2024 The Roanoke Area and surrounding Western Virginia Strawberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in The Roanoke Area and surrounding Western Virginia 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.

Bedford County

• Scotts Strawberry Farm (aka, A&E Farms) - blackberries, blueberries, raspberries (red), raspberries (black), strawberries, tomatoes, other vegetables, events at your location (call for info),Honey from hives on the farm, U-pick and already picked, farm market, restrooms
  5234 Joppa Mill Road, Moneta, VA 24121. Phone: 540-297-7917. Email: aferguson@hughes.net. Open: UPDATE for 2022, Their Facebook page has not been updated since 2020; so I assume they have closed permanently. Directions: from Roanoke 24 east 17 miles turn left onto 747 go 2 miles on right. from Bedford 122 south 4 miles turn right onto 747 go 4 miles on left. from Lynchburg 460 west to Bedford 122 south exit go 4 miles turn right onto 747 go 4 miles on left. from Franklin County 122 north 20+ miles to 24122 intersection left on 24 west go 5 miles right onto 801 1-12 miles right onto 747 .8 mile on right. Strawberries: May to early June, Produce: May thru August, Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries: late June thru August, all dates determined by the weather. Payment: Cash, Check. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Scotts Strawberry Farm (aka, A&E Farms) Alternate Phone: 540-871-0635. . mid May on; Monday thru Saturday 7:30 am till 7 pm Sunday 1 pm till 6 pm. from Roanoke 24 east 17 miles turn left onto 747 go 2 miles on right. from Bedford 122 south 4 miles turn right onto 747 go 4 miles on left. from Lynchburg 460 west to Bedford 122 south exit go 4 miles turn right onto 747 go 4 miles on left. from Franklin County 122 north 20+ miles to 24/122 intersection left on 24 west go 5 miles right onto 801 1-1/2 miles right onto 747 .8 mile on right. Strawberries: May to early June, Produce: May thru August, Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries: late June thru August, all dates determined by the weather. click here for their Facebook page. NOTE: 2021 THE FARM IS FOR SALE: just under 127 acres, 4 acre lake, underground irrigation going to any field on the property, several buildings and barns, very large shop, 4 wells, 5 septic's, 3 mobile homes. Main house 4 levels, 3600+ SF, 4 BR, 5 BA, 2 Great rooms, 1 on main floor w/open fireplace thru both sides and 1 in basement with wood insert and room is finished, spiral stairs getting off 3 levels, stairs in front hall up to 2 BR, HP, can also use wood for heat. I probably left something off.anyway it is close.
  Comments from a visitor on July 08, 2010: (positive)"I picked blackberries on July 6, 2010 for the first time ever - they are the most amazing blackberries! I had to look for the really ripe ones but there were plenty to be found. It took me about an hour to fill the field bucket- you pay by the bucket full not by weight and they allow you to heap it as high as you can for $16.00. There were a ton of yet to ripe berries so I will be going back again for sure. It seemed to me that the berries have not been affected by the drought because they have a nice watering system. The berries were incredibly JUCY. Nice perks are: you can drive right up to the field, they have clean, real (not porta-pot)bathrooms, and they sell other farm fresh produce as well. "
  Comments from a visitor on July 07, 2010: (positive) - "I have been Scott's twice recently and have to say I disagree with the other two recent posters. First was during the strawberry festival, it was too hot to stay long, but we did pick a 5qt bucket full, very easily. Most recently we picked blackberries and raspberries on 6/27/10. I will agree that there were not many raspberries, but there were LOTS of blackberries. We picked three 5 qt buckets full. I don't know if the previous posters misunderstood where to turn, as the fields can be confusing, but there were 5 rows of completely ripe blackberries and about 10 rows that had some ripe and some not. "
  Comments from a visitor on June 26, 2010: (negative) - "I noted that a upset visitor posted a response in June 2010. I am not normally one to post such derogatory remarks but I am sorry to say that the previous poster is fairly correct. We were told there was blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. When we went out, we were told to go to a particular field. We arrived and found about 5 blueberry bushes and was able to pick about 1/2 cup of ripe blueberries. We did not see any blackberries. We did see about 35 raspberry bushes. While there were a lot of raspberries on the available bushes, 95% were not ripe. When we checked out, we were told that the berries should be ready in about 2 weeks. It is posted as being ready and we too were told on the phone about the readiness of the berries. It was a huge disappointment since we too drove about 40 minutes to get there. I would not recommend visiting this farm. "
  Comments from a visitor on June 19, 2010: (negative) - "WOW what a disappointment. I called before had for directions , . From my Home it was 45 miles, Asked about the different kinds of berry that "were in season NOW" I quoted, She explained a " bunch of blueberry bushes. raspberry and black berry would be here soon... Lies ,lies lies. I got there only 12 blueberry bushes ( which is what I was going for) and NOT ONE BERRY ON THE BUSH. So I picked not a berry and stopped by to ask why she lied to me on the phone and to my face before I went out to the fields. She said You must have misunderstood me. B*** S***. Then she offered to sell me her pre-picked berries at 3.99, a pint well I I explained I do not plan to buy her pre-picked week old berries after spending 1.5 hours driveng and 1/2 a tank of gas to a horrible lady. oh yes I did " A HORIBBILE LADY" Another visitor writes in 2009: (positive) - "Pick your own price for 2009 is $1.80 quart or $9.00 for the 5 quart field bucket. They also have a Scott Strawberry Farm Festival - (the last weekend in May) 10 am to dusk Saturday, Noon-Dusk Sunday - Crafts & food, door prizes, pony & carriage rides, bungee jump, moonwalk, homemade ice cream, homemade strawberry & blackberry pie, flatfoot contests and the BEST strawberries around. U-Pick or buy ready-picked."

Campbell County

• Yoders' Farm - strawberries, pumpkins, corn maze
  1134 Browns Mill Road, Rustburg, VA 24588. Phone: 434-401-4864. Email: yodairy@gmail.com. Open: Monday to Saturday, from 7 am to 7 pm; Closed Sunday; April 28 to May 26. Directions: If you are coming south on 29, turn left at McDonalds onto Calohan Rd. After about 1.9 miles you will come to a four way light at 24, go straight through the light. The road becomes Wisecarver Rd. you will go about 1.6 miles and come to a stop sign. At the stop sign turn right onto Browns Mill Rd. Go about .75 mile and look for the farm on your left. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
  Yoders' Farm Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: 434-332-6657. . Strawberries: April 28 to May 26. Hydroponic tomatoes Thanksgiving through July 4th. Yoder's Farm Facebook page.

Halifax County

• Dean Puryear Farms - strawberries
  3191 Huell Matthews Highway, South Boston, VA 24592. Phone: (434) 575-7307. Email: puryearfarms@hotmail.com. Open: Does anyone have current information, are they still offering pick your own or are even open? If so, please write me, last reported hours were 8 am to 7 pm, Monday to Saturday; 1-7 pm, Sunday. Directions: Located on Highway 501 south, 2 miles from the intersection of Highway 501 and Highway 58 in South Boston.Farm market has a stained glass studio, which designs and crafts glass. Other handcrafts available. In season, we grow our special tomato variety, \Amazing. Click here for a map and directions. \" which has outstanding tomato taste; super sweet corn varieties"
• Giant Oaks Farm and Orchard, Bed & Breakfast - Uses natural growing practices, apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, muscadine grapes, pears, raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (Autumn, black), strawberries, walnuts, Turkeys (organic, not-hormone-fed), Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, petting zoo, farm animals, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours
  3035 Neals Corner Road, Clover, VA 24534. Phone: 850-691-9661. Email: ericakay55@hotmail.com. Click here for a map and directions. . Alternate Phone: 804-712-1738. . UPDATE for 2019, Their website is gone; Does anyone have current information, are they still offering pick your own or are even open? If so, please write me

Pittsylvania County

• Bachelor Hall Farm and Nursery - strawberries
  224 Bachelor Hall Farm Road, Danville, VA 24541. Phone: 434 685-7959. Email: joey_knight@ncsu.edu. Open: Please call for times and hours. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Bachelor Hall Farm and Nursery . We offer pick your own , vegetables, peaches, Fall mums (flowers), greenhouse vegetable bedding plants. Pick your own , vegetables, peaches, Fall mums (flowers), greenhouse vegetable bedding plants. We also host school groups during Strawberry Picking Time (April 25-June 1).
• Motley's Strawberries - strawberries,
  240 Steele Road, Gretna, VA 24557. Phone: (434) 656-2838. Email: jkmevergreen@hotmail.com. Open: Monday to Saturday, from 7am to 8pm. Directions: From Route 29 \(north or south\), take the second Gretna exit, at top of ramp, turn onto route 40 East, take the first left onto Leftwich Street and an immediate left onto Motley Street, follow signs to driveway on right. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. Motley's Strawberries . From Route 29 (north or south), take the second Gretna exit, at top of ramp, turn onto route 40 East, take the first left onto Leftwich Street and an immediate left onto Motley Street, follow signs to driveway on right. Strawberries usually available most of the month of May through early June. Hope to see you soon! . Family owned strawberry farm since 1992, bring your own containers please.

 

Strawberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

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. Most 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.
   
   
   If 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.

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.

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

Whether 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

• How to freeze strawberries!
• Strawberry jam (with pectin) (uses less sugar or honey and less cooking)
• Strawberry jam (without pectin) (requires much more sugar and cooking)
• Strawberry (and other berry) jams without sugar
• Strawberry jelly
• Strawberry-rhubarb jam!
• Homemade strawberry ice cream (regular, low fat, nonfat, low sugar, vanilla and even gelato)
• Canning strawberries
• Make gourmet chocolate-covered strawberries
• How to make fruit juice -  strawberry and other berries
• Strawberry pie filling
• Strawberry pie
• Easy Rhubarb-Strawberry pie
• Fig-strawberry jam
• Fig-strawberry jam, made with Jello gelatin

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 on 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.
• 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:

• University of Illinois Extension
• Driscolls
• Ohio State University Extension
• Strawberries-Average retail price per pound and per cup equivalent

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