The Santa Cruz County and Bay area of California U-Pick Farms - 2024 PickYourOwn.ORG

Looking for a local, pick-your-own farm in The Santa Cruz County and Bay area of California? Scroll down this page and you will see the U-Pick farms in The Santa Cruz County and Bay area of California, sorted by county. Those that offer organic or sustainably grown produce are identified by the words "organic" and/or "sustainable" in Green, next to their name  (see "What does Organic mean?"). The U-pick crops they offer follow the name of the farm. To search the page for a specific crop, use Ctrl-F (or on an ipad or Mac, use their "search on this page" function) If they have a website, the name will be in blue and underlined; click on it and it will open their website. If you find anything outdated or inaccurate, see the customer and farmer menus (as appropriate) at the top menu bar to submit updates and corrections and help me keep each current!

New! As inflation remains high, see this page for cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
 If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

New! Road tripping and camping is a great way to have a fun, safe and inexpensive family trip. The national and state parks and monuments are open, and campgrounds usually cost between $10 and $40 per night. September to November is the best camping weather.  See our new website Road Tripping and Camping.com for tips, tricks, guides, checklists and info about parks, monuments and other places to visit.

New! We just went live with our latest website, FunFactoryTours.com - As they name implies, you can find a fun factory tour, including chocolate, automobiles, historical forts and sites, famous buildings, Active Federal facilities even fun geology: like fossils and volcanic areas

Note: Beware the copycat websites like the one that stole our name and uses .farm extension: they copied my work and do NOT even update the info! I make updates EVERY day. They use tech tricks to get higher rankings, but have many more inaccuracies and out-dated info. Obviously, I cannot check every farm every day, but I do check as many as I can every day, and respond to all requests.  They don't. Don't support the scammers!

Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! And if you know of any farms I missed and want to add a farm, please let me know!   I'm making updates for this year as fast as I can - if you find anything out-of-date, wrong or not working - please let me know! This website is supported by purchases you make through the links to products on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This allows me to continue to maintain the website and make improvements!

What's in season in April 2024, and other timely information:

Notes for April 2024: Spring is here! Strawberry season is here.  It started in February in Florida, Texas, southern California and a few other areas of the Deep South; then March along the Gulf coast, April in the Deep South and west coast, May through much of the country, and June in northern areas. Blueberries are next, about a month later. Of course, cool weather crops, like Rhubarb, asparagus and greens should be available almost everywhere. Check your area's copy calendar (see this page) and call your local farms for seasonal updates.

You may also be interested in finding a local:

• Children's Consignment Sale happening now; save money on children's clothes, toys, books, etc, find a local children's consignment sale, also often held by churches in the Spring and Fall, click here!
• Fun factory tours - usually free, fun and educational, find them in every state here!
• Road trip or a Camping trip - Find free and low-cost, but fun, interesting places to visit and things to do and see!

We also have home canning, preserving, drying and freezing directions. You can access recipes and other resources from the drop down menus at the top of the page or the site search. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to write me! It is easy to make your own ice cream, even gelato, or low fat or low sugar ice cream - see this page. Also note, there are many copycat website listing U-pick farms now.  They have all copied their information from here and usually do not ever update.  Since 2002, I've been updating the information every day but Christmas; so if you see anything wrong or outdated, please write me!

The Santa Cruz County and Bay area of California U-Pick Farms and Orchards in 2024, by county

Click on the resources drop-down above, if you need a county map

Santa Cruz County

• Ambling Ambystoma Farm - CERTIFIED ORGANIC, blackberries,
  500 Peaceful Valley Dr, La Selva Beach, CA 95076. Phone: 831-345-8866. Email: m4perez@netzero.net. Open: We have re-planted on a quarter acre that will probably be ready for U-Pick in 2015; Please check back for season updates; Saturdays and Sundays, 9 am to 7 pm, mid July through September. Directions: From Santa Cruz: Take highway 1 south and exit at San Andreas Road Turn right, and proceed on San Andreas Road through La Selva Beach, past Manresa Beach before turning left on Peaceful Valley Dr. It is the next road just past the KOA. Cross railroad tracks and go over hill into valley. Take first right into farm. Click here for a map and directions. U-Pick thornless blackberres, open Saturdays and Sundays, 9 am to 7 pm, mid July through September. We are certified organic for all crops! Payment: Cash, Check.

• Clearview Orchards - CERTIFIED ORGANIC, apples, Honey from hives on the farm, U-pick and already picked, picnic area
  646 Trabing Road, Watsonville, CA 95076. Phone: 408-472-1958. Email: info@clearvieworchards.com. Open: Saturday and Sunday, from 10am to 5pm, Saturday September 5, 2015 through Sunday November 1st. Directions: from Santa Cruz: Highway 1 South towards Watsonville Exit Buena Vista Road Turn left at stop sign Turn left on Trabing road to orchard. Click here for a map and directions. We are certified organic for all crops! Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. Click here for our Facebook page. We will open Sept 7th Labor Day Monday. You Pick Organic Fuji and Gala Apples. Fresh Pressed Fuji Apple Cider and Frozen Apple Pops. Our Local Honey for Sale Year Round. Clearview Organic Orchards also has dried lavender, certified organic pumpkins and squash, and our own fresh pressed organic apple juice served ice cold at the orchard along with our fresh baked apple turnovers (UPDATED: May 06, 2018, JBS)
• Crystal Bay Farm - Certified Organic, olallieberries, raspberries (red), raspberries (yellow), strawberries, tayberries, picnic area, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours
  40 Zils Road, Watsonvillle, CA 95076. Phone: (831) 724-4137. Email: Crystalbayfarm@mac.com. Open: Please call ahead for u - pick; U-Pick is typically Wednesday & Sundays from 11- 4pm starting mid-May, ​$2.00 entrance fee; 2021 prices are Strawberries $5.00 per pound May-Sept, Raspberries (price TBD) June-July & September - Come out in October for our Pumpkin Patch!. Directions: From Highway 1 take the the San Andreas / Larken Valley exit to San Andreas road, drive 4.5 miles to Zils road We are at the corner of San Andreas and Zils Road. Click here for a map and directions. We are certified organic for all crops! Payment: Cash, Check. We are a small family farm open to the public, located between two state beaches on the beautiful Monterey Bay. We offer a self-serve farm stand, a pumpkin patch, and farm tours. Our Self-Serve Farm stand operates on the honor system. If the farmer is not around take your fruit and place your payment in the cash tube at the corner of the farm stand. In the Fall we have a huge assortment of pumpkins and winter squash. So come on out, we look forward to seeing you in the field. Certified Organic by CCOF since 1997. Come and enjoy the best organic strawberries on the Monterey Bay and spend the day with us. OCTOBER U-PICK DAYS ARE from 10 am to 5 pm COME AND ENJOY THE BEST ORGANIC STRAWBERRIES ON THE MONTEREY BAY AND SPEND THE DAY WITH US. OUR FARM IS LOCATED BETWEEN 2 STATE PARK BEACHES OVERLOOKING THE MONTEREY BAY, VISIT THE FARM ANIMALS HAVE A PICNIC RELAX AND UNWIND. IF YOUR GROUP IS LARGER THAN TEN PLEASE CALL IN ADVANCE FOR APPOINTMENT. Their website says COMING SOON, a VEGGIE U-PICK, ​VEGGIES LETTUCE, RADISH, CHARD, KALE, TOMATOES, BEANS, BEETS, CARROTS, GARLIC, HERBS, TOMATILLOS, BROCCOLI, SUMMER SQUASH
• Gizdich Farm - apples, blackberries, boysenberries, olallieberries, raspberries (Spring, red), strawberries, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), U-pick and already picked, farm market, gift shop, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, school tours
  55 Peckham Rd, Watsonville, CA 95076. Phone: 831-722-1056. Open: 7 days a week, 9am to 5pm. Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. Directions: From Highway 1 (southbound), take Riverside Drive EXIT, turn left overpass, straight through downtown Watsonville (high school on left side), over a bridge, left on Lakeview Road, right on Carlton Road, left on Peckham Road. From Highway 1 (northbound), same exit, right on Riverside, follow above. From Highway 101 (southbound & northbound), take 129 WEST to Watsonville, fork right on Carlton Road, (stop sign Thompson Road), straight on Carlton, right on Peckham Road. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Visa, MasterCard. Strawberries: May to September. Olallieberries: June. Boysenberries and Blackberries: Mid June to July. Apples: September (3 weeks). Pie Shop open Daily 9 am to 5 pm Serving our famous farm fresh pies and our Award winning Apple Juice. They grow 16 varieties of apples but only Red Delicious, Newton Pippins & Golden Delicious are U-pick. Pik-Yor-Self - Strawberries, Olallieberries, Boysenberries, and Apples are available in our Pik-Yor-Self program. Experience the most fun part of growing fruits, here at the Ranch! Combined with fresh air, sunshine and a little sweat, it's a whole lot of fun for the kids and the entire family. Don't forget your camera.
  Call for our opening dates and prepare for a fun day of picking delicious fruit. Bring your own containers or let us provide boxes for a small fee.
  After picking, take a self guided tour of our apple orchard and berry farms. If you're here on Saturdays (September-April only), you can watch the apples get pressed for juice!
  Comments from a visitor on June 20, 2011: "This place has been around forever!! I picked berries here as a kid. I took my teenagers last year. My mom and all her friends use them for their jam berries. Worth the trip (unless Rancho Not So Grande can beat their prices. They are local while Gizdich is an almost 3 hour drive"
  Comments from a visitor on June 26, 2010: "Love it, have been going for many years. "
  Comments from a visitor on December 21, 2009: "Have been going to their ranch for years. It is a wonderful place. Their olallieberries and apples are the best! Gizdich Ranch is surrounded by other small family farms. The whole county is rich in agriculture. Fields of artichokes, strawberries, olallieberries, boysenberries, apples, vegetables, etc. In the fall the area it is a cornucopia to the season. They have a shop located in their barn that sells farm grown apples and fresh berries in season or bags of frozen berries ( 4 & 8 lbs.), frozen berry puree, freshly pressed apple juice and a variety of jams, etc.. There is also a bakeshop/deli that serves: freshly baked pies (sold whole or by the slice), shortcakes, pastries, apple dumplings, sandwiches, box lunches & drinks. Also have an antique shop next to the barn. Yes they have restrooms. Yes, credit card and ship nation wide. There are picnic tables & tours of ranch. Family friendly. They are not organic. But are trying a variety of natural approaches to cut back on spraying."
• High Ground Organics - blueberry U-picks on specified dates only.
  521 Harkins Slough Road, Watsonville, CA 95076. Phone: (831)254-4918. Email: csa@highgroundorganics.com. Open: Strawberry and blueberry U-picks on specified dates only; In late spring/early summer we offer Blueberry U-picks - by appointment.. We offer several opportunities throughout the year for members to come see the farm for our U-pick days, tours, or volunteer restoration workdays. The best way to find out about these events is to receive our newsletter. We love showing off our farm, but it is also our home and we must balance tours with a very busy work schedule, so please come by only when there are scheduled events or u-picks. High Ground Organics Facebook Page. It looks like they no longer have strawberry U-picks. (ADDED: May 15, 2017, JBS)
• Live Earth Farm and Discovery Program - Certified Organic, apples, apricots, beans, blackberries, olallieberries, peppers, pumpkins, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (yellow), raspberries (Spring, yellow), raspberries (Autumn, yellow), raspberries (black), raspberries (Spring, black), strawberries, tomatoes, Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, restrooms, picnic area, picnic area you may bring your own food, face painting, farm animals, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours, group reservations
  1275 Green Valley Road, Watsonville, CA 95076. Phone: 831-763-2448. Alternate Phone: 831-728-2032. Email: farmers@cruzio.com. Open: U-Picks will be held seasonally on Saturdays and Sundays only from 10 am to 3 pm, May to October; call before you come. Directions: Click here for a map and directions. We are certified organic for all crops! Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. Click here for our Facebook page. Please be advised that availability of crops varies from week to week; check the table below for the status of available items. Discounts apply to produce the more you pick! Bring buckets, boxes, or other containers to harvest into, or purchase containers from us for a small fee. Make sure to dress accordingly to layers, hats, sunblock. Load up the kids, pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it! Though we appreciate canine friends, please do not bring your dogs to our farm. Typical dates (may change!):
  Strawberries Mother's Day Weekend Saturday and Sunday May 12th and 13th
  Blackberries End of July
  Dry-farmed Tomatoes August
  Peppers
  Apples September/October )
• Swanton Berry Farm - ORGANIC, Strawberries
  25 Swanton Road, Davenport, CA. Phone: 831-469-8804. Email: mail@swantonberryfarm.com. Open: UPDATE for 2021, Due to COVID , no pick-your-own in 2021, but it should return next year (2022). Daily 8 am to 7 pm. Containers are provided. We have many attractive areas for relaxing after gathering your fill of berries or kiwis, so bring a picnic and spend the day with us at one of our ranches. Click here for a map and driving directions. Strawberry fields are at the Swanton Farm Stand. Also pre-picked broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes and peas. Everything is Certified Organic by California Certified Organic Farmers. U-Pick Sundays beginning June 15th and continuing every Sunday until August 31st. Tours depart from our Swanton Ranch Farm Stand (just 2 miles north of Davenport on Highway 1) every Sunday at 9am. The day includes a 1 hour guided farm tour, variety tasting (all you can eat!), plus a dessert from our bakery kitchen. Bring a picnic to enjoy by our ocean front fields. Organic Strawberry U-pick is available for $4lb (2015 price). Farm Stand has fresh berry shortcakes, strawberry lemonade, strawberry apple cider & more! Enjoy these treats in our sheltered stand over a board game or a good read.

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Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children's consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers