They will not be as sweet if you pick them firm or green. I use tulle netting to surround my blueberry plants before the berries ripen and I also place a plastic snake in the largest bush. Sometimes I get really artistic and use different colors of netting to make bows, swoops and layers around the blueberry path. This really confuses the heck out of the birds and I feel like the contemporary outdoor artist Cristo. Have fun out smarting those bird brains. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti