Cherry picking near me
Late June to early August (north) · December to January (south)
Cherry season is measured in weeks, not months. Sweet cherries ripen from late June through July across Kent, Door County, the Okanagan and Japan's northern orchards, and sour cherries follow a fortnight later. Because the window is so short, always check the orchard's own updates the day before you go.
Places to pick, on the map
Egg Harbor, Wisconsin, USA
Door County Cherry Lanes
U-Pick Orchards · Montmorency cherries · Jul–Aug
4.7 (331)
Faversham, Kent, United Kingdom
Garden of England Cherry Orchard
U-Pick Orchards · Cherries & plums · Jun–Aug
4.7 (289)
Jork, Lower Saxony, Germany
Altes Land Obsthof
Farm Tours · Apples & cherries · May–Oct
4.5 (187)
Naramata, British Columbia, Canada
Naramata Bench Cherry Orchard
U-Pick Orchards · Cherries & apples · Jul–Sep
4.8 (512)
How to pick well
Pick by the stalk, never the fruit
Pull the stem away from the spur with your fingers. Stripping fruit off the spur removes next season's buds and orchards will ask you to leave.
Taste before you fill
Colour varies by variety — some sweet cherries are ready when deep mahogany, others while still bright red. One taste tells you which rows to work.
Use the ladders the farm provides
Most fruit is above head height. Never climb the tree itself, and never pull a branch down to reach a cluster.
Refrigerate the same day
Cherries lose sweetness quickly at room temperature. Keep them unwashed in the fridge and rinse only as you eat them.
Common questions
- How long does cherry season last?
- Around three to four weeks per orchard, and a single variety may only be pickable for five or six days.
- What is the difference between sweet and sour cherries?
- Sweet cherries are eaten fresh from the tree. Sour or tart cherries, such as Montmorency, are sharp raw and grown for pies, juice and preserving.