2024 Augusta area of Maine Strawberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

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Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in Augusta area of Maine in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for strawberries that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have strawberries orchards that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!

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! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!

PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.

Waldo County

  • Daisychain Farm - CERTIFIED ORGANIC, apples, raspberries (red), strawberries, Fresh eggs, restrooms, picnic area you may bring your own food
    102 Tufts Rd, Belfast, ME 4915. Phone: (207) 338-7839. Email: daisychain.farm@gmail.com. Open: Monday through Saturday from 8 am to 11 am. Directions: Tufts road is between Jessie Robbins and Edgecomb roads. Edgecomb road connects to route 52 and route 3. Jessie Robbins connects to route 3 and Back Belmont. Strawberries Late June through mid July; We do . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. . . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. open July 4th; Raspberries mid July through early August; Check website or call for this year's dates. We are certified organic for all crops! We also sell eggs at Bahner Farm on route 3 in Belmont Ask us about wholesale apples for hard cider. (ADDED: June 29, 2019)
  • Mueller's Fruit Farm - raspberries (red), strawberries,
    431 Mount View Road Route 220, Thorndike, ME 4986. Phone: (207) 568-2009. Email: schart04@gmail.com. Open: Daily 5 am to 1 pm. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only. . Strawberries: Starting Saturday June 20th. Managed fields, weed-free beds. (UPDATED: May 06, 2015, JBS)
  • Raven's Berry Farm - strawberries,
    127 Raven Road, Freedom, ME . Phone: 207-382-6329. Open: in season, 7 days a week. Click here for a map and directions. . Pick your own farm fresh

Androscoggin County

  • Berry Fruit Farm - strawberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, apples, pumpkins, and mixed vegetables, farm market, bakery
    361 Crash Road, Livermore, ME 4253. Phone: 207 897 4767. Email: joel@berryfruitfarm.com. Open: Seasonally, see their website. Click here for a map and directions.
    Berry Fruit Farm Facebook page. . joel@berryfruitfarm. combines homemade and homegrown products for a fun and wholesome customer experience. In our U-Pick fields you will find strawberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, apples, pumpkins, and mixed vegetables. Our retail store is open year around with a full time bakery staff making daily breads, pastry, and menu items in Livermore Falls. At Christmas, a classic Christmas "from the land where Christmas trees grow." This year pick up your Christmas tree and products that will make your season bright. offers the finest quality U-Pick and Retail. (ADDED: October 20, 2020, JBS)
  • Chipman's - strawberries,
    32 Goodwin Rd, Minot, ME 4258. Phone: 207-998-2027. Open: End of June - Mid July; 8am to 7pm; Please call the strawberry hotline for picking conditions and hours. Directions: only 10 minutes from the farm on the Intersection of Goodwin road and Pottle Hill; Just follow the strawberry signs!. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only.
    Chipman's Facebook page. . Our Pick your own strawberry fields are in Minot. For updates on hours and pickability like us on Facebook or call the strawberry hotline: (UPDATED: February 08, 2019)
  • Earley Farm & Nursery - strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, Fresh eggs, restrooms, picnic area, farm animals
    639 Gardiner Road, Wales, ME 4280. Phone: 207 375-4884. Email: Kristengl@aol.com. Open: Friday and Saturday from 9am to 4 pm, Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm; Closed July 4th subject to change with weather and picking conditions; the strawberry season lasts about 4 weeks, generally from Mid June to Mid July. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
    Earley Farm & Nursery Facebook page. . Fax: 207 375-8682. . Friday and Saturday from 9am to 4 pm, Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm; Closed July 4th (subject to change with weather and picking conditions); the strawberry season lasts about 4 weeks, generally from Mid June to Mid July. UPDATE for 2021: they will not have U-pick Raspberries in 2021, but they will have U-pick Blueberries Be sure to call the Berry Hotline (starting June 10th) 207-375-8682 just before coming. Once in awhile we need to close for a day to let the berries ripen. We kindly asked that you leave your beloved four -legged friends at home. However, if you are traveling through with your pets please keep them safe in your vehicle. We would be glad to accommodate your pets with fresh water, and a shady spot in hot weather. Formerly Roaring Brook Nurseries. facebook page. (UPDATED: July 12, 2021, JBS)
    Comments from a visitor on June 13, 2011: "Beautiful country setting with picnic tables under birch trees, children of all ages welcome, Baby bunnies and play area for children. "
  • Goss Farm - Strawberries and raspberries.
    158 Megquier Hill Road, Poland, ME . Phone: 207-998-2565. Open: June through September, Monday to Saturday from 7am to dusk. Click here for a map and directions. . Apples in the fall. Beautiful country setting. Open The Farm Stand sells ready-picked pumpkins, assorted apples, assorted plums, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, assorted flowers, rhubarb, and gourds.
  • Verrill's Vegetable Stand - - U-pick strawberries, blackberries.
    270 Bailey Hill Road, Poland, ME . Phone: 207-998-2301. Email: jessica@pivot.net. Open: Call for picking conditions; hours are 8 am to dusk, 7 days. Click here for a map and directions. Verrill's Vegetable Stand. Email or verrill1953@wmconnect.com.

Kennebec County

  • Full Fork Farm - Uses natural growing practices, strawberries,
    154 Dutton Road, China, ME 4358. Phone: (978) 460-1140. Email: anson@fullforkfarm.com. Open: Wednesdays, from 3:30pm to 6:30pm; Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays 9:30am to 6:30pm. Directions: Our u-pick operation, including parking, is in the field, not at our house. Look for the roadside pop-up tent along the road for where to enter. An . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard.
    Full Fork Farm Facebook page. . Picking updates: Click here for picking updates. OPEN flag will be displayed during u-pick hours. Strawberry season is typically June 15th to July 15th;. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic. (ADDED: June 16, 2018)
  • Richardson's Strawberry Farm - strawberries and red raspberries
    Hinckley-Canaan Road (Route 23), Clinton, ME . Phone: 207-453-2093. Open: mid-June to mid-July, 7 days a week, hours vary depending on weather. Click here for a map and directions. . We have approximately five acres of luscious strawberries and one acre of red raspberries. Come pick your own.
  • Stevenson's Strawberries - strawberries, pumpkins
    Berry Road and Tucker Road, Wayne, ME . Phone: 207-685-3532. Email: stevensonstrawberryfarm@gmail.com. Open: end of June - mid-July, 7 am to 8 pm, daily. Click here for a map and directions. . Fax. 207-685-4164. . Fifteen acres of beautiful strawberries to pick from! Peas available during strawberry season. Children supervised by an adult are welcome. Restrooms available. At Stevenson's you can pick your own strawberries and fresh fruit. Strawberries have been our business since 1974. We are handicap accessible and have bathrooms available. PYO pumpkins from the end of September through the end of October, weekends only!.

Knox County

  • School House Farm - strawberries, apples, peas (English), peas (Snap),
    171 Atlantic Highway, Warren, ME 4864. Phone: 207-273-2440. Email: elenaburdina@gmail.com. Open: Starting Mid-September through October, 9 am to 5 pm. Click here for a map and directions. . From SW 1.2mi on left after Rts. 90 & 1 intersection. From NE 2mi on Route after W/T bridge on Rte 1. Bus parking. 25 varieties of apples.

Lincoln County

Sagadahoc County

  • Fairwinds Farm - peas, strawberries,
    Brown\'s Point Road, Bowdoinham, ME 4008. Phone: 207-729-1872. Email: fairwindsfarm08@gmail.com. Open: 7 am to 7pm, seven days per week, in season. Directions: Take Route 24 to Bowdoinham and follow the signs. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover. Eight acres of beautiful berries on the banks of the Kennebec River. Also, pick your own beet greens. Restrooms available. Formerly called \Prout\'s Vegetables\". """. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover.
    Fairwinds Farm Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: 207-522-0246. . Take Route 24 to Bowdoinham and follow the signs. Eight acres of beautiful berries on the banks of the Kennebec River. Also, pick your own beet greens. Restrooms available. Formerly called "Prout's Vegetables".

 

Strawberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

strawberry pick-your-own field

In the U.S. strawberries typically peak during April in Florida and Texas, May in the deep South, and in early June in middle sections and later June in the far North and Canada. Keep in mind that crops are ready at various times of the month depending on which part of the state you are located. In order to produce good local strawberries, producers depend on ideal spring weather conditions. 

Before you leave to go to the farm:

  1. Always call before you go to the farm - strawberries are affected by weather (both rain and cooler temperature) more than most crops. And when they are in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL first!
  2. Leave early.  On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
     
  3. strawberry picking bucket from Washington FarmsMost growers furnish picking containers designed for strawberries, but they may charge you for them; be sure to call before you go to see if you need to bring containers.


    strawberries, just picked from the fieldIf you use your own containers, remember that heaping strawberries more than 5 inches deep will bruise the lower berries. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers. I like the Glad storage containers like the one at right.
  4. Bring something to drink and a few snacks; you'd be surprised how you can work up a thirst and appetite! And don't forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren't a problem, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.Sttawberry bush with ripe strawberries, up close

Tips on How to Pick Strawberries

  1. Grasp the stem just above the berry between the forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.

  2. With the stem broken about one-half inch from the berry, allow it to roll into the palm of your hand.how to pick strawberries

  3. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. 

  4. Carefully place - don't throw - the fruit into your containers. Repeat the picking process with both hands.

  5. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips

close-up of the rows in a strawberry patch at at PYO strawberry fieldWhether you pick strawberries from your garden or at a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

  1. Be careful that your feet and knees do not damage plants or fruit in or along the edge of the row.
  2. Pick only the berries that are fully red. Part the leaves with your hands to look for hidden berries ready for harvest.
  3. To help the farmers, also remove from the plants berries showing rot, sunburn, insect injury or other defects and place them between the rows behind you. If they are left in the plants, the rot will quickly spread to other berries.
  4. Berries to be used immediately may be picked any time, but if you plan to hold the fruit for a few days, try to pick in the early morning or on cool, cloudy days. Berries picked during the heat of the day become soft, are easily bruised and will not keep well.
  5. Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunshine any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking. Strawberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for two or three, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor and tends to shrivel.
  6. For interesting and fun strawberry facts and trivia from the California Strawberry Commission, click here!

When you get home

  1. DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them.  Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
  2. Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
  3. Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the caps (green tops) off the others and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make jam right away) See this page about how to freeze strawberries.
  4. If you like the strawberries you picked, ask the farm what variety they planted, and not the weather conditions the week or two before. The flavor of a strawberry is affected by the variety, the weather and the degree of ripeness when picked.
  5. Now, get ready to make strawberry jam. It is VERY easy - especially with our free strawberry jam instructions - they're illustrated and easy.

Strawberry Recipes, Canning and Freezing Strawberries

Strawberry Facts, Measurements and Tips

  • Picking the best strawberries: Select firm, fully red berries. Strawberries DO NOT continue ripen after they are picked! In the photo, only the berry onstrawberries shown in different stages of ripeness the far right is completely ripe.
  • Strawberry festivals: Most areas that grow strawberries have a strawberry festival, at which you can taste all kinds of fresh strawberry foods, pies, jams, cakes - and most commonly, fresh strawberry shortcake.  To find out where and when there is one near you, see this page for a list of strawberry festivals, sorted by state!
  • Strawberries measurements: government agriculture websites tell us that
    1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups and is about the same as 1 liter and
    1 quart of fresh strawberries weighs 1 lbs to 1.25 lbs (or 450 to 600 g). Of course, the weight varies on variety and weather conditions. 
    1 quart is normally enough for 4 servings, although I'll admit my son can eat 1 pint by himself!
  • How much to pick? In general, 1 quart of fresh, whole, just-picked strawberries = approximately 3.5 cups hulled, whole berries. In other words, removing the caps/hulls and the occasional mushy berry means you lose 1/4 cup to 1/2 (it depends how much fruit you remove with the hull) or about 7 to 12% of every quart you pick.
  • One cup of strawberries contains only about 50 calories
  • U-pick strawberries are much healthier than store-bought.  Consumer reports says store bought strawberries have so many pesticide and fungicide residues on they, that they don't recommend you eat them at all!
  • U-pick strawberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. 1 lbs of fresh strawberries is about 2/3 of a quart.
  • It takes about  10 to 15 minutes to pick a quart, if the berries are reasonably plentiful
  • The strawberry plant adapts to wide variety of soil conditions, but does not tolerate drought well, and the berries quickly rot if the weather is rainy. For this reason, the plants are usually grown on raised beds through plastic mulch!
  • Cultivation of strawberries began in Europe in the 1300's, but the berry only became very popular in the early 1900's in California.
  • Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as strawberries quickly mold when left at room temperature, and only last a couple of days in the refrigerator.
  • You can easily freeze berries that you cannot use right away - just wash, cut the hulls off and pop them into a ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible.  Those vacuum food sealers REALLY do a good job of this! The berries will keep for many months frozen without air.crowded parking at a Strawberry u-pick field
  • Want to grow your own strawberries?  Here's an article about how to: Strawberries are an Excellent Fruit for the Home Garden, HYG-1424-98!
  • See this page for many more fun and interesting strawberry facts, nutritional information and trivia

Other weird strawberry facts

  • Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.
  • Strawberries were originally called strewberries because the fruit was 'strewn' amongst the leaves of the plant.
  • California is king of strawberry productions because: California produces 75 percent of the nation's strawberry crops; one billion pounds of strawberries each year.  If all the strawberries produced in California in one year were laid berry to berry, they would go around the world 15 times. Each acre of land in California in strawberry production produces an average of 21 tons of strawberries annually, with a total of 23,000 acres of strawberries planted in California each year.

More conversions

1 pint (2 cups)  of fresh whole strawberries

  • = about 8 oz (1/2 lb) of strawberries
  • = 2.25 cups of sliced strawberries
  • = 1 cup pureed strawberries
  • = 12-14 large strawberries

2 quarts of fresh strawberries are needed for a 9" pie

A 10 oz package of frozen berries is about the same as 1 cup of sliced fresh strawberries

References:

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

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Pressure canners for gas, electric and induction stoves: Presto 23Qt or T-fal 22Qt

Canning scoop (this one is PERFECT)

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8oz canning jars for jams

Regular canning lids

Wide mouth canning lids

 


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