2024 Northeast Colorado Tomato U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Tomato U-Pick Orchards in Northeast Colorado in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for tomatoes that we know of in this area.

Not all areas of a state have tomatoes farms that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!

Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!

PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.

New! As inflation remains high, see this page for reliable (tested) brands of generic canning lids at lower costs, and cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
 If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

New! Road tripping and camping is a great way to have a fun, safe and inexpensive family trip. The national and state parks and monuments are open, and campgrounds usually cost between $10 and $40 per night. September to November is the best camping weather.  See our new website Road Tripping and Camping.com for tips, tricks, guides, checklists and info about parks, monuments and other places to visit.

New! We just went live with our latest website, FunFactoryTours.com - As they name implies, you can find a fun factory tour, including chocolate, automobiles, historical forts and sites, famous buildings, Active Federal facilities even fun geology: like fossils and volcanic areas

Larimer County

• Bartels Land and Livestock; U-pick and Pumpkin Patch - ORGANIC, beets, carrots, corn (sweet), cucumbers, melons, peppers, pumpkins, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes, other vegetables, pumpkin patch-pick in the field, pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, and prepicked produce, petting zoo
  3424 E. Douglas Road, Ft. Collins, CO 80524. Phone: 970-493-3853. Email: llavud@frii.com. Open: If you want to pick straight from the garden, scheduling it by calling Nancy. Directions: I-25 exit 271, West 1 mile, North 2 miles, East one half mile on North side of road. We are one mile North of the Budweiser brewery. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, only.
  Bartels Land and Livestock; U-pick and Pumpkin Patch Facebook page. . Crops are usually available in June, July, August, September, October daily October 1st-31st 10 am to 6 pm. July-September open most days by appt. 1 pm to 8 pm. Winter squash starting September 15th. Pumpkins, decorative corn, gourds, corn stalks, straw bales, petting zoo starting October 1st. Pre-picked seasonal vegetables starting June. Winter squash till Feb. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified OrganicWe are family owned and operated for over 100 years. The Bartels Pumpkin Patch Facebook page.

Weld County

• Fern Hill Farm - beans, beets, carrots, cucumbers, herbs or spices, onions, peppers, rhubarb, summer squash, winter squash, tomatoes, other vegetables, picnic area, picnic area you may bring your own food
  2001 Fern Avenue, Greeley, CO 80631. Phone: 970-302-9118. Email: cclift@what-wire.com. Open: Tuesday to Saturday, from 9 am to 7 pm, from July 6th to October 15, 2016. Directions: \(2\) miles east of Hiway 85 in Greeley, Colorado. Go East on East 18th Street to Fern Ave; turn right \(south\) and go 14 mile to 2001 Fern Avenue Go up hill to farm. For a map to our farm, . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. (2) miles east of Hiway 85 in Greeley, Colorado. Go East on East 18th Street to Fern Ave; turn right (south) and go 1/4 mile to 2001 Fern Avenue Go up hill to farm. For a map to our farm, (ADDED: July 05, 2016)
• Miller Farms - peppers, pumpkins, winter squash, tomatoes, other vegetables,
  9040 US Hwy 66, Platteville, CO 80651. Phone: 970-785-6133. Email: millerfarms80651@aol.com. Open: Call, email or see their Facebook page. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
  Miller Farms Facebook page. Fax: 970-785-0176. Crops are usually available in September, October, November Your admission fee includes one trip per person to our fields to pick up to 5 bags of fresh produce per person. We supply the bags. All other activities like the corn maze and huge playground complex are included in the cost of your admission! Most farms charge an admission price and then charge an additional fee to do each activity. Your one time admission here at includes the produce you pick and ALL other activities!! Each time you come to harvest you can expect to be harvesting different types of produce. We rotate what we pick each day so that not any one crop will be depleted right away. Crops also vary from season to season and year to year. You can be certain that you're going to get a great deal for your admission price!
  Comments from a visitor on September 18, 2010: "This was a great experience for me and my three kids. We got a ridiculous amount of vegetables (which I should be canning, instead of typing on the computer!) The kids and I climbed into a huge wagon towed by a tractor and we were ferried around to different fields. We picked beets, cabbage, corn, peppers, basil, potatoes, onions, leeks, carrots, and more! The produce was very nice quality, and the drivers were helpful at each stop. My only gripe is that we were just turned out into the fields without any instructions about what to look for, or any tools. Some of the produce (like cabbages) were tricky to harvest without help. The drivers were available to dig carrots and leeks for us, which was appreciated. There is a large play area at the front of the farm with sheltered tables. After our harvesting trip (which took about 2 hours), we ate lunch, then the kids were able to play on the hay pyramid, fence maze, and pedal-operated "tractors." Wagons were provided for us to pull our produce out to the car. Overall, this was a fun trip and an amazing value. I will probably go back later this season to get some different veggies, and I will DEFINITELY return next year."
  Comments from a visitor on September 09, 2010: "We loved being at. There were a ton of different activities for the children. The fields to pick produce from are so vast. We got a very large selection of vegetables. There was a lot of fun things, like a giant jumping air pillow, and a massive hay pyramid, for the children to enjoy. The prices were so good for what you get. "

 

Tomatoes

Tomato Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Pick tomatoes that are firm and free of blemishes. Cracking is common in very hot weather, especially after a rain, and if you intend to use the tomatoes within 1 day, that will be ok.

During hot summer weather, pick the tomatoes when they have a healthy pink/red (or yellow or orange depending on the variety) color and let them finish the last day or two of ripening indoors. Tomatoes do not need to be in the sunlight in order to ripen. If you have green fruit on the plants in the fall when frost is approaching, pick the tomatoes and store them in a cool, dark place to ripen.

Tomato Varieties

In general paste or Roma-type tomatoes are the best to using for canning, as they have thicker, meatier walls and far less water. And cherry tomatoes are the worst to use, as they are mostly water.  But you can use any type you can get hold of.  You may just have to cook them down longer to boil off excess water.  See our Master list of tomato varieties

Growing tomatoes

• Master list of tomato varieties
• Master List of Heirloom Tomato Varieties
• How to Grow Tomatoes in Your Yard or Patio - Everything you need to know
• Detailed directions to starting tomatoes from seed
• Master List of Roma and Paste Tomato Varieties for the Home Garden
• Master list of disease-resistant tomato varieties
• Tomato plant diseases

Canning, Freezing, Drying, Preserving Tomatoes and more!

Below are links to pages with easy and reliable directions about how to can, preserve, freeze and make other goodies from tomatoes.  Some of these require a Pressure Canner to prevent potential spoilage and food poisoning, due to the low acid content of the food.  For others, you can use a water bath canner OR a Pressure Canner.  I've noted what's required for each, below, following each entry, with
W for water bath,
P for Pressure canner, and
W, P for either may be used!

And don't miss: Answers to common tomato canning problems and see this page about what to do with your unripe green tomatoes!

Prepping tomatoes

• How to quickly and easily remove tomato skins

Canning tomatoes (in water bath canners )

• How to can tomatoes using a water bath canner - W
• Diced, chopped or crushed tomatoes - W
• Bruschetta - W
• Tomato sauce - W
• Tomato paste - W
• Barbecue sauce (BBQ sauce) - W
• Chili sauce from your own tomatoes and peppers - W
• Diced, chopped or crushed tomatoes - W
• Tomato Preserves- W
• Tomato salsa - W
• Spaghetti sauce - without meat - W, P
• Spiced Green tomatoes- W
• Pickled Green Tomatoes - W - another pickled green tomato recipe, this one sweet
• Ketchup.. or if you prefer... How to make catsup - W, P
• NEW! SUPER-EASY homemade ketchup recipe - W
• Salsa from your unripe, GREEN tomatoes! - W
• Tomatillo salsa - W
• How to make roasted tomatoes, boiling water bath canner version - W

Canning Tomatoes in Pressure canners

• Canned tomatoes using a Pressure Canner - P
• Baked  Beans With Tomato or Molasses Sauce - P
• Canning your own chili con carne (with meat) - P
• How to make roasted tomatoes, pressure canner version - P
• Spaghetti sauce - with meat  - P
• Stewed tomatoes - P
• Tomato soup or tomato-basil soup - P
• Tomato sauce - P
• Tomato juice - P
• Tomato juice, like V8 - P

Freezing Tomatoes

• How to freeze tomatoes from you garden or the farm; for that fresh taste this winter!
• Space-saving prepping and freezing extra tomatoes from your garden to can later

Drying tomatoes

• NEW! How to make Sun-Dried Tomatoes
• Food drying basics and principles
• How to dry your own herbs
• Food Dehydrators - models, specs and pricing information

Ripening green tomatoes in your garage or basement

If you want to bring your green tomatoes indoors before a freeze in the Fall, and ripen them, see:

• How to ripen your green garden tomatoes indoors in the Fall and Winter.

And if you'd like to start you own tomatoes from seed (you can save a small fortune and grow the heirloom varieties you like) see this page for easy directions for growing your own tomato plants from seed.

Frequently Asked Questions About Canning, Freezing and Preserving Tomatoes

• See this page for answers to many common questions about tomatoes.

 

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children"s consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers