can't take his eyes off the blueberry row, or he risks damaging the blueberry bushes, or the $215,000 picking machine which can pick about 10 acres of blueberries a day, and picks about 1 acre an hour.
DiMeo Farms is a expert grower of all sizes of organic blueberry plants and big bearing-size blueberry bushes for sale in New Jersey. We sell and ship the same big blueberry bushes that our expert blueberry farmers plant to increase annual blueberry production and overall crop yields. Our ultra-heavy bearing organic blueberry plants are the best available online. Our DiMeo blueberry plants grow blueberries faster, quickly establish large well-developed root systems and bear big better tasting blueberries to fill more pints of healthy blueberries for you to sell at your local farmers market, CSA, roadside fruit stand, or for fresh market blueberry sales.
The DiMeo’s are real blueberry growing experts with an entire lifetime of experience and learning. DiMeo Farms sells all types and sizes of organic blueberry plants direct to home organic blueberry gardeners, home growers, fruit tree nurseries, edible landscapers, blueberry plant retailers and wholesalers, speciality fruit wineries, pick your own organic blueberry farms and wholesale organic blueberry plant nursery growers all across America. We know the all best blueberry farm suppliers in the American blueberry industry, and can can teach you how to easily pack fresh market blueberries on a large, or small scale. Below is a video of just one of the blueberry box making machines that can easily make over 3,000 recycled cardboard boxes an hour. During the long extended NJ blueberry picking season in June, July and August, these box making machines run day and night, just so they can keep up.
DiMeo Family Blueberry Farming History
Our DiMeo blueberry farm can trace its family history back to 1910 when Michael DiMeo came immigrated from the Abruzzo region of Northern Italy. He and his two brothers, Salvatore DiMeo and Nicholas DiMeo originally settled in Providence, Rhode Island. After starting a successful DiMeo farm and roadside farm market, Salvatore decided to move to Bridgewater, Massachusetts and started growing raspberries there. But his brother Mike DiMeo headed down to Southern New Jersey in search of quality farm land without all the field stones. He took a job on the railroad as a track walker and eventually discovered Hammonton, New Jersey. He fell in love with the small quiet town and it's central location to New York City and Philadelphia, so he purchased 35 acres of farmland and started the DiMeo family blueberry farm with just a small blueberry field behind his NJ farm house. Below is first generation NJ blueberry farmer Michael DiMeo proudly standing in his first patch of blueberries in Hammonton, New Jersey. Now the first thing you will notice about this picture is that back then, they thought that spacing blueberry bushes farther apart would lead to a higher yield of blueberries, but we now know today that is not the case and that 2.5’ feet apart is the best spacing for blueberry plants.
The original DiMeo family farms grew organic blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. The DiMeo's continued buying in farm land during the depths of The Great Depression. They invested all the extra money they had to buy more NJ farm land. Photoed below is the son of Michael DiMeo, second generation blueberry farmer Anthony “Tony” DiMeo, Sr. standing proudly with the DiMeo family farm horse he used to plow the family blueberry plant nursery to plant blueberries on the Hammonton, NJ farm. Later, the farm was passed down to three of the brothers, Anthony, Michael and William DiMeo. They all worked hard throughout their whole entire lives to buy, cultivate, grow and build the various family blueberry farms in NJ that now carry forward their old fashioned blueberry farming methods. They had a real passion for sustainable organic blueberry farming and always put their family first, and their Hammonton blueberry farm second, before anything else in their lives.
Michael DiMeo, Sr. left the DiMeo blueberry farms to three of his sons who converted the entire DiMeo family farm operations to only grow blueberries, blueberry plants and large mature blueberry bushes. Anthony DiMeo, Sr. began aggressively planting hundreds of acres of NJ blueberry bushes back in the 1940s. Over the decades, Anthony and his brothers Frank, Michael and William built the various successful DiMeo owned blueberry farms that today have achieved great success. They loved to buy NJ farm land and that is where they invested all of their money. DiMeo blueberry farmers representing the NJ blueberry farming industry at growers meeting in the early 1960s. Seated from left to right. Mike “Bootie” DiMeo., William DiMeo, Sr., Bill DiMeo, Jr., and Grandpop Anthony “Tony” DiMeo, Sr.
The DiMeo's made smart investments in buying NJ farm land to use it as a hedge against the diversified investment portfolio that Great-Grandpop DiMeo built from privately loaning out money during the depths of the Great Depression. He then invested all of his profits into New Jersey farm land. Anthony DiMeo, Sr. worked hard his whole entire life to buy, plant and grow the various DiMeo blueberry farms in Hammonton, NJ. Growing heirloom blueberries was his life. It's what he loved to do most. He worked hard on his New Jersey family farm every day, 15 hours a day, except Sunday, that was his only day of rest. He saved his money and made the right land investments in planting and growing healthy heirloom blueberries in the NJ Pine Barrens.
Grandpop DiMeo Plants Hundreds of Acres of Blueberry Bushes
Second generation DiMeo blueberry farmer, Anthony DiMeo, Sr. worked on his Hammonton blueberry farm until he was almost 90 years old. He devoted his entire life to passionately building, growing and working the DiMeo family blueberry farms as a proud American farmer. His life was his family, and the family farm. He traveled very little throughout his life, but he accomplished so much as he grew the farm with each day of hard work, sacrifice and determination. He depended on the farm to provide for the DiMeo family, and it always did. His idea of growing blueberries was simple. Grow the best tasting heirloom blueberries and blueberry plants and sell at a fair price. Grandpop Anthony “Tony” DiMeo and his father Great-Grandop Michael DiMeo sold millions of NJ blueberry plants in their lifetimes. They were both leading experts at growing cultivated blueberries. Here are some of the old DiMeo blueberry picking tickets that were handed out to the DiMeo blueberry pickers 100 years ago.
Grandpop DiMeo Remembers Hard, But Good Times
Farmer Anthony “Tony” DiMeo, Sr. remembers his mother Annunziata “Nancy” (Mancini) DiMeo baking loaves of fresh Italian bread. His parents always asked them to eat more bread, because money was tight and meat was expensive. During the fall season, at the end of their annual Hammonton, NJ blueberry harvest, the family would dig up all their cabbage in the garden and replant it near their old Hammonton farm house. They also cut down all the corn stalks and used the corn fodder to cover all the cabbage. They buried it a couple feet deep underground to keep it from freezing during the cold winter months. The soft part of the corn husks was often used to stuff and fix bed mattresses. He earned only $5.00 a week, and worked 15 hour days, 6 days a week on the DiMeo family blueberry farm in Hammonton, NJ. Sunday was the only day of rest for the DiMeo family. In the heart of the summer, the mostly Italian immigrant families of blueberry pickers drove in from Philadelphia and lived in the old barn all summer long. Each family had their own room.
During the cold winter months, the DiMeo family slept downstairs in their old NJ farm house. They sealed off the upstairs to store meat, because it would get freezing cold up there. It took too much firewood and was difficult to heat the whole entire farm house. The DiMeo homestead only had one wood stove and it was the only heat in the house. After dinner, his mother would put bricks on top of the stove to heat them up. Then, when each of her children went to bed, she would place a hot brick at their feet with a small piece of blanket wrapped around it, and it would give them just enough heat to keep their feet warm until they fell asleep. He remembers his mother Nancy saying, “when you have a good time with someone, you never have enough time.” He said, back then people were different. There were few arguments. Everyone was happy. They all worked hard and would help one another. They were poor, and didn’t have a lot of money, but they were happy. Below is a photo of the old DiMeo family farmhouse in the Hammonton, NJ Pine Barrens.
Future of Blueberry Farming in New Jersey
New Generation Farmers. Old Generation Work Ethic.
The grandchildren of Mr. & Mrs. Anthony DiMeo, Sr., are now the fourth generation of the DiMeo blueberry farming family in Hammonton, New Jersey. Several of the DiMeo grandsons now continue their grandfathers and great-grandfathers legacy of growing blueberries in New Jersey, as well as the sale of locally grown blueberries, blueberry plants and large mature blueberry bushes. The old fashioned blueberry farming practices and techniques of the DiMeo family have been passed down from the first to the fourth generation of American blueberry farmers. The photo below is third generation DiMeo blueberry farmer Anthony DiMeo, Jr. when he started teaching his oldest son Anthony DiMeo III how to be a NJ farmer and drive farm tractors.
Below is a photo of Anthony DiMeo III on the DiMeo’s speciality row crop tractor, the John Deere narrow that is a popular tractor for both NJ blueberry growers and fruit wineries because it fits perfectly down the blueberry row and allows you to plant your blueberry field rows closer to get more pounds of blueberries per acre. Anthony and his family now continue over 100 years of DiMeo blueberry farming history of growing better tasting heirloom blueberries and certified blueberry plants. Below photo was for media story on homeowners lowering their property tax assessment by planting a big patch of blueberries to qualify for farmland tax assessment. A smart property tax strategy to lower your existing high property taxes by establishing an income producing farm.
When growing New Jersey blueberries, DiMeo Farms tries to focus on not only growing the largest blueberries but, the best tasting flavorful blueberry plant varieties. We grow a big healthy blueberry with nice size, good taste and better blueberry flavor. Blueberries that are picked for fresh and frozen markets are immediately taken to a blueberry packing house and shipped. Our large DiMeo blueberries fill lots of berry pints and 12 pint blueberry crates, making our DiMeo blueberry plant customers successful with the best blueberry yields per acre. Here are expert blueberry farmers. An almost 90 year-old expert blueberry farmer Anthony DiMeo, Sr. and his oldest grandson, Anthony DiMeo III inspecting a field of mature NJ blueberry bushes about to go into bloom in Hammonton blueberry fields.
Blueberry Farmer Joe DiMeo Turns 100 Years Old
The DiMeo blueberry farming family has been blessed with good life longevity. It must be because they ate healthy blueberries and simple home-cooked organic foods every day. Anthony DiMeo, Sr's mother, Nancy DiMeo lived until she was 98 years-old. His aunt (Nancy DiMeo's sister, Concetta) lived until she was 101 years-old. His older brother Joseph DiMeo, Sr. who was born and raised on the DiMeo family berry farms in New Jersey, lived to almost 101 years-old. Grandmom Mildred "Millie" DiMeo lived to 97 years-old. There is something to be said about most of the DiMeo's living well into their 90s and beyond 100 years-old. Healthy living on the family farm and eating locally grown organic berries and fruits. The DiMeo family celebrated Joseph DiMeo's 100th birthday on a memorable DiMeo family day together in Hammonton, New Jersey. Watch second generation NJ blueberry farmer Joseph “Joe” DiMeo sing along with the entire DiMeo family. He was also well known for selling firewood in South Jersey.
Grandpop DiMeo has several nephews and grandchildren in the family who continue the DiMeo history of blueberry farming in New Jersey. Every year, the DiMeo family replants older blueberry fields. Not every single blueberry bush. Just the old blueberry bushes they think should be replanted. Below is 83 year-old third generation DiMeo blueberry farmer Mike “Bootie” DiMeo, Sr. (son of Frank DiMeo) on his mini-excavator which is what the DiMeo’s use to get down the narrow blueberry field rows to quickly dig out some of the older blueberry bushes. He was replanting one of the many blueberry fields with thousands of blueberry plants and organic peat moss from our NJ blueberry plants nursery. He loves to work on our NJ blueberry farm and grows blueberry bushes.
DiMeo Farms wants to help you grow healthy organic blueberries and other super healthy wild heirloom berries with amazing health benefits such as aronia berries. We can give you organic blueberry plant growing tips and safe home grown organic blueberry bush farming techniques. We always try to find inspiring new ways to celebrate the farming spirit in our quiet Atlantic County hometown community, so each year we invite our customers and friends to the annual “Blueberry Ball Drop” at our local NJ Town Hall. It’s good family fun. We hope you can join us this New Years Eve on December 31, 2024 for fireworks in Hammonton, New Jersey to celebrate a new year of healthy organic living and sustainability in the Garden State of New Jersey.
"Growing blueberries, heirloom blueberry plants and blueberry bushes is something I have done since I was a just kid. I worked side-by-side with my father, grandfather and his brothers throughout my whole entire childhood and teenage years to learn all there is to know about growing New Jersey blueberries. I am passionate about carrying forward our sustainable family blueberry growing history. Remember to always know your farmer, and where your healthy organic food comes from. You can be your own best farmer and easily grow your own clean, safe organic blueberries at home in your own backyard as part of an organic blueberry plants garden, edible blueberry bush hedge row with sustainable landscaping. Our blueberry plants even grow beautiful in pots."
Fourth Generation DiMeo Blueberry Farmer - Anthony DiMeo III
We can teach our blueberry plant customers for free and coach you with how to plant your own organic blueberry farm or pick your own organic blueberry farm in your local community, once you become our NJ blueberry plants nursery customer. CALL NOW (609) 561-5905 so we can teach you how to care for organic blueberries and how to get into the high demand fresh organic blueberry market. One of our top expert blueberry farmers can even teach you what kind of land is best to buy for planting blueberries. We are always looking to purchase new farm land to expand our New Jersey farming operation or just to make smart land investments. If you have any NJ farm land that you would like to sell, please let us know. But it must be at least five (5) acres or more, so that it is protected by the NJ Right to Farm Act and other AMP rules and laws that protect NJ farmers here in the Garden State.
Legacy of Growing Blueberries in NJ magazine article featured fourth generation expert blueberry farmer Anthony DiMeo III and his hard work carrying forward the American blueberry growing legacy his that his great-grandfather started over 100 years ago with DiMeo Blueberry Farms in New Jersey. Here at DiMeo Farms we offer the most beautiful organic blueberry picking in South Jersey during the summer months of June, July and August 2024. You can also see our nationally popular organic blueberry plants nursery and buy blueberry plants farmer direct from the real blueberry plant experts who specialize in all sizes of ORGANIC, Non-GMO, Heirloom blueberry bushes that you can use as part of your sustainable edible landscaping.
We work hard on our New Jersey family blueberry farms to cultivate the best tasting New Jersey blueberries, bearing-size organic blueberry plants and large mature blueberry bushes like the ones shown in the video below featuring fourth generation blueberry farmer Anthony DiMeo III on the Kubota tractor with front-end loader. Happy DiMeo blueberry plants customers rely on our expert blueberry farmer solutions for our blueberry plant customers, and not just for big commercial blueberry growers, but also for small home organic blueberry plant gardens, u-pick organic blueberry farms, speciality fruit wineries, sustainable edible landscape designers and backyard blueberry bush gardening homeowners from all across America.
Start eating and including organic NJ blueberries in your daily fruit diet for more healthy antioxidants and powerful cancer-fighting benefits. Here at DiMeo Farms we love to promote healthy sustainable living and eating healthy organic foods for a longer and healthier lifestyle. Yes growing your own food saves you money, but it is also good for your physical and mental healthy. Below is a great video of 83 year-old third generation DiMeo blueberry farmer Michael “Bootie” DiMeo, Sr. with a sharp mind and energy of an 18 year-old kid, still working hard on our family blueberry farm in Hammonton, NJ. He was selectively replanting old blueberry bushes that needed Duke and Bluecrop blueberry plant variety replants that he got from our NJ blueberry plants nursery.
In one of the photos below Anthony DiMeo III and his friend Helene of ABC’s The Bachelor representing DiMeo Blueberry Plants Nursery who generously sponsored the Hammonton Blueberry Festival. The blueberry festival in Hammonton draws thousands of blueberry lovers every summer and takes place on the last Sunday in June each year. Our blueberries farm has happy DiMeo Farms blueberry plant customers from all across America who drive (or fly) out to buy direct from our family blueberry farms and to meet with a DiMeo blueberry farmer. Over the years we have been a trusted source for the media who has featured our expert DiMeo blueberry famers that also sell direct to small home gardeners, so they can buy the best organic blueberry plants direct from our New Jersey family blueberry farm.
DiMeo Farms Gives Back to Charity
If you have a children's non-profit group, just let us know. Because at the end of every NJ blueberry picking season, we always try to "share the blueberry harvest" by supporting a good cause that benefits the good health of children. We believe in giving back. The kids below learned about the importance of buying and eating local organic food and berries, and about the powerful health benefits of fresh NJ blueberries. We said "always know your farmer" and "always know where your healthy organic food comes from." They loved hearing stories about Great-Grandpop DiMeo's old corn crib. We told them how he packed the corn crib with all his fresh Jersey corn and then used the dried corn to feed his free-range chickens, ducks, pigs and other farm animals during the cold winter months, and how it helped the DiMeo family to survive the depths of the Great Depression.
We also supported the Police Unity Tour which raises awareness for law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. The gentleman standing on the far right in photo below with Boston shirt is a young police officer who was shot in the line of duty. He took time off to coach the DiMeo Blueberries youth soccer team during his recovery. We also like to support combating childhood obesity with eating organic foods and to help kids make healthier eating choices. Getting kids to eat farm fresh organic blueberries, instead of fast food and junk food. We believe that one of the best ways to combat childhood obesity is to provide children with healthy fresh locally grown organic NJ blueberries at their local school and day camps. We believe in giving back, so when these kids needed a South Jersey youth soccer team sponsor, we proudly sponsored them.
When a phone call came in from a child program counselor in the city who told us about her youth group of children who needed to learn the value of hard day's work on a family blueberry farm and to also learn about eating better and healthier organic foods, fourth generation NJ blueberry farmer Anthony DiMeo III took some time off to spend with the kids. He included a walking tour of Grandpop DiMeo's farm and a motivational discussion on "making healthy eating choices by eating more farm fresh organic fruits and vegetables." He also gave each of them free NJ blueberry bush to take home to their families in the Camden and Philadelphia regions. Call us if you have a children's program and would like us to host a farm visit that may include a brief walking tour of our New Jersey blueberry farm. We are passionate about promoting NJ blueberries and healthy living throughout the Garden State of NJ and beyond.
Maximino Remembers 30 Years Working for Grandpop DiMeo
81 year-old Maximino Guzman, a farm worker who worked for Grandpop DiMeo at our family's blueberry farm for close to 30 years, came into our lives once again. One Sunday afternoon, his daughter called and said they were on their way down to the DiMeo farm. She said her father, Maximino was sick with cancer and he wanted to walk Grandpop Tony DiMeo's farm just one more time while he still physically could. He was greeted by Mr. DiMeo's grandson, Anthony DiMeo III who took the time to walk Maximino around the farm and listened to his stories about working with Grandpop DiMeo all those years. His daughter translated. When Maximino saw Grandpop DiMeo's old pickup truck, he began to cry and went to sit on the tailgate. Then, Anthony sat next to him. Maximino was a good man. He had many stories about planting acres of NJ blueberries plants for Grandpop DiMeo.
"I’m so happy to be here" said teary eyed, 81 year-old Maximino Guzman as he stood in the old DiMeo blueberry field where he once worked planting blueberry bushes. He walked the blueberry fields with his granddaughter. He said how it was hard working on the Hammonton blueberry farm and that Grandpop DiMeo was tough, but a hard worker and a good man that he respected. He said that at the time he couldn't find a job, so he went to Grandpop DiMeo, who hired him on the spot and gave him a little house to live on the farm without having to pay rent or utilities. He said that because he live for free on the DiMeo farm, it allowed him to save money for his retirement. We will never forget Maximino and greatly appreciate all his years of hard work.
NJ Pinelands Forest Conservation at DiMeo Farms
At DiMeo family blueberry farms, we feel good about giving back to the land, so we started planting all types of native fruit trees along our South Jersey blueberry farm fields, and near wetlands areas along the Hammonton Creek. We planted beautiful baby fruit trees to keep the Wharton State Forest region healthy. Did you know that the United States of America is now losing 3 acres of U.S. farm land per minute due to housing development? Of course, we love to see you planting NJ blueberry bushes, but let's not forget about planting native fruit trees as well. DiMeo Farms believes that we need to conserve our native trees and local New Jersey Pinelands to keep it growing healthy, and to protect our local sustainable environment in NJ. We aim to save all the trees that sustains us here in the beautiful NJ Pine Barrens forests that surround our family farm properties.
