Summer in Michigan means fruit picking – strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries galore! If you like picking your own organic produce and supporting small, local farms, this guide is for you!
Below are several options for u-pick farms in Michigan with certified organic, transitional or no spray berries and cherries. By far, blueberries are the easiest organic berry to find, especially on the west side of the state. There are a few options for strawberries, raspberries and cherries though as well.
If you are curious, all of the farms designated as *certified organic* can be verified through the USDA Organic Integrity Database.
Organic (Or Close To It) Michigan U-Pick Berry & Cherry Farms
West Michigan Berry Farms
Adams Blueberry Farm
69676 County Road 376 (Try these if having trouble – CR 376 or 44th Ave)
Hartford, Michigan 49057
(269) 214-0873
Adams Blueberry Farm | Facebook
Type of Berries: Blueberries
Organic Status: *Certified organic*
Earth First Farms
Strawberry Farm: 8335 Smith Road Berrien Center, MI 49102|
Blueberry Farm: 3835 Pier Road, Benton Harbor, MI 49022
(269) 815-3370
Earth First Farms | Facebook | Instagram
Types of Berries: Strawberries and blueberries
Organic Status: *Certified organic* strawberries and *certified transitional* blueberries – will be certified organic in 2022
Heritage Blueberries
12151 Stebbins Ave, Sparta, MI 49345
(616) 887-1452
Heritage Blueberries | Facebook
Types of Berries: Blueberries
Organic Status: Statement from website, “NO chemical herbicides or insecticides.”
Mitchell’s Blueberries
19230 CR-681, Grand Junction, MI 49056
(269) 350-3177
Mitchell’s Blueberries | Facebook
Type of Berries: Blueberries
Organic Status: *Certified organic*
Organic Blueberries
6332-152nd Avenue, West Olive, MI 49460
(616) 560-6560
Organic Blueberries | Facebook | Instagram
Type of Berries: Blueberries
Organic Status: *Certified organic*
Pleasant Hill Farm
5859 124th Ave, Fennville, MI 49408
(269) 561-2850
Pleasant Hill Farm | Facebook | Instagram
Type of Berries: Blueberries
Organic Status: *Certified organic*
Detroit/Southeast Michigan Berry Farms
Blueville Acres Blueberry Farm
38093 Judd Rd, Belleville, MI 48111
(734) 252-6751
Blueville Acres Blueberry Farm
Types of Berries: Blueberries
Organic Status: Organic, no spray farm
Middleton Berry Farm
4790 Oakwood Road, Ortonville, Michigan 48462
(248) 831-1004
Middleton Berry Farm | Facebook
Types of Berries: Strawberries and raspberries
Organic Status: Statement from website, “We are not organic, but use organic practices whenever possible, including hand weeding, OMRI sprays, natural fertilizers and crop rotation.”
Slow Farm
4700 Whitmore Lake Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48105
(917) 837-0975
Slow Farm | Facebook | Instagram
Types of Berries: Strawberries
Organic Status: *Certified organic*
Mid-Michigan Berry Farms
Coyner’s Blueberries
7101 Gillette Road, Flushing, MI 48433
(810) 659-6677
Coyner’s Blueberries | Facebook
Types of Berries: Blueberries
Organic Status: Statement from their website, “While not certified organic, we use integrated pest management to control pests, and a variety of natural soil building methods so we don’t have to use chemical fertilizers.”
Blueridge Blueberry Farm
16276 Donald Rd., Capac, MI 48014
(810) 395-2245
Type of Berries: Blueberries
Organic Status: Statement on Facebook, “On our farm we use sustainable agriculture practices. There have been only organic approved sprays and fertilizers used for the last 17 years.”
Northern Michigan Cherry Farms
North Star Organics
1139 Forrester Rd
Frankfort MI, 49635
(231) 352-4865
North Star Organics | Facebook | Instagram
Types of Fruit: Cherries
Organic Status: *Certified organic*
2023 Update: Statement from their website, “Good news and not the best news: YES, we have organic dark and gold sweet cherries, and so far a good crop. Organic Montmorency tart cherries this year are the ‘not the best news’ – We had 8 nights of 28 degrees or so and those nights slowly froze many blossoms – but YES we believe we have enough tart cherries to meet the needs of our U Pick customers. FYI – this will be our 24rd year certified organic! Yup, before organic was cool.”
Finding The Best Conventional U-Pick Option
If there aren’t any organic berry farms close to you and finding more natural local produce is a priority for you, here’s another approach. Call, email or message on Facebook a conventional berry farm that is close by and ask a few questions like these to understand their farming practices.
- What do you use for pest management?
- How often do you spray your fruit?/When was the last time you sprayed?
You may be able to plan your visit around their spraying schedule. The longer it’s been since they’ve sprayed pesticides, the better.
Also, after you pick, washing your fruit in a baking soda and water mixture can help remove pesticides. Check out this article all about it: An Easy Way to Remove Pesticides – Consumer Reports.
Berry Picking Tips
1. U-pick berry seasons are short in Michigan, sometimes only a few weeks.
Plan ahead so you don’t miss out! Follow your favorite farms on social media to get the latest news.
Peak picking times:
Strawberries: June
Cherries: July
Blueberries: July – August
Raspberries: July – August
2. Research the farm beforehand for the best picking experience.
With short picking seasons, u-pick hours and fruit availability can change often. Make sure to check the specific berry farm’s website or social media page for any updates before you plan your visit.
Things to check for online or message to ask about:
- Price per pound – organic fruit will be more expensive
- Payment options – cash/check/credit
- Restroom availability
- Current hours and picking conditions
3. Plan on bringing your own containers for transporting your berries home.
Most u-pick farms provide buckets for picking but you will often need containers to bring your berries home in. Transporting berries in plastic bags can damage the fruit you’ve worked so hard to pick. If you’ve purchased berries from the grocery store, this is the perfect opportunity to reuse those plastic berry containers! Or bring sturdy kitchen storage containers for your tasty berries.
Happy Berry Picking
I hope you have fun berry picking this summer! Here’s a great recipe to try with all those yummy blueberries: Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Muffins.
Have you been to one of these awesome organic berry farms? Know of any other organic Michigan farms that should be added to this list? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
For more Michigan based adventures check out:
