PORTLAND (AP) – A shortage of sunshine has caused a few weeks’ delay in Maine’s blueberry harvest, but growers waiting for the berries to ripen still expect a good crop this season.

Maine growers raked in 62 million pounds last year, well below the five-year average of 75.5 million pounds.

“At this point in time we think we’re going to have good, strong, average-size crops with decent quality,” said David Bell, executive director of the Maine Wild Blueberry Commission.

Harvest season typically starts in southern Maine around the end of July and finishes at the end of August. Down East the harvest usually ends in early September.

Roughly 80 percent of Maine’s blueberries are grown in Hancock and Washington counties.

Despite the lack of sunshine, the recent rain spells helped the blueberries get through a very dry spell in early July. But the sun still needs to shine for the crops to continue ripening.

“The crop . . . has a way of catching up,” Kelley said. “You get a little bit of sun and the berries seem to catch up.”

Blueberries grow on a two-year cycle, meaning this year’s berries were affected by drought conditions in 2002. The drought caused fewer fruit buds to form this year, but the snowy winter helped protect the plants. Blueberries need a snow covering to keep them from freezing, Bell said.

“The good news is that we also had snow most of the winter,” Bell said. “There was very little winter damage this year in Maine.”

AP-ES-08-12-03 0217EDT