California · Garden vegetables
Typically early January to late December, with peak mid-January through mid-December.
Hatched chalk = early and late shoulders; solid = peak.
Year-round: Imperial Valley in winter, Kern County and the high desert the rest of the year.
From early January — first pickings, lighter supply, best prices come later.
mid-January through mid-December — full stalls, full flavor. This is the stretch to plan around.
Through late December — quantity for preserving, and the stalls start dealing.
about 52 weeks end to end, shoulders included.
Some diversified veg farms offer dig-your-own rows — loosen with a fork, never yank by the tops. The picking window tracks the band above: early trips get clean fields, peak (mid-January through mid-December) is the sure bet, late season is for quantity.
Farm-to-farm variation is real — up to two weeks either side of the typical window. Plan the trip, then call the farm before you drive.
Carrot peak moves across the map. After this window, it lands next in:
The whole national sweep · everything in season in California
In California, the carrot season typically runs early January to late December, with peak availability mid-January through mid-December. Exact weeks shift a little with each year's weather.
Aim for peak: mid-January through mid-December. An early trip around early January gets first choice of clean fields; a late one is for stock-the-freezer quantity. Any single farm can run up to two weeks either side of the chart — call before you drive.
about 52 weeks end to end — early January to late December. The early and late shoulders are real but lighter; the solid stretch of chalk on the band is the sure bet.