Wisconsin Harvest Calendar - PickYourOwn.org

What's in season in December 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.

• Back to the Wisconsin pick your own farm listing to find a U-Pick farm
• To find pumpkin patches, corn mazes and other Halloween activities, click here.
• To find choose and cut-your-own Christmas tree farms, click here.

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
Lodi	yellow, 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-like	Oct. 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