Where To Pick This Year: The 2026 U-Pick Guide.
Six verified farms, what’s pickable, and what to expect from an unusual cherry season.
Most years, cherry season in the Valley starts in early May and trickles out through late June. You have time. You can wait for a free Saturday. You can show up in week three and still walk out with a bucket.
This year is different.
March 2026 was the hottest March on record across the San Joaquin Valley. Every cherry tree in the Valley bloomed at almost the same moment — what growers call a "compressed bloom." Normally the harvest rolls slowly from south to north over six or eight weeks. This year, the bulk of California's cherry crop is expected to ripen in a single two-week window in May.
For U-pick, that means the season you're used to is going to feel like a sprint. Some farms will open and sell out before they expected to. Others will push their opening dates back a week because rain hit during fruit set. The dates below are our best read as of late April — but the honest truth is that the only people who know exactly when a farm is opening are the farmers themselves, and many of them won't know until the week of.
There's a silver lining. Because each tree is carrying fewer cherries, the ones that did make it are getting more nutrients. Growers we've checked in with are saying the fruit is bigger, firmer, and sweeter than usual. So if you do get out there in the window, the cherries themselves are going to be exceptional.
The other good news: cherries aren't the whole story. Three of the farms below run longer seasons with multiple fruits — blueberries, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, apricots — that stretch well into summer. So even if you miss the cherry window, the U-pick year is just getting started.
Before you start planning:
Every farm on this list takes some form of cash and most also take credit, but a few are cash-only — we've flagged those. Pricing changes year to year and sometimes mid-season. We've noted prices where they're posted and current; for the rest, plan on calling or checking social media before you drive out. Same goes for hours and opening dates — these can shift by days at a time, and the farms themselves will be the most current source.
Here are the six farms worth knowing about, ordered by who's open right now and who's opening next.
1. VanderHelm Farms — Modesto
Open right now. Multiple fruits, photogenic, no entry fee.
Family-owned since the 1980s, 20 acres, and a rolling lineup of fruit that runs March through August. As of mid-April 2026, blueberry and cherry U-pick are open, with strawberries and kumquats still available. There's a playground, porta-potties throughout, and tractor rides by donation.
Where: 1678 Albers Rd, Modesto, CA 95357
Hours: Mon–Sat 8 a.m.–3 p.m., closed Sunday
Pickable now:Strawberries, blueberries, cherries, kumquats
Pricing: Berries $4/lb, cherries $6/lb, stone fruit $2/lb (last published — call to confirm 2026)
Bonafides: "Sustainable agriculture, integrated pest management, biocontrols." VanderHelm explicitly chose not to certify organic and is unusually transparent about why on their site — they use OMRI-approved chemicals when needed, build soil with compost and cover crops, and lean on beneficial insects.
Contact: (209) 614-8307 · | vanderhelmfarms.com
2. Ott Farms — Modesto
Opens May 2. Family-owned, blueberries and cherries only, 10 miles west of Modesto.
A small family operation along the Tuolumne River that specializes in just two crops: blueberries and cherries. They specifically chose five blueberry varieties — Springhigh, Snowchaser, Star, Emerald, and Jewel — that thrive in the Valley climate.
Where: 3083 Shiloh Rd, Modesto, CA 95358
Hours: Thursday–Sunday 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Open Memorial Day (Monday, May 25), 8 a.m.–3 p.m.
Pickable: Blueberries, cherries
Pricing: $4/lb cash, $4.25/lb credit (confirmed on their site, updated April 28, 2026)
Bonafides: Family farm. Farmer Chris Ott has run for the Modesto Irrigation District board on a water-stewardship platform, which gives the farm a particular local-advocacy character.
Contact: OttToHaveTheBest@gmail.com | otttohavethebest.wixsite.com
3. Alpine Blue Farms — Stockton
Open daily. Cherries and blueberries, with shaded picnic areas.
The most accessible U-pick on this list — open seven days a week with no appointment needed. Mike Salinas's family operation runs out of a farm stand on East Highway 26 and a U-pick orchard on North Helen Lane. Strong picnic-area culture; visitors regularly bring blankets and food and make a half-day of it.
Where: Farm stand 7490 E Hwy 26, Stockton; U-pick orchard 8766 N Helen Lane, Stockton
Hours: Daily 9 a.m.–6 p.m. (some sources say dawn to dusk — confirm before you go)
Pickable: Cherries (red and yellow varieties including Rainier and Bing), blueberries
Pricing: Around $4–5/lb depending on fruit (last published). $1 deposit per bucket, deducted from your final total.
Bonafides: Family-owned. Bilingual operation — Hablamos Español. No specific farming-practice claims published.
Contact: (209) 931-4392 (call OG Packing for Alpine Blue) · | @alpinebluefarms on Instagram
4. Dell'Osso Cherries on the Farm — Lathrop
Opens May 9–10. Confirmed dates. Plus baked goods.
The Dell'Osso family has been farming in Lathrop for a century — you probably know them from the Pumpkin Maze. They planted their cherry orchard nine years ago and opened it to the public for the first time in 2022. This is their fifth annual U-pick. The bakery turns out cherry turnovers, cobbler, donuts, and cherry popcorn during U-pick weekends.
Where: 501 Manthey Rd, Lathrop, CA 95330 (off I-5 between I-205 and Highway 120)
Hours: May 9–10, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Last day TBD.
Pickable: Cherries (Coral, Bing, Brooks, Tulare)
Pricing: $4.50/lb (confirmed on their site)
Bonafides:Century-old family farm, founded in the 1920s by Italian immigrant brothers. No specific farming-practice claims; family-farming legacy is the throughline.
Contact: cherriesonthefarm.com (waiver required — download in advance to skip the line)
5. Lodi Blooms — Lodi
Opens mid-May (watch their socials). The Valley's most polished cherry operation, and the most credentialed.
Forty acres, fourth-generation farmer James Chinchiolo at the helm, five varieties. Their official site says they "open when the cherries ripen, usually the first or second week of May, and remain open for approximately three to four weeks." A recent post on their shipping operation (Blooms Cherries) says fruit is roughly a week out from shipping, which usually slightly precedes U-pick opening. They sell a VICP (Very Important Cherry Picker) Pass for early access before the general public.
Where: 11560 N Lower Sacramento Rd, Lodi, CA 95242 (use Lower Sacramento Road entrance, not Mettler Road)
Hours: Friday–Sunday 8 a.m.–2 p.m. during cherry season; open Memorial Day if cherries last
Pickable: Cherries (Bing, Brooks, Coral Champagne, Lapin, Tulare)
Pricing: $5/lb (subject to weekly variation per their site)
Bonafides: The deepest sustainability credentials on this list. Featured by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in 2025 for their Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) approach. Cover crops, biological amendments, careful water stewardship. Both traditional and certified-organic cherry blocks (organic Bing in partnership with Heartwood Farms). GLOBALG.A.P. certified. Chinchiolo serves as Vice President of the San Joaquin County Farm Bureau.
Contact: (209) 642-4295 · | chinchiolofarming.com/pages/lodi-blooms
6. Natural Orchards — Ripon
Opens mid-May (cherries still ripening as of late April). 100-year family farm.
The farm formerly known as Harris Orchards — same family, same address, just a name change. Cherries open the season in May and a rolling lineup follows: grapes, pluots, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, pomegranates. As of their April 28 Facebook post, cherries were still green. Natural Orchards has the longest U-pick season of any farm on this list — May through October.
Where: 18600 N Ripon Rd, Ripon, CA 95366
Hours: Cherry season 8:30 a.m. to sunset, daily; summer 8:30 a.m.–5:45 p.m. with Wednesdays closed
Pickable: Cherries (mid-May), then grapes, pluots, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, pomegranates rolling through summer and fall
Pricing: Cherries around $4/lb; stone fruit $2–3/lb (last published — call to confirm 2026)
Bonafides: "Naturally grown" framing — fruit grown without listed certifications but with the family's stated low-input approach.
Cash only.Contact: (209) 599-3991
Honorable Mention: Machado Family Farms — Linden
If you're willing to follow Instagram and chase a moving target, this is the one. Machado is the first U-pick cherry farm in Linden — a 4-acre orchard run by Drew and Melissa Cheney, the fourth generation of a family that's been farming the same Linden land since 1906. This is their third year of U-pick, and their farming practice is the most distinctive on the list: regenerative, with sheep grazing through the orchards (with baby lambs in spring), cover crops, and pesticide-free fruit.
The catch: they don't run posted hours. U-pick happens on announced dates, hosted alongside school field trips and family events. Watch @machadofamilyfarms on Instagram for opening announcements. If you can catch a date that works, this is the closest thing the 209 has to a regenerative-farming destination.
Before You Go
A few things that matter regardless of which farm you pick.
Mornings are better. Every farm on this list confirms the same thing — get there early. Fruit is sweetest in the morning, the heat is manageable, parking is easier, and the rows haven't been picked over yet. By noon on a Saturday, the experience is meaningfully worse.
Wear closed-toe shoes. Orchard ground is uneven, and cherry orchards in particular have watering trenches and tufts of grass that aren't friendly to sandals.
Bring water and a hat. No farm here has shaded picnic areas large enough to escape the sun if you're staying for a while. Sunscreen too.
Check before you drive. Cherry seasons shift by days. Every farm on this list is most reliably reached through their Facebook or Instagram — that's where opening dates, sold-out notices, and weather closures get posted first. Save them now so you have them when you need them.
You pay for what you pick. Every farm here operates by-the-pound. Buckets are usually provided. Don't pick more than you can use within a few days unless you plan to freeze or jam — fresh cherries don't last long at room temperature.
If you're new to U-pick, start with VanderHelm — it's open right now, has the lowest friction, and gets you in the rhythm of how a U-pick day feels before the cherry-only farms open up. If you only have one weekend in May, aim for May 9 or May 10 and hit Dell'Osso — it's the most reliably-dated opener and the bakery alone is worth the drive.
The cherry window will be short. Two good weeks, give or take. Show up early, call ahead, and bring more buckets than you think you need.
The Valley Hopper covers the 209 corridor — Tracy, Manteca, Ripon, Lodi, Stockton, Modesto, and the communities in between. Get the next guide in your inbox: subscribe at thevalleyhopper.com.