U-pick at Rowe's Produce Farm

During the pick your own seasons it is always a good idea to call to find out picking conditions before you head to the farm. At our farm you are allowed to drive your vehicle to the fields to pick. We supply the trays for picking Strawberries and quarts for Raspberries free of charge. We have containers for the peas also but we take a deposit for the baskets and you can either keep them or we pour the peas in a bag and refund the deposit. Children are always welcome but MUST be supervised well, for their safety. Dogs are allowed but we ask they be kept on a leash and in the driveways, not the fields, so as not to disturb other customers. There are trash cans at the barn and we do ask that you do not leave any trash in the fields. At the checkouts we accept cash or check only.

STRAWBERRY AND PEA SEASON JUNE TO JULY

U-pick Strawberries start when they are ready. It all depends on the weather. We have been open for picking in May and another year we did not have any berries until the 21st of June. You just never know. The best thing to do is call for updates starting mid May or get on our mailing list. If you are on "the list" you will get a postcard in the mail when we are picking. You can sign up for the strawberry or raspberry mailing lists at the farm or send us your address in an email via the "Contact Us" page, please specify which list you wish to be added to or sign up for both. When you get your strawberry post card that means the task is at hand, don't wait, it is a good idea to call and plan to come out as soon as possible. The picking season can be very short due to weather conditions. We always have some customers that come at the end of the season that got their card 3 weeks ago but were too busy at that time and they miss out on the really great picking.

After checking in and getting your FREE boxes at the barn you are directed how to get to the fields. You then drive your vehicle into the field and are directed where to park and which field has the BEST picking.We have the most acreage dedicated to U-Pick Strawberries in Michigan. ALL of our berries are U-Pick. We do not save any fields for us to pick and sell (we do pick a quart or two for supper). What that means is our customers are ALWAYS in the best picking we have. We are constantly monitoring where the best spots are and get the customers to them. A lot of people are finding that they can stop by after work and still have great picking in the evening. All the varieties of strawberries we grow are good for jam, freezing and fresh use.

Large berries fill the basket faster but the smaller ones have less water in them and are sweeter. We do not assign rows for people to pick, you are told to pick in a certain field or area of a field. You are free to wander and look for all the big ones or (the faster way) get between 2 rows and pick all the ripe ones within reach and before you know it your box is full and you are looking for another box. We do have extra boxes in the field too, just look for the piles in the driveways. Don't forget it is "all you can eat" while you are picking. Our berries are sold by the pound. After picking you then drive to the checkouts and we weigh the strawberries and then deduct the weight of the boxes so all you pay for are the strawberries. There is also cold drinks, fruit pectin, cobbler mix and other items available.

We also have Sugar Snap peas, English Shelling peas and Chinese Pea Pods to pick sometime in June. Sugar Snap peas (edible pod) usually start a week or so after the strawberries. The English Shelling peas and Chinese Pea Pods are a little later than that. Most years we are open 3-4 weeks but depending on the weather, the season can be short. No matter when we open the season is usually done by the fourth of July because then it is time to renovate the berries and start them on next years crop, you can see photos of this on the "Farm Pictures" page.

U-PICK RASPBERRY SEASON JULY TO OCTOBER

We have 2 varieties of Red Raspberries available for picking. The first to ripen is called Autumn Bliss. It usually starts in late July and produces nice large berries. It is important to call for Raspberry picking conditions during July and August as the patch does get picked out and we stop picking for a few days to let them ripen up. Near the first of September the other half of the patch ripens. Theses are called Heritage and they produce a lot more berries than the Autumn Bliss. We have a mailing list for Raspberries also but do not send out the cards until the Heritage are ready so that there are plenty of berries for everyone to pick. The season will last into October unless there is a really hard frost. A light frost will hurt the leaves but not the fruit so even after a couple light frosts you can still pick nice berries.