Strawberry picking in Hertfordshire: the best PYO farms

Maybe it’s the weather or perhaps it’s my lack of attention, but my allotment has been letting me down lately on the strawberry front. So I’ve decided to look elsewhere this summer for my soft fruit fix. It turns out there are plenty of strawberry picking farms near where we live in Hertfordshire – some are simple affairs while others offer a full day out for all the family.

And it’s not just strawberries – some pick your own farms offer a wide range of fruit and veg and some have flowers to cut.

In this article, I’ve detailed the main PYO farms in Hertfordshire along with a few across the border in neighbouring counties.

Looking for family days out this summer? Check out my guides to Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Cambridgeshire for lots of ideas to keep the kids entertained.

Do you have a favourite place to go strawberry picking in Hertfordshire? Get in touch at the end of the article to let me know.

What is PYO?

PYO, or Pick Your Own, enables the public to pick fruit on a farm rather than purchasing it ready packed. It often works out cheaper – as the price you pay doesn’t include the cost of labour or packaging. There’s also a satisfying knowledge that the fruit has travelled far fewer miles to reach your plate.

Increasingly, PYO farms have expanded to include activities for kids, a café and nature walks – all designed to eke out a tiny bit more cash from what is an ever more difficult industry to operate in.

Bear in mind some farms require you to book your fruit picking slot in advance. From time to time, fruit picking will be paused to allow for new fruits to ripen if all the ripe fruit has been picked, or the sun hasn’t shined. Ensure you check the farm’s website or social media before you set off.

If you have memories of fruit picking as a child, kneeing in the sun and getting a sore back, you’ll be pleased to discover that many PYO farms now raise their strawberry crops off the ground making picking a whole lot easier.

Want to go pumpkin picking? Read my guide about where to pick pumpkins in Hertfordshire.

When is the fruit picking season?

This very much depends on what you’d like to pick and what the weather has been up to. It’s likely that the fruit picking season may be slightly delayed this year due to the unusually wet spring but a few hot weeks could change this.

Strawberries, along with gooseberries, are the first to be ready – usually in early to mid June, depending on how mild the spring has been. Raspberries are a little later – usually starting mid June and continuing through the summer, depending on the variety (we have raspberries on our allotment which are still going strong in October).

July and August are the months for cherries, blueberries, blackberries and blackcurrants. Sweetcorn is usually ready by August, apples tend to be ripe from mid August and into September while squash and pumpkins ripen in September and October.

Strawberries and gooseberries	June-July
Raspberries	mid June – September/October
Cherries, blueberries, blackberries, blackcurrants	July-August
Sweetcorn	August
Apples	mid August-September
Squash and pumpkins	September-October

Fruit picking in Hertfordshire – east

Cammas Hall Farm, strawberry picking near Bishop’s Stortford

Cammas Hall is a biggie – as well as all the fruit, there’s a maize maze, play area, foot golf and lots of delicious sounding refreshments in the tea barn. Cammas Farm also hosts craft fairs, arty workshops and animal encounters.

Back to the fruit, PYO at Cammas Farm runs from June to October, starting with juicy strawberries and ending with pumpkins. There’s raspberries, gooseberries, blackcurrants and blackberries, blueberries and cherries throughout the summer.

• Where: Needham Green, CM22 7JT
• When: June to October
• What you can pick: strawberries, raspberries, sweetcorn, blackcurrants, blueberries, gooseberries, blackberries, cherries, squash, pumpkins
• Find out more about fruit picking at Cammas Hall Farm

Fruit picking in central Hertfordshire

Hawkswick Lodge Fruit Farm, near St Albans

This PYO fruit farm near St Albans is perfect if you’re not looking for all the family-friendly add ons – it’s simply a farm where you can pick fruit.

• Where: Harpenden Road, St Albans, AL3 6JG
• When: June-August
• What you can pick: strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, blackberries, gooseberries
• Find out more about fruit picking at Hawkswick Lodge Fruit Farm

Fruit picking in Hertfordshire – north

Graveley Fruit Farm, near Stevenage

Graveley is a great family-friendly PYO farm near Stevenage. There’s a play area, overlooked by a café so kids can enjoy a run around while parents have a coffee post-pick.

Strawberries are the main event here but there’s also raspberries, plus for two days in September (or end of August) apples are available to pick, with proceeds going to charity.

As well as the play area, there are tractor rides for children and pigs to feed.

• Where: Graveley Lane, Hitchin SG4 7EH
• When: June to September
• What you can pick: strawberries and raspberries and a small amount of apples
• Find out more about fruit picking at Graveley

Pearce’s Farm Shop, PYO near Buntingford

Pearce’s Farm Shop has a particularly enticing farm café – delicious homemade fare including hearty brekkies and indulgent afternoon teas. Come on a sunny day and you can dine al fresco with lovely countryside views.

There are strawberries and raspberries to pick at Pearce’s. Come in autumn and the kids can enjoy tractor rides and pick pumpkins.

• Where: Hamels Mead, Buntingford, SG9 9ND
• When: June to August
• What you can pick: strawberries and raspberries in summer, pumpkins in autumn
• Find out more about fruit picking at Pearce’s Farm Shop

Bury Lane Pick Your Own, near Royston

This PYO farm near Royston is a real family affair – it’s family run and has rather a lot of attractions which kids will love. There’s soft play, a sandy “beach” and a sensory room. And of course there’s a decent café along with a farm shop.

The fruit to pick at Bury Lane is strawberries, along with pumpkins later in the season. However, unlike most pick your own farms, Bury Lane also offers flower picking – tulips in spring, moving on to peonies, dahlias and sunflowers.

• Where: Bury Lane Farm Shop, A10 By Pass, Melbourn, Royston, SG8 6GT
• When: April to October
• What you can pick: strawberries, pumpkins, flowers
• Find out more about fruit picking at Bury Lane

Just over the border: fruit picking near Hertfordshire

Grove Farm, near Leighton Buzzard

Grove Farm in Bedfordshire grows everything – and its very first PYO product was brussel sprouts. Today, you’ll find the usual fruit to pick here including strawberries and raspberries but they also offer a vast range of vegetables from beans to sweetcorn.

If you miss the soft fruit season in early summer, fear not – Grove Farm has a brilliant selection of veg to pick right into autumn.

• Where: Great Gap, lvinghoe, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 9DZ
• When: June to October
• What you can pick: everything! from strawberries to beetroot
• Find out more about fruit picking at Grove Farm

Parkside Farm, near Enfield

If you fancy a fruit picking day out from London, Parkside Farm is about a mile from the train station at Gordon Hill. There’s a good selection of soft fruit to pick at Parkside but also a range of vegetables including beans, courgettes and sweet corn.

• Where: Parkside Farm, Hadley Road, Enfield, EN2 8LA
• When: June to September
• What you can pick: strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, red currants, blackberries plus various vegetables and sunflowers
• Find out more about fruit picking at Parkside Farm

Lathcoats Farm, near Chelmsford

I love the sound of this apple farm. Run by successive generations of the Taylor family for over 100 years, Lathcoats produces over 40 varieties of apple, including several local Essex varieties.

The farm has a café and walking routes across the fields and lanes. There are also toy tractors for children to play on and animals to visit.

• Where: Beehive Lane, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, CM2 8LX
• When: June to October
• What you can pick: apples! Plus a wide range of soft fruit including strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and a variety of vegetables
• Find out more about fruit picking at Lathcoats

The Secret Farm, near Moggerhanger

This family-run Bedfordshire PYO farm began back in the 60s but only opened to the public in 2021. Today it offers visitors the chance to pick your own flowers, soft fruit and vegetables. It’s a popular destination for pumpkin picking in the autumn and has also started holding annual firework displays on Bonfire Night.

The Secret Farm has play areas for children and light refreshments are available.

• Where: Blunham Road, Moggerhanger, MK44 3RA
• When: June to October
• What you can pick: strawberries, raspberries, flowers, pumpkins and potatoes
• Find out more about the Secret Farm

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Where to do go strawberry picking in Hertfordshire? Let me know in the comments below.