Picking berries makes for a delicious family day trip from the GTA. Plus, many farms are family-owned small businesses that offer extra activities for a full day of fun. Follow your tummy and check off the whole list in our Guide to the Best Berry Picking in Southern Ontario!
Note: The usual season for berry picking runs from mid-June until September. Keep in mind that timing and availability of fruit is not guaranteed, as nature is always changing.
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Andrews Farm Market and Winery
Where: 9365 10 Side Road, Milton
With lots of fruit and vegetable picking options, starting with asparagus and rhubarb in May and strawberry picking in June, they also have farm activities, special events and vendor markets. You can even buy a season pass to keep picking all summer!
Austin’s Pick-Your-Own Fruits and Vegetables
Where: 2591 Cockshutt Road, Waterford
Family-owned farm since 1979, Austin’s offers lots of fresh produce, homemade goodies and ready-to-serve meals in their Farm Market. Plus, there’s soft-serve ice cream and PYO strawberries starting mid-June, with raspberries and blueberries in July.
Hutchinson Farm
Address: 6202 Walkers Line, Burlington
This farm grows a wide array of fruit, vegetables, flowers, starting with peas, strawberries and beets. They also have regular new and interesting offerings, such as Ice Plant, Ginger, Tricolour Perilla, Indian Mint, Biquinho Hot pepper plants and Cleome.
More Berry Picking in Southern Ontario north of Toronto
Barrie Hill Farms
Where: 2935 Barrie Hill Road, Springwater
With over 200 acres of fruits and vegetables, this busy second-generation family farm offers PYO strawberries in late June-October, and raspberries & blueberries late July-August. Enjoy fresh country air and peaceful scenery, take a scenic wagon ride, attend an event and shop their market.
Downey’s U-Pick Farm
Where: 13707 Heart Lake Rd, Caledon
This family farm is dedicated to growing their fruit in an environmentally-friendly way, including offering guests tractor and wagon rides to the fields. Strawberry picking starts in June, with clean fruit baskets provided at the entrance for your use, and raspberry season begins in early July.
Jenala Farms
Where: 475080 Dufferin County Road 11, Shelburne
Jenala Farms grows juicy and delicious strawberries from late-June until mid-July, either to pick-your-own or buy ready-picked. There is an option to bring your own containers or buy a basket at the farm. They also have honey fresh for their bee colony!
McArthur’s Berry Farm
Where: 441 Line 5 South, Oro-Medonte
The strawberry season runs from late-June until mid-July, with only pick-your-own for just $3.00 per litre, plus rhubarb for only $1.00 a stalk! You can bring a container with a clearly visible metric volume on it or buy a basket from the farm.
Organics Family Farm
Where: 7550 19th Ave., Markham
This family-run farm made the transition to organic back way back in 2001 and now offer a strawberry picking season that begins mid-June, along with apples, sunflowers and a Wood-Fired Bakery and Market.
Rock Garden Farms
Where: 16930 Airport Road, Caledon East
This U-pick farm offers a wide selection of fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and currants, as well as a Vendors Market.
Reesor’s Pick-Your-Own Strawberries
Where: 10825 Ninth Line, Markham
Along with a busy strawberry-picking season starting in mid-June, Reesorâs Farm Market is proud to offer lots of fresh produce, grown exclusively in Ontario.
Robintide Farms
Where: 2720 King-Vaughan Road, Maple
Robintide Farms has been operating in Vaughan for more than 50 years, with livestock including cattle, horses and goats. They also have pick-your-own and picked-for-you strawberries, vegetables and flowers plus pumpkins in the fall.
Strawberry Creek Farms
Where: 17471 Woodbine Ave. North, Newmarket
Types of fruit: Strawberries starting late June, baskets provided
For a farm experience close to Toronto, just zip up to Newmarket to Strawberry Creek Farms where no appointment is necessary and there is no admission charge to pick your own strawberries… just pay for what you pick!
More Berry Picking in Southern Ontario east of Toronto
Applewood Farm
Where: 12416 McCowan Road, Whitchurch-Stouffville
Applewood Farm has three generations of family working the land, with a busy pick-your-own strawberry season, as well as apple and pumpkin picking and a corn maze in the Fall, plus wagon rides, sunflower fields and a childrenâs play area.
Brooks Farms
Where: 122 Ashworth Road, Mount Albert
Well known for their special events year-round and family activities such as the Playland, Brooks Farms also runs a bustling Farm Market, strawberry season from mid-to-late June plus red & black currants, Saskatoon berries and raspberries (purple, red, black) in summer.
Forsythe Family Farms
Where: 1025 Cragg Road, Greenbank
Visit Forsythe Family Farm for good food, farm tours and family fun, including farm animals and adventure playground. Their strawberry goes from mid to late-June and you can combine your strawberry picking with their Farm’n’Fun experience.
Pingle’s Farm Market
Where: 1805 Taunton Road, Hampton
Pingle’s runs a year-round farm market, plus events for seemingly every holiday and season! For strawberry and blueberry season, Spring Days includes wagon rides around the farm, the Pingleâs Playland, animal experience, mini-putt and much more.
Watson Farm Market
Where: 2287 Highway 2, Bowmanville
This farm and market has plenty of fun activities for families, including PYO strawberries and raspberries picking, and playtime at the “Watsonland” playground, complete with petting zoo, wagon rides, photo stations, pop-up markets, food trucks and more!
Wilmot Blueberries
Where: 3337 Concession Road 3, Newcastle
Addicted to blueberries? Hang on until mid-July to mid-August, when PYO blueberry season takes place. You can purchase containers in three different sizes, or buy pre-picked berries plus blueberry-baked desserts, jams, salsa, mustard, BBQ sauce and syrup at the AppleBerries Café.
More Berry Picking in Southern Ontario south of Toronto
Blueberry Knoll Berry Farm
Where: 1091 Hutchinson Road, Lowbanks
As the name would suggest, berries is this farm’s main focus! Strawberry season takes place in June, with raspberry and blueberry season in mid-July, plus sweet corn and a year-round farm market and bakery (with reduced winter hours).
Fenwick Berry Farm (FKA Berry Fresh Farms)
Where: 1760 Balfour St., Fenwick
Fenwick’s strawberry season begins mid-June with raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries available through the summer. If you can’t make it to the fields in person, they also participate in farmers markets in Ancaster, Brampton, Dundas, Milton, Toronto, Waterdown and Welland.
Hildreth Farms
Where: 5529 Greenlane, Beamsville
In the same family for over 4 generations, this Farmers Market that offers customers a wide selection of quality produce and merchandise grown or made in Ontario! PYO crops include strawberries (at a new location at 4685 Durham Rd.) and cherries.
Jerry’s Berries
Where: 27 Orkney Road, Copetown
This small family farm, in operation since 1980, offers premium raspberry picking in July, along with bee-keeping (including lessons!) and participating with other Hamilton-area farms in the fun Farm Crawl experience for families.
Lindley’s Farm and Market
Where: 900 Fiddler’s Green Road, Ancaster
For the 2024 season, the farm market opens June 7, with pick-your-own strawberries starting approximately June 18th, plus raspberries, red currants, black currants and gooseberries later on in July. You can even call their harvest hotline for daily updates!
Matias Farms Niagara
Where: 1909 Effingham Street, Ridgeville
There are lots of berries available here throughout the summer, including raspberries (June to July and again in late-August), black & white mulberries (late June), black raspberries in mid-late July, sour cherries and red currants in July, and blackberries in mid-late August.
Murphyâs Country Produce
Where: 2040 Guyatt Road, R.R. # 1, Binbrook
This farm has a wide variety of fruits and vegetables available throughout Spring to Fall (plus pumpkin and corn maze in the Fall), starting with strawberries in June.
Tigchelaar Berry Farms
Where: 4161 Jordan Road, Jordan Station
Strawberry season begins June 15-20 and you can purchase pre-picked fruit and more treats at their Red Barn Farm Market. They also sell pre-picked berries in numerous locations around the Niagara region.
Looking for further ideas for Outdoor Events in Spring? Click here for more!