Iowa Orchard berry season starts early June with STRAWBERRY and SUGAR SNAP PEA PICKING, followed by RASPBERRY and SUNFLOWER PICKING starting late June. The season opening date is posted and confirmed on Facebook just a few days before opening. Depending on the weather and size of the crop, strawberry picking should last through most of June, and raspberry season through July. 

Iowa Orchard U-Pick Berry Patch is located at 13140 NW 102nd Avenue in Granger on the south side of Highway 141. View Map

Berries do not ripen all at once – each variety has its own schedule. Each plant has ripe red and unripe green berries simultaneously, so while red berries are getting picked, the green ones are just a few days behind. This cycle continues until the plant is out of fruit. That is why YOU MUST HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TO PICK. It ensures a pleasant picking experience and our ability to provide good customer service. Click here to make a reservation https://www.signupgenius.com/go/2025BerryPickingatIowaOrchard

Picking is 100% dependent on the weather and fruit availability. Thus, cancelations and changes in the picking schedule are likely. We try our best to estimate the amount of ripe fruit available, the number of people the patch can handle, the weather, and more. However, due to the nature of this task, it is still a guesstimate. We update our “online scheduler” throughout the season by either reducing the number of people able to pick or allowing more than originally estimated. All updates are communicated through our Facebook page.

strawberries at Iowa Orchard

 Berry Prices & Admission

Admission is $5 a person (kids 2 and younger are free). Once parked, gather your party to get checked in. Have your email confirmation ready – printed or pulled up on your cellphone screen. Picking containers and carriers will be provided at the check-in for your convenience. Free bottled water and portable bathrooms will be available at multiple stops around the farm. The tractor ride will take you to the furthest spots on the farm for a "less walking and more picking" experience.

* The $5 entry fee covers our additional expenses incurred with running a busy u-pick operation. The majority of these are loss of fruit due to the nature of “crowd picking”, transportation across the farm, additional liability insurance,  extra social media, and phone/email communication due to multiple crop updates and weather changes, property upgrades like gravel road for convenient public access, additional signage, rental of bathroom and handwashing stations, and other investments involved with running a smooth u-pick operation.

U-pick strawberries and peas are $5/lb if less than 10 lb is picked, and $4/lb for 10 lb and more.

U-pick raspberries cost will be posted once we can assess the size and quality of 2025 crop in late June.

A single sunflower stem is $2.

We try to have a supply of prepicked berries at both locations, but it is limited and unpredictable. We recommend calling 515-276-0852 before heading our way or placing an order. The pickup is 11 AM – 2 PM at our Granger location, and 1 PM – 6 PM at the Urbandale store.

Prepicked strawberries and peas are $8/lb. A quart is 1.25 lb so $10. A flat is 10 lb so $80.

Prepicked raspberries cost will be posted once we can assess the size and quality of 2025 crop in late June.

While here, you can also enjoy our mini cider donuts made hot to order, strawberry apple cider slushies, and strawberry donut shortcake! If that is the only reason for your visit, no need to make an appointment, just show up and grab them to go!

THINGS TO REMEMBER BEFORE COMING TO PICK STRAWBERRIES:

  • As strawberries grow low to the ground, no pets are allowed in the patch to avoid contamination.  If you are an owner of a service dog, please, let us know how we can help to accommodate you to the best of our ability.  An emotional support animal is not a service animal.

  • We provide you with a cardboard flat to pick into - no need to bring your own container.

  • Please, plan on having at least one adult per 3 children to keep an eye on them.

  • Strollers are not allowed into the strawberry field. They damage the berries/plants and cannot be pushed because of the thick straw covering the ground.

  • Fresh berries need to be refrigerated right away.

  • Prewashing berries before storage makes them go bad faster -  wash them right before consuming.

iowa orchard strawberry field
iowa orchard strawberries