Florida · Orchard fruit
Typically mid-October to mid-June, with peak early December through mid-March.
Hatched chalk = early and late shoulders; solid = peak.
Navels and early juice fruit lead in fall, Honeybells peak in January, and Valencias carry into early summer.
From mid-October — first pickings, lighter supply, best prices come later.
early December through mid-March — full stalls, full flavor. This is the stretch to plan around.
Through mid-June — quantity for preserving, and the stalls start dealing.
about 34 weeks end to end, shoulders included.
Winter grove picking — clip fruit with a short stem stub so the peel does not tear. The picking window tracks the band above: early trips get clean fields, peak (early December through mid-March) 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.
Orange peak moves across the map. After this window, it lands next in:
In Florida, the orange season typically runs mid-October to mid-June, with peak availability early December through mid-March. Exact weeks shift a little with each year's weather.
Aim for peak: early December through mid-March. An early trip around mid-October 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 34 weeks end to end — mid-October to mid-June. The early and late shoulders are real but lighter; the solid stretch of chalk on the band is the sure bet.