2014 Fall Pick-Your-Own List

Originally published in the Aug. 20, 2014, issue

 

Thank you for supporting Georgia’s you-pick farms! When using this list, please remember that the maturity of crops is directly influenced by the weather. The dates and availability provided on this list are approximate. For accurate, up-to-date information, be sure to contact the individual farms using the number provided. It’s best to call ahead for detailed driving directions, availability and other information you may need.

 

 

 

BUTTS

Weaver Berryland
Black and bronze muscadines
Frank and Carolyn
770-595-8303
2252 Highway 16 West, Jackson
Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Containers provided; call for availability after Sept. 1.

COLUMBIA

Blue House Farm
Muscadines, scuppernongs
Louis Newsome
706-699-0762
279 Old Blythe Road, Harlem
Open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays also open 4 to 7 p.m.
 
FAYETTE
Banks Vineyard
Muscadines, scuppernongs
Bobby Nipper
770-633-9990
290 Banks Road, Fayetteville
Open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays 1 to 6 p.m.
Available Labor Day; you-pick, we-pick
 
FULTON
David Brown Farm
Muscadines
David Brown
770-964-5304
4853 Evans Drive, Union City
Available Aug. 22, no pesticides
 
Tangled Vines
Muscadines
Susan Edmondson
678-469-5649
8450 Watkins Road, Palmetto
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
 
GILMER
Hillcrest Orchards
Apples
Janice Hale
706-273-3838
9696 Highway 52 East
Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., you-pick on weekends
 
Red Apple Barn
Apples, pumpkins
Barry Pritchett
706-635-5898
3379 Tails Creek Road, Ellijay
Open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays noon to 5:30 p.m.
You-pick available Saturdays 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays 1 to 4 p.m.
 
HALL
Donald Snare
Figs, scuppernongs
Donald Snare
770-605-1121
3736 Gillsville Highway, Gillsville
Call for appointment.
Figs available August and September; scuppernongs available mid-August through October. Bring your own take-home containers.
 
Jaemor Farms
Pumpkins
Caroline Black
5340 Cornelia Highway, Alto
770-869-3999
Pumpkin patch open Fridays through Sundays in October
Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. until dark; Sundays 1 to 6 p.m.
 
HENRY
The Pumpkin Patch at Yule Forest
Pumpkins, sunflowers
Susie Grant
770-954-9356
Open Monday through Friday 4 to 7 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Farm tours weekday mornings by reservation only; yuleforest.com
 
NEWTON
Mitcham Farm
Pumpkins
Kevin Mitcham
770-855-1530
797 Macedonia Church Road, Oxford
Open weekends, call for availability
 
OCONEE
Washington Farms, Inc.
Pumpkins, sunflowers
John Washington
706-796-0627
5671 Hog Mountain Road, Watkinsville
Check www.washingtonfarms.net for hours and availability
Pig races, petting zoo, jumping pillow, 8.5-acre corn maze, cow train, homemade strawberry ice cream, fall festival, incredible kettle corn and much more.
 
OGLETHORPE
Thaxton Vineyard
Muscadines, scuppernongs
Libby Thaxton
706-224-3522
US Highway 78, eight miles east of Lexington
Open daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Available mid-August through October; pick your own or already picked
 
TREUTLEN
Whispering Pines Georgia Farm
Muscadines, luffa
Davis Yaun
912-399-1988
15412 Georgia Highway 86, Soperton
Appointments available from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Farm located south of I-16 four miles off exit 78 or 84; muscadines $1.40 per pound; luffa $5 each; thornless blackberry plants, $4 each; frozen blueberries and blackberries, $8 per quart or $16 for half-gallon.
 
WALTON
Howington Pear Farm
Pears
Russell or Sheila Howington
770-267-9776
2842 Thomson Road, Good Hope
Open Monday through Friday, 5 p.m. until dark; Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Leave name and number if no answer

Spring 2014 Pick-Your-Own List

Published in the May 28, 2014, issue

BARROW

FleemanU-Pick Blueberries
Blueberries
John and Brenda Fleeman
716 Harrison Mill Road, Winder
770-867-3420, 678-863-1765
Opening mid-June
Picnic tables, cold water, restroom available; www.fleemansblueberries.com and Fleemans U-Pick Blueberry Farm on Facebook

BUTTS

Weaver Berryland Farm
Blueberries, blackberries
Frank and Carolyn
2252 Highway 16 West, Jackson
770-595-8303
Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
$10 per gallon; opens June 15

COFFEE

Redbrick Farm
Tomatoes, peppers, other vegetables
Caroline Ables
225 Lake Demie Lane, Douglas
912-381-7366, 912-831-4667
Open seven days a week, call for hours

COLUMBIA

Blue House Farm
Blueberries, blackberries
Louis Newsome
279 Old Blythe Road, Harlem
706-699-0762
Open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.; Saturdays 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Picking containers provided

FULTON

Scottsdale Farms
Tomatoes, okra, beans, pepper, zucchini, squash, cucumber, edamame
Luca Gianturco
15639 Birmingham Highway, Milton
770-777-5875
Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
 
GLASCOCK
Adams Family Farms
Purple hull peas, zipper peas
Brian Adams
1245 Griffin Pond Road, Gibson
706-466-0932
Call for hours and availability
 
GORDON
Fox Blueberry Farm
Blueberries
Dan Fox
863 Owens Chapel Road, Calhoun
706-629-1085
Open daylight until dark, seven days a week
$8 per gallon, containers furnished
 
HABERSHAM
Sidney Roland’s Blueberry Farm
Blueberries
Sidney Roland
680 Sidney Roland Road, Demorest
706-754-6700
Open all day July 12 through Aug. 20
$7 per gallon; bring pails; no spray
 
HALL
Cool Springs Blueberry Farm
Blueberries, blackberries
Mark Ransbotham
5975 Smith Mill Road, Gainesville
770-480-8085
Open daily June 15 through Aug. 1, Sundays 1 p.m. to dark
Irrigated blueberries, restrooms, handicap access, picnic area
 
Donald Snare
Blackberries, figs, scuppernongs
Donald Snare
3736 Gillsville Highway, Gillsville
770-605-1121
Call for appointment
Bring your own take-home containers
 
HARALSON
Willoughby Farms
Blueberries
Donna Willoughby
2342 Corinth Poseyville Road, Bremen
770-646-9080
Open Thursday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Buckets provided, no chemicals, all-naturally grown; $8 per gallon; www.willoughbysberries.com
 
NEWTON
Blueberry Hill
Blueberries
Richard Burr
6325 Highway 20 S.
404-771-1391
Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Containers provided
 
OCONEE
Lazy J Farm
Corn, squash, tomato, peppers, beans and more
Justin Daniel
1890 Lane Creek Road, Bogart
678-863-2291
Open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
 
Whippoorwill Blueberries
Blueberries
Kay Smith
1571 Whippoorwill Road, Watkinsville
706-769-1929
Open Tuesday through Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

PEACH
Garden Fresh Farm
Corn, peas, squash, cucumbers, red potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and more
Stephen Feitshans
2417 US 41 North, Fort Valley
478-396-2665
Open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Located two miles from Perry, Ga.
 
TREUTLEN
Whispering Pines Ga Farm
Blackberries, blueberries, muscadines, concord grapes, luffa
Davis and Marian Yaun
15412 Georgia Highway 86, Soperton
912-399-1988, 912-429-1571
Open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Georgia Grown member, located off I-16 between Macon and Savannah; exit 78 to Highway 221 South for 0.4 miles, then left on Highway 86 East for five miles
 
TURNER
Calhoun Produce, Inc.
Blackberries
Sheila Rice
5075 Hawpond Road, Ashburn
229-273-1887
Open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in June

Grower Finds Success in Pick-Your-Own Farm Venture

Originally published in the July 24, 2013, issue 

Though his wife grew up on a farm in Iowa, Jack Morgan didn’t have any agricultural experience until a little more than 20 years ago. When he retired from the armed forces, the Morgans moved to Canton, Ga., and decided to plant some apple trees.

 

“Then I went to blueberries. I started out with about 12 blueberry bushes and they did well,” Jack Morgan said. “Then I multiplied it and we went up to probably 100 bushes. … So then I put in some blackberries.”

Producer Jack Morgan examining his blueberry bushes on
the farm in Canton, Ga. Photo by Dallas Duncan

 

Now, what started out as a small hobby farm is a flourishing pick-your-own agritourism enterprise. The Morgans’ property, nestled in the cool north Georgia property, is full of blueberry and blackberry bushes, apple trees, two bee hives, an experimental plot of corn, some grape vines and more. It’s dotted with ornamental horticulture plants propagated by Mary Jo Morgan, who was Cherokee County’s first Master Gardener.

 

“Farming was new to Jack because he grew up in Detroit,” Mary Jo Morgan said. “But he’s always had a knack for it.”

 

Though not all the crops are up for grabs by the public, The Berry Barn has been a pick-your-own farm for about 16 years.

 

“People that come out really enjoy it,” Jack Morgan said. “Sometimes they’ll bring their picnic. We do a little bit with the special needs children. They come out and pick and it gives me something to do so I’m not just sitting around.”

 

He said opening this type of business has been “exceedingly” popular. His picking times are appointment only, and he ends up having to turn people away.

Blackberries are just one of the crops visitors can take home
from pick-your-own farms like The Berry Barn in Canton,
Ga. Photo by Dallas Duncan

 

“I get about 20 phone calls a day, and I would say there’s probably at least 100 that come out,” Jack Morgan said. “We have a good time, and it keeps us busy.”

 

There are roughly 125 pick-your-own farms listed in Georgia, said Cindy Norton, agritourism manager for the Georgia Department of Agriculture. The most popular crops grown on these farms are berries – blackberries, blueberries and strawberries.

 

Jack Morgan said blueberries are the most popular crop people pick at The Berry Barn. They’re perfectly ripe when they’re a deep, navy blue color, but if picked while still slightly red, they will ripen up after a day or two.

 

When it comes to starting a blueberry crop, he advises starting out with three bushes of at least two varieties. The first year they need water, but after that, he said they’re almost entirely self-sufficient. They do need acidic soil and though they work well in the sun, they do not need full sunlight to be successful.

 

In addition to the picking enterprise, the barn itself is home to a small farm store where visitors can pick up their buckets and browse homemade jams, jellies, orchard honey and Mary Jo’s watercolor artwork.

 

Many adult pickers bring their kids with them, and the Morgans have something special on those occasions – a blackberry plant children can take home and grow themselves.

 

“These grow very well – in other words, easy,” Jack Morgan said. “I hate to give children something they put in the ground and it dies.”

A visitor to The Berry Barn in Canton,
Ga., picks blueberries in mid-July.
Blueberries are one of the most popular
pick-your-won crops in Georgia. Photo
by Dallas Duncan

Norton advises producers who want to create a pick-your-own operation to check with their local government, Extension services and farm insurance agent to determine additional regulations, requirements and liabilities. For those who don’t already farm but are interested in following the Morgan’s hobby pick-your-own model, she said to see what such farms exist in the area already, visit them and ask their advice.

 

“Separate your you-pick from your commercial growing sites so there will not be any confusion,” Norton said. “Look at what you might need: bags and buckets; scales if done by weight; water, restrooms, payment methods.”

 

She said visiting pick-your-own operations is an opportunity to experience the farm, especially for consumers who aren’t able to grow in their own backyard or apartment garden.

 

“You are able to take your kids to see where their food comes from, have a little physical activity and spend time together that will create a lifetime of memories,” Norton said. “It supports our local farmers and best of all, it’s Georgia-grown!”