Find a local pick your own farm here!

What's in season in October 2024, and other timely information:

This page has a table below that tells when each fruit or vegetable is normally ready to be harvested in Wisconsin!  We also have a page with links to our own simple instructions on canning, freezing and drying  many fruits and vegetables, such as  how to make jam, apple butter, applesauce, spaghetti sauce, salsa, pickles, ketchup or freezing corn.

Typical Crop Availability - When to Pick in Wisconsin

Fruit/Veg Jan Feb March April May June July August Sept Oct Nov December
apples                           X X X X X    
Asian pears                           X X X X X    
asparagus         X X X X X                      
beans                       X X X X X        
beets                       X X X X X        
blackberries                 X X X X                
blueberries                       X X X            
broccoli       X X X                 X X X X    
cabbage       X X X             X X X X X X    
cantaloupes                     X X X X X X        
cherries                   X X X                
Christmas trees                                     X X
cucumbers                     X X X X            
eggplant                     X X X X X X        
greens       X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X    
Fruit/Veg Jan Feb March April May June July August Sept Oct Nov December
herbs         X X X X X X X X X X X X X X    
nectarines                     X X X X            
peaches                 X X X X X X X X        
peas             X X X                      
peppers                     X X X X X X        
plums                             X X X X    
potatoes             X X X X X X                
pumpkins                             X X X X    
raspberries                     X X X X X X        
rhubarb             X X X X                    
squash                 X X X X X X X X X X    
strawberries       X X X X        
sweet corn X X X X
sweet potatoes             X X X X
tomatoes                       X X X X X X X    
watermelons                         X X X X X X    

The light green indicates light crops at the beginning, end, or in between seasons - dark green is when the bulk of the crop ripens and picking is best.

 

Apple Varieties Approx Ripening Dates Description & Uses
Jersey
(summer) Mac
mid Aug -
early Sept
Smaller and slightly sweeter than winter mac - eating, sauce, jelly.
Paula Red mid Aug -
early Sept
Crunchy and juicy - good for pies, baking, sauce, drying, jelly.
Gala September Very sweet, soft, does not store well at all
Whitney Crab early Sept Large - for spicing and jelly.
State Fair early Sept Sweet/tart, not a real hard apple - eating sauce, jelly, baking, salads.
Early Gold early-mid Sept Tart and crisp, a cross between transparent & a golden - eating, baking, pies, sauce.
Wealthy early-mid Sept Tart and tangy, an antique apple that's excellent for pies, sauce and baking, tart for eating.
Jona-Mac mid-later Sept Jonathan and Macintosh cross - eating, baking, sauce, jelly, pies.
Macintosh mid-late Sept The perennial favorite! - eating, baking, pies(cooks down), sauce, jelly.
Jonathan Mid- September- mid October Sweet, medium firm, eating, baking, sauce, jelly, pies.
Jonagold Mid- September- mid October Sweet, medium firm, eating, baking, sauce, jelly, pies.
Golden Delicious Mid- September- mid October Very sweet, soft, does not store well at all,  - eating, salads, baking, pies, sauce.
Red Delicious Mid- September- mid October Very sweet, soft, does not store well
Cortland mid-late Sept White flesh, crispy, a best seller! Excellent for eating, drying, pies, sauce, baking, jelly, salads.
Honeycrisp late September -
early Oct
Large, firm, juicy dessert apple - our fastest selling eating apple (not recommended for baking).
Sweet 16 late September -
early Oct
Crunchy, juicy, sweet - similar to Honeycrisp (but not quite as hard or large) - eating, salads, can bake.
Snow Apples early Oct Tiny, sweet, aromatic eating apple (an antique apple) - not a keeper!
Spartan early Oct Crunchy, tart, juicy - eating, salads, pies, baking, keeper too!
Gala early Oct Our sweetest apple! crunchy, non-acid eating apple, not large - good for lunch boxes, salads.
Wolf River early-mid Oct Giant, sour old-time pie apple.
Empire early-mid Oct Cross between a Mac and Red Delicious, juicy taste-test favorite! - eating, salads, sauce, drying, can bake.
Cameo early-mid Oct Crisp, sweet/tart eating apple! Great for applesauce
Jonathan mid Oct Tart and aromatic - eating, pies (does not "mush"), baking, jelly, applesauce!
Red Haralson mid Oct Tart and juicy. Excellent flavor for pies (cooks down), drying, baking, eating.
Jona-gold mid Oct Part Jonathan, part Golden Delicious - good eater, pies, baking, sauce, jelly, salads.
Fuji October Great all-around apple - sweet, firm, stores great
Braeburn October Nice firm, sweet all-purpose apple
Goldrush Mid-October Sweet golden apple, stores well firm a yellow apple
Rome October Very firm, almost hard apple.  Good formaking baked apples.
Ida Red mid-late Oct All-purpose apple! super keeper - pies, baking, eating (tart), drying, frying!
Northern Spy mid-late Oct Big and firm - pies, baking, drying, eating.
Double Red Stamen Winesap late Oct "Wine-like" flavor, creamy interior, not a large apple in the north - pies, baking, eating.
Yellow Newton Pippen late Oct Antique (Geo. Washington's favorite!) tart, crisp nutty flavor, good keeper and eater. Firm in pies and baking.
 

More

Variety
Description
Ripening Time
Lodiyellow, transparent, thin-skinned, pie and sauce
July 20-30
Pristine
yellow, crisp, spritely taste, eating
Aug. 1-10

Duchess
pink stripe, tart, pie & sauce
Aug. 5-15
Discovery
pink, sweet, pear-like taste, eating
Aug. 5-15
Williams Pride
dark red blush, crisp, spicy, eating
Aug. 5-15
Redfree
bright red, juicy, Jonathan flavor, eating
Aug. 15-25
Paulared
red, fine texture, sauce & eating
Aug. 15-25
Zestar
pink blush over yellow, crisp, excellent eating
Aug. 15-25
Earliblaze
red blush over green, hard & tart, eating & cooking
Aug. 20-30
Red Gravenstein
dark red blush, cooking & sauce
Aug. 25-Sept.5
Red Wealthy
red striped, tart, juicy, pie & sauce
Sept. 1-10

Sansa
pink-red, Gala cross, sweet eating
Sept. 1-10
Jonamac
firm,crisp large McIntosh type, eating McIntosh-Jonathan cross
Sept. 1-10
Ginger Gold
yellow, firm, crisp, sweet, eating
Sept. 1-10
Buckeye Gala
bright red, sweet, crunchy, eating. Cox Orange-Golden Del. cross
Sept. 5-15
Royal Gala
red striped, sweet, crunchy, eating. Cox Orange-Golden Del. cross
Sept. 5-15
LindaMac
bright red, early mac type, all-purpose
Sept. 5-15
McIntosh
red, crisp, tart-sweet, all-purpose
Sept. 10-20
Royal Court
deep red, large, Cortland type, all-purpose
Sept. 10-20
Sweet 16
red, crisp, nutty flavor, eating
Sept. 10-20

Ribston Pippin
red blush, juicy, tart-sweet, eating
Sept. 10-20
Honeycrisp
red striped, crisp, juicy, sweet, excellent eating. Keepsake-Minn 447 cross
Sept. 15-25
Macoun
purple-striped, firm, tart-sweet, eating. McIntosh-Jersey Black cross
Sept. 15-25
Liberty
red striped, crisp, sprightly sweet ,eating. Macoun- PRI cross
Sept. 15-25
Spartan
drk red, spicy, firmer McIntosh type, all-purpose. McIntosh-Newtown Pippin cross
Sept. 20-30
Cortland
red, firm, pure-white flesh, all-purpose. McIntosh-Ben Davis cross
Sept. 20-30
Crimson Crisp
very crisp, tart flavor, eating & cooking
Sept. 20-30
Snow
red, red-streaked white flesh, eating, sauce
Sept. 20-30
Greening
Yellow-green, large, coarse flesh, pies & sauce
Sept. 25-Oct.5
Swiss Gourmet
(Arlet)
Red blush, russeted, crisp, sweet-tart, eating. Golden Del.-Idared cross
Sept. 25-Oct.5
Royal Empire
deep burgundy, firm, sweet, all-purpose. McIntosh-Red Del. cross
Sept. 25-Oct.5
Sept. Wonder Fuji
bright red, crunchy, sweet, eating
Sept. 25-Oct.5
Red Delicious
dark red, crisp, sweet, eating. (We leave them on the tree until sweet)
Oct. 1-10
Sonata
(Pinata)
Red blush on yellow, sweet tangy flavor, eating. Golden Del.-Cox Orange-Duchess cross
Oct. 1-10
Karmijn
Cox orange-Jonathan cross
Oct. 1-10
Jonathan
ruby red, crisp, juicy, tangy, eating & pies
Oct. 5-15
Snowsweet
bronze-red, white flesh, all-purpose
Oct. 5-15
Blue Pearmain
Large,blue skin heirloom
Oct. 10-20
Golden Delicious
yellow, firm, tangy, partly russeted, all-purpose
Oct. 10-20
Jonagold
red blush on yellow, crisp, sweet, eating. Jonathan-Golden Del. cross
Oct. 10-20
Red Jonaprince
deep red Jonagold, sweet eating
Oct. 10-20
Melrose
red, Jonathan flavor in a large apple, keeper. Jonathan-Red Del. cross
Oct. 10-20
Regent
red,crisp, sweet, eating. Red Del.-Duchess cross
Oct. 10-20
Suncrisp
orange-yellow, crisp, juicy, sweet, eating
Oct. 15-25
Idared
bright red, crunchy, tangy, keeper. Jonathan-Wagener cross
Oct. 15-25
Blushing Golden
yellow, waxy skin, firm, Jonathan-golden flavor. Jonathan-Golden Del. cross, excellent keeper
Oct. 15-25
Rome
bright red, mild flavored, pies & cooking
Oct. 15-25
Northern Spy
red, firm, tart flavor, good keeper, pies
Oct. 20-30
Keepsake
red, hard & sweet, small size but a keeper. Northern Spy- Minn 447 cross
Oct. 20-30
Fireside
mostly green, large, sweet, all-purpose keeper.
Oct. 20-30
Ashmeads Kernel
heirloom, russet-likeOct. 20-30
Hudsons Golden Gem
large,russeted, pear flavor, heirloom
Oct. 25-Nov. 5
Golden Russet
golden, tart, great cider apple
Oct. 25-Nov. 5

Braeburn
red blush, crisp, sweet-tart flavor, keeper
Oct. 25-Nov. 5
Goldrush
yellow, sweet, crisp, keeps 10 months
Oct. 25-Nov. 5