Central Florida's farm belt runs a u-pick calendar most states would envy: strawberries all winter, blueberries in spring, summer tropicals, and citrus through the cool months. The trick is knowing which fruit is on — because the seasons here don't follow the national script.
Check farm posts before driving
Florida's most famous crop peaks while the rest of the country freezes.
Strawberry season runs roughly December through March, centered on the Plant City area an hour west of Orlando — the winter strawberry capital, complete with a beloved festival each late winter. U-pick rows and farm stands dot the corridor, and closer-in farms around the metro open picking on the same calendar.
Go in the morning for the coolest rows and the fullest selection, and expect the fields to pick clean on peak weekends.
A short, sweet window fills the hill country.
Florida's blueberry varieties ripen earlier than anywhere in the country — typically April into May — and the rolling farmland around Clermont has become the region's picking hub, with Southern Hill Farms among the best-known destinations pairing berry rows with farm-stand treats and events. The window is only a few weeks, so it rewards watching farm announcements closely.
Bring hats and water; spring sun in an open field is already summer practice.
The signature crop still offers a hands-on season.
Citrus season spans roughly November through April depending on variety, and while the industry has consolidated, grove attractions and farm stands around Lake County and Clermont — long known for operations like Showcase of Citrus — keep the pick-and-sip tradition alive with fresh juice as the reward. Summer shifts the action to tropical fruit stands as mangoes and lychee arrive from farther south.
Every season, the same rule applies: farms post their open days, ripe rows, and pricing weekly, so check before you drive.
The picking calendar hands off to festival season.
Come October, the same farm belt pivots to fall mode — Long & Scott Farms near Zellwood runs its signature corn maze, Southern Hill stages a full pumpkin-and-photo-field festival, and hayrides replace berry buckets across the region. It's u-pick culture's social season, and the busiest weekends of the farm year.
Buy timed tickets where offered and go early; Central Florida has fully embraced its farms, and the parking fields prove it.
One underrated fact of Central Florida living: the u-pick belt — Clermont's hills, the Zellwood corridor, Plant City's fields — sits within an easy drive of the metro's fastest-growing communities. If weekends that smell like strawberries belong in your family's routine, BKRS can point the home search at the corridors where farm country and commute coexist.
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Roughly December through March, peaking in late winter — centered on the Plant City area with additional farms around the Orlando metro.
The Clermont area is the hub, with Southern Hill Farms among the best-known u-pick destinations. The season is short — typically April into May.
Yes — grove attractions and farm stands, especially around Lake County, keep u-pick and fresh-squeezed traditions running roughly November through April.
Farms post open days, ripe crops, and prices on their websites and social feeds weekly — always check before making the drive.
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