Looking for Cherry Harvest Calendar for California in 2022? Scroll down this page and follow the links. And if you bring home some fruit or vegetables and want to can, freeze, make jam, salsa or pickles, see this page for simple, reliable, illustrated canning, freezing or preserving directions. There are plenty of other related resources, click on the resources dropdown above. If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.
If you have questions or feedback, please let me know! There are affiliate links on this page. Read our disclosure policy to learn more.
Notes for August 2022: Summer is almost here and that means Strawberry season is upon us! It started in February in Florida, Texas, southern California; 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. Cherries and Blueberries have started in the South typically are available in most areas by the end of June . Of course, cool weather crops, like Rhubarb, asparagus and greens should be available almost everywhere through June. Check your area's copy calendar (see this page) and call your local farms for seasonal updates.
See these pages to find a local Strawberry Festival, or a Cherry or cherry blossom festival or a Blueberry festival.
We also have easy home canning, jam and jelly making, 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 Since 2002, I've been updating the information every day but Christmas; so if you see anything wrong or outdated, please write me!
Children's Consignment Sales occur in both the Spring and Fall See our companion website to find a local community or church kid's consignment sale!
-->When are cherries ready to pick / harvest in different areas of California? See the table below to know when to find your favorite variety of cherry. And then see the PYO farm page for California to find a farm to pick them!
Or see this page, for other Fruits and Vegetables. Please note that actual dates for cherry harvests may vary by as much as two or three weeks due to weather conditions, geographical location of the farm, and other factors. And since new varieties are always being developed, and farms may plant different varieties, it is always advisable to call a farm earlier than the expected beginning of a season to verify on the status of the product you are interested in. This is a general guide only!
Varieties |
Sour or sweet |
San Joaquin Valley |
Sacramento Valley |
Central Coast |
North Coast |
Sierra Nevada |
Early Burlat | sweet | Early June | Early June | June | June | June |
Early Ruby | sweet | Early June | Early June | June | June | June |
Early Richmond (sour) | sour | Early June | Early June | June | June | June |
Royal-Ann | sweet | Early June | Early June | June | June | June |
Meteor [sour] | sour | Early June | Early June | June | June | June |
Montmorency (sour) | sour | Early June | Early June | June | June | June |
North Star (sour) | sour | Early June | Early June | June | June | June |
Stella | sweet | June | June | late June | late June | late June |
Bing | sweet | June | June | Late June | Late June | June |
Ranier | sweet | June | June | Late June | Late June | June |
Black Tartarian | sweet | June | June | Late June | Late June | June |
Van | sweet | June | June | Late June | Late June | June |
Lambert | sweet | Late June | Late June | July | July | July |
Note: Sweet cherries are rarely grown in the foothills of Southern California, due to their need for a colder winter.
Current weather - click for forecast, or enter a zip code for a different location: |
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Above is the
2020 version of
the Ball Blue Book