What's in season when: a month-by-month picking calendar

Seasons below are broad patterns for much of the continental US. Florida, Texas, the Gulf Coast and California can be weeks or even months earlier, and northern states and higher elevations later. Weather moves things every year. State extension services and state agriculture departments publish local crop calendars, and the farm's own website or social media is the best source for what is ready this week.

The picking calendar

Tap a month to see what is usually pickable. Shaded months are typical US ranges, the same ones we use across the site.

Winter: December to March

• Christmas trees through mid or late December, or until farms sell out. Find a tree farm.
• Strawberries in Florida and parts of the far South can run through winter and early spring.
• Maple sugaring happens in late winter, usually February and March in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, when nights freeze and days thaw. Many sugarhouses hold open house weekends. Find a sugarhouse.

Spring: April and May

• Tulips and other spring flowers at flower farms, often April and May.
• Strawberries start in the South and move north, with May and June the peak in much of the country. Find a berry farm.
• Farm animal visits are popular in spring when many farms have baby animals. Farms with animals.

Summer: June to August

• Strawberries wrap up in June in many northern areas.
• Cherries often June and July. Peach and cherry farms.
• Blueberries typically summer, earlier in the South. Raspberries and blackberries follow, and some everbearing raspberries come back in fall.
• Peaches from early summer in the South into late summer further north.
• Lavender and sunflowers at flower farms, with sunflowers often lasting into early fall. Flower farms.
• Early apples start at some orchards in August.

Fall: September to November

• Apples peak in September and October in most apple regions, with different varieties ready at different weeks. Some late varieties run into November. Find an orchard.
• Pumpkins and corn mazes mostly late September through October. Pumpkin patches and corn mazes.
• Fall raspberries at some farms until frost.
• Christmas tree farms open around Thanksgiving weekend.

Good any time the farm is open

Farm stands, honey farms, wineries and cideries, and farms with animals often run longer seasons. Hours still vary, so check first. Honey, wineries and cideries, farm visits.

Big regional differences

• Florida and the Gulf Coast: strawberries are a winter and early spring crop, and summer heat ends many seasons early.
• California: a long growing season means some crops, such as strawberries, run for many months on the coast.
• Northeast, Upper Midwest and mountain areas: seasons start later and end sooner, and early frost can cut fall picking short.
• Pacific Northwest: known for berries in summer, apples and pears in fall and lots of Christmas tree farms.

Tips for timing your trip

• Check the day before. Fields can be picked out after a busy weekend, or closed after heavy rain.
• Go early. Mornings are cooler, quieter and usually have the best picking.
• Ask which varieties are ready. Orchards often post a weekly list.
• Opening weekends are busy. The second or third week of a season is often calmer with plenty of fruit.

New to picking? Read our first u-pick visit guide for what to bring, cash vs card and how pricing usually works.

Sources

• USDA SNAP-Ed: seasonal produce guide
• Cooperative Extension (state land-grant universities): local crop calendars
• North American Maple Syrup Council

General guidance, not advice for a specific farm. Farm rules, prices and dates vary, so check with the farm.