California · Berries & small fruit
Typically mid-April to mid-June, with peak early May through late May.
Hatched chalk = early and late shoulders; solid = peak.
Harvest starts in the southern San Joaquin in late April and moves north to Lodi and the foothills by June.
From mid-April — first pickings, lighter supply, best prices come later.
early May through late May — full stalls, full flavor. This is the stretch to plan around.
Through mid-June — quantity for preserving, and the stalls start dealing.
about 9 weeks end to end, shoulders included.
Pick with stems attached and keep buckets shallow — stemless cherries weep and need eating within a day. The picking window tracks the band above: early trips get clean fields, peak (early May through late May) 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.
Cherry peak moves across the map. After this window, it lands next in:
The whole national sweep · everything in season in California
In California, the cherry season typically runs mid-April to mid-June, with peak availability early May through late May. Exact weeks shift a little with each year's weather.
Aim for peak: early May through late May. An early trip around mid-April gets first choice of clean fields; a late one is for jam-and-freezer quantity. Any single farm can run up to two weeks either side of the chart — call before you drive.
about 9 weeks end to end — mid-April to mid-June. The early and late shoulders are real but lighter; the solid stretch of chalk on the band is the sure bet.