I’m a whole lot in love with pick your own fruit outings. There’s the hour drive to the countryside, fresh air, kids learning about where their food comes from, being outdoors, wearing gumboots and supporting local farmers. And let’s not forget, eating all the yummy fresh fruit! I mean what’s not to love?

So far we have picked mandarins, nectarines, peaches, apples, oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, eggplants, chestnuts, walnuts, plums, pears, sunflowers and peas. And look forward to picking cherries this year.

Pick Your Own Fruit Calendar Fruit Picking By Season

BUT I’m forever forgetting what is available to pick at different times of the year. And thought I may not be alone! So below is a listing by month of what fruit (nuts and flowers) is available from nearby farms that let you pick your own. There are 15 farms listed so far and they are all roughly about an hours drive from Parramatta. PLEASE let us know if we’ve missed any!

| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |

Google Map

To make it a easier to see where you can pick your own fruit, here is a Google Map of the different nearby pick your own fruit farm experiences.

For other pick your own experiences, visit Harvest Trails and Markets website, a not for profit community organisation supporting farmers in the Sydney basin.

IMPORTANT Info

PLEASE treat the farms with care when visiting them – keeping wastage to a minimum and making sure not to damage fruit trees. Unfortunately the reason why so many farmers charge entry prices for pick your own farm experiences is because of the amount of wasted fruit thrown/ dropped on the ground and the damage caused to their farm. Sadly a case of a few ruining it for the rest of us.

Anderson Farm
Farmer Ken at Anderson Farm picks up the dropped/ thrown fruit for seconds boxes and to feed his cows.

Keep in mind that each farm experience will be very different. Some charge a small entry fee and have animals to pat as well as fruit picking. Others are free to visit and have picnic facilities. Make sure to read our review of the farm you are thinking of visiting beforehand.

Canoelands Orchard
Tractor ride at Canoelands Orchard

It’s always worthwhile putting gumboots in the car just in case the ground is muddy at the farm. And it’s important to check the weather for where you are going. It can be quite different from what it’s like when you leave home. Plus, please take some reuseable/cooler bags with you to collect and store the fruit you pick.

This calendar is a GUIDE only! Weather changes can affect when fruit is available for picking. I do my best to update it regularly. But strongly recommend you check the farms Facebook page or website before visiting to see what fruit is ready to pick and when they’re open.

Month by Month Fruit Picking Calendar

With the easing of covid19 restrictions, picking your own fruit has become even more popular. It’s best to check the farms Facebook page before heading out to visit just to make sure they still have fruit to pick and to check if the way they are operating has changed.

1July

Tomato picking season is from about mid-March to end July/ August (Photo credit: Josephine Sicad-Minerva Photography)

Due to unprecedented demand, a lot of the farms have SOLD OUT of fruit way earlier than normal.

2August

Oranges

3September

Strawberries
  • Mandarins: Watkins Family Farm (drop-in, open weekends until 6th Oct 2019, entry fee)
  • Oranges: Anderson Farm (open weekends until 29th September 2019, drop-in, $5 entry for adults)
  • Strawberries: Berrylicious Strawberries (from mid Oct, open most Saturdays, bookings essential, entry fee)

4October

Nectarines

5November

Cherries

6December

Peaches

The bushfires currently raging around Sydney have greatly affected local orchards and farms we regularly visit to pick our own fruit. A great way to support those still standing is to pay them a visit these summer holidays. Best to check their Facebook page for updates before heading off for a visit.

7January

Apple picking season in Bilpin starts on the Australia Day long weekend. While the bushfire that tore through Bilpin affected a number of farms, thankfully a good number of apple trees were saved.

8February

Central Coast Sunflower Harvest

9March

Chestnuts (photo credit: Nutwood Farm)

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a number of farms have closed early in the season. This includes the two nut picking farms at Mount Irvine and a few of the apple picking farms in Bilpin. Best to double check the farm’s Facebook page/ website before heading out for a visit. The rest have put in place measures to ensure social distancing and limit the number of people on their farm to under 500. NOTE: look out for new online shops that the farmers are setting up to sell their produce direct to you.

10April

Walnut picking at Kookootonga Nut Farm in Mt Wilson

11May

Mandarins

PYO farms are able to operate under the coronavirus pandemic restrictions in place in NSW, as long as they follow the necessary social distancing and hygiene requirements. PLEASE check their website or Facebook page for the latest details.

12June

Oranges

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

6 COMMENTS

  2. Hi,
    I’m looking for fruit picking from 11th October to 18th October.
    May I know whether your farm offering fruit picking during this period.

    • Hi Amy, ParraParents helps parents discover fun things to do with their kids. We don’t operate the farms that we have listed in our fruit picking calendar. But enjoy visiting them. During those dates, the only local farm we know that’s open for fruit picking is Berrylicious Strawberries but they are now booked out. There will be nectarines and peaches to pick at Canoelands the week after.

    • Hi Dilber, ParraParents have listed farms open each month and what they have available to pick. Click in the farm name for more details. At the moment, farms in Bilpin are open for picking apples and plums. Enjoy

LEAVE A REPLY