2024 Northeastern South Carolina Strawberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in Northeastern South Carolina in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for strawberries that we know of in this area.

Not all areas of a state have strawberries farms that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!

Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!

PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.

New! As inflation remains high, see this page for reliable (tested) brands of generic canning lids at lower costs, and cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
 If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

New! Road tripping and camping is a great way to have a fun, safe and inexpensive family trip. The national and state parks and monuments are open, and campgrounds usually cost between $10 and $40 per night. September to November is the best camping weather.  See our new website Road Tripping and Camping.com for tips, tricks, guides, checklists and info about parks, monuments and other places to visit.

New! We just went live with our latest website, FunFactoryTours.com - As they name implies, you can find a fun factory tour, including chocolate, automobiles, historical forts and sites, famous buildings, Active Federal facilities even fun geology: like fossils and volcanic areas

Chesterfield County

• McLeod Farms - blackberries, pumpkins, strawberries, pumpkin patch-pick in the field, pumpkin patch- already gathered from the field, and prepicked produce, gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, horse-drawn hay rides, tractor-pulled hay rides, wagon rides, face painting, pony rides
  29247 Hwy 151 South, McBee, SC 29101. Phone: 843-335-8335. Email: phayes@macspride.com. Open: Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 6 pm Friday to Sunday, 8 am to 7 pm Strawberries - Harvest Late April thru Early June; Blackberries - Harvest June; Peaches - Harvest Early June - Late August; Strawberry Festival in May of each year; Peach Festival in July of each year. Directions: Coming from Columbia, SC take I-20 East, Exit 98 toward Camden. From Camden take US #1 North. Take a right on Hwy 151 \(South\) in McBee. Our Roadside Market is 4.5 miles on the left-hand side of the road. Coming from Charlotte, NC take 74 South. In Monroe take 601 South which turns into 151 South in South Carolina. Our Roadside Market is 4.5 miles south of McBee on Hwy 151 on left-hand side of the road. Coming from Myrtle Beach, SC take 501 North in Florence turn right on Hwy. 52 toward Darli - truncated. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx. Coming from Columbia, SC take I-20 East, Exit 98 toward Camden. From Camden take US #1 North. Take a right on Hwy 151 (South) in McBee. Our Roadside Market is 4.5 miles on the left-hand side of the road. Coming from Charlotte, NC take 74 South. In Monroe take 601 South which turns into 151 South in South Carolina. Our Roadside Market is 4.5 miles south of McBee on Hwy 151 on left-hand side of the road. Coming from Myrtle Beach, SC take 501 North in Florence turn right on Hwy. 52 toward Darlington. In Darlington, take Hwy. 151 North. Our Roadside Market is 10 miles north of Hartsville on Hwy. 151 located on the right side of the roadUpdates: click here for picking updates. Crops are usually available in April through NovemberAlso have online store to order fresh peaches and other products. (UPDATED: July 26, 2019, JBS)
• McLeod Farms #2 - strawberries
  25455 Hwy. 151 N, McBee, SC 29101. Phone: 877-789-9252. Email: phayes@macspride.com. Open: Monday to Sun. Click here for a map and directions. . lternate phone: 843-335-83358 am to 6 pm, June - Aug. Hwy. US 1, 1 mile north of McBee.
• Nicholson Farms - Minimizes chemical and pesticide use, beans, blackberries, blueberries, broad beans, corn (sweet), cucumbers, eggplants, flowers, Muscadines, grapes, melons, onions, other berries, peas, pecans , peppers, pumpkins, raspberries (black), summer squash, strawberries, tomatoes, other vegetables, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours, events at your location (call for info)
  3062 Highway 601 North, Pageland, SC 29728. Phone: 843-672-5572. Email: ryan@nicholsonfarms.com. Open: Call for Dates and hours per specific crop!. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. We minimize use of pesticides and other chemicals

Clarendon County

• Richburg Farms - strawberries
  4553 Paxville Hwy., Manning, SC 29102. Phone: 803-473-4844. Open: April - August. Click here for a map and directions. Phone Hwy. 261, 3 miles west of Manning

Darlington County

• Dargan Farms - strawberries, pumpkins, U-pick and already picked, concessions or refreshment stand, porta-potties are available, picnic area, farm animals, birthday parties, school tours, group reservations
  1306 South Charleston Road, Darlington, SC 29532. Phone: 843-307-6105. Email: betsy_dargan@bellsouth.net. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard. 8 am - 5 pm, in 2021 the cost to pick is $13/gallon; You can also reserve a gallon of pre-picked berries to pick up at the farm for $15/gallon. Call to order! Field Trips begin the week of October 5 and will run through November 6thStrawberries: Mid-April through June Pumpkins/Corn Maze: Month of OctoberIn the Fall, Visit our Corn Maze from late September through the end of October. Open weekdays for groups of 20 +. We are also a full service landscape supply company-get all of your trees, shrubs, flowers and irrigation supplies from us!. (formerly called Triple R Farms)
• Quiet Brook Produce - strawberries, summer squash, other vegetables, Other fruit or veg,
  417 Quiet Brook Rd, Darlington, SC 29540. Phone: (843) 731-4679. Email: charityoneal94@gmail.com. Directions: We are located in Darlington on Quiet Brook Rd \(near the Darlington airport\). In case I am not out there: for pre picked strawberries please call or text ahead of time so they will be picked and ready to go. For u pick strawberries gallon baskets are located in the white shed beside the field. Money can be placed in the brown box labeled "money" which is located right outside the door of the white shed. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Venmo. cMonday - Sunday Sunset to Sundown; in 2021, U Pick - $12 (gallon) and We Pick - $16 (gallon)We are located in Darlington on Quiet Brook Rd (near the Darlington airport). In case I am not out there: for pre picked strawberries please call or text ahead of time so they will be picked and ready to go. For u pick strawberries gallon baskets are located in the white shed beside the field. Money can be placed in the brown box labeled "money" which is located right outside the door of the white shedWinter: Collards, turnips, cabbage Spring: Strawberries Check on their facebook page for updated produce listsAlso locally grown you pick collards, turnips, cabbage, and more to come. (UPDATED: November 09, 2020) (ADDED: April 26, 2010, SCG)

Dillon County

• Country Gardens Farm Market - strawberries
  2014 Dillon Hwy, Lake View, SC 29563. Phone: 843-465-7644. Click here for a map and directions. . Between Dillon & Lake View on Hwy. 9. (ADDED: April 26, 2010, SCG)

Florence County

• Cottle Strawberry Farm - Uses natural growing practices, strawberries, U-pick and already picked, porta-potties are available, picnic area, school tours
  3712 W. Palmetto Street, ​Florence, SC 29501. Phone: ;843-317-0031. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
  Cottle Strawberry Farm Facebook page. ​cottlesumter@aol.comMonday to Saturday, from 9 am to 7 pm; Sunday from 10 am until 6 pm; mid-April through mid-June each year; 2021 Pricing is $13 u Pick, $16 We pick, $5 quart, $9 half gallon.Fresh Sweet Local Strawberries , April and May. We use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic
• Willis Produce & General Store - strawberries
  2508 North Williston Road, Florence, SC 29506. Phone: 843-661-7561. Click here for a map and directions. . April-Oct.: Sun.-Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm. From the south, I-95 N., Exit 170, turn left onto Hwy. 327, 1 mile on the left. Note: I can't find anything recent about this farm, so be sure to call before you go! The other websites just copied the information from me, so unless you talk to the farm directly, don't count on it!

Horry County

• Anderson Farms - Uses natural growing practices, strawberries, U-pick and already picked, concessions or refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, face painting, pony rides, farm animals, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours, events at your location (call for info)
  5700 Privetts Road, Conway, SC 29526. Phone: 843-424-5505. Email: farmfresh29526@gmail.com. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. UPDATE for 2021, Their website has not been updated since 2012, their Facebook page just disappeared and there's nothing else about them that is current on the internet - I presume they have closed. Does anyone have current information, are they even open? If so, please write me. See our website for current hours and availabilityWe use natural practices, but are not yet certified Organic. In addition, we have hosted senior bus tours, weddings, birthday parties, school field trips, trail rides on the farm and much more.
• Holmes Farms - Strawberries
  3607 Hwy 66, Loris, SC 29569. Phone: 843-756-2378. Open: Monday to Friday from 8 am to 7 pm, Saturday from 8 am to 6 pm. Click here for a map and directions. Payment: debit and credit cards. Hwy. 66, 5 miles east of Loris. They do have a porta john and it is clean
  Comments from a visitor on July 30, 2008: "Various other fruits and veggies, also have some meats (Bacon) Lots of flowers in the spring and around mothers day. Pick your own is usually But everything else is help your self by the pound and the beans are either shelled or not however you like them. I enjoy it we usually buy all our produce and winter storage foods from there. Not really any other activities, just a market to buy good and reasonably priced produce and goods. Butterbeans, Tomatoes, Corn everything we can can or put in the freezer."
• Lynn's Berries Six Mile Farm - strawberries,
  3291 Highway 19, Conway, SC 29526. Phone: . Email: Lynnsberries@gmail.com. Open: See our Facebook page for current hours; as our days and time to be open will vary from week to week. Directions: Off of highway 905, one mile down highway 19, right across from Kingston baptist church. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Venmo. . (ADDED: April 12, 2021)
• RBS Farms, Inc. - strawberries
  200 D & J Road, Nichols, SC 29581. Phone: 843-392-0081. Open: from Spring - Summer; We offer U-Pick or We-Pick strawberries during April -May, call for hours and availability. Click here for a map and directions. Hwy. 917, 9.5 miles southeast of Loris, SC. We sell peaches when available. (
• Tyler's Produce - strawberries
  4800 Hwy. 378, Conway, SC 29527. Phone: 843-397-6362. Email: curry_inc@sccoast.net. Open: Call for hours and availability. Directions: Hwy. 378 approximately 6 miles west of Conway. A visitor writes on May 04, 2020: "We picked strawberries there last Saturday, so they\'re definitely still . Click here for a map and directions. Tyler's Produce Alternate phone: 843-397-2125U-Pick/We-Pick Hwy. 378 approximately 6 miles west of Conway. A visitor writes on May 04, 2020: "We picked there last Saturday, so they're definitely still open. I had called them before we drove out there at, and they answered."

Marion County

• Atkinson Farm - strawberries
  1909 S. Hwy. 917, Mullins, SC 29574. Phone: 843-464-8320. Open: April, Monday to Friday from 8am to 7pm, Sunday from 1 pm to 6 pm. Directions: Located on the city limits of Mullins, Hwy. Click here for a map and directions. . 917 S. (

Marlboro County

• McArthur Farms - Strawberries
  1708 Hwy 38 South, Bennettsville, SC 29512. Phone: 843-479-3839. Email: info@mcarthurfarms.com. Open: Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm, Sunday from 1 pm to 6 pm. Click here for a map and directions. Our season begins in April with the sweetest and largest in the Pee Dee. Our market is full of the seasons peak produce, flowering items, baked goods, and more. Looking for more of an experience? Be sure to join us for one of our many festivals or charity events. Our Strawberry Festival held each May is where it all started, with Strawberry Picking, Strawberry Recipe Contest, Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream, Pie Eating Contest, Cute as Berry costume contest, Face Painting, Dancing, Live Music, Play in our 10 acre FUN park, ..and MUCH MORE!! 2019 Admission was $11.50 per person (+tax) Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Williamsburg County

• Black River Berries - strawberries
  5760 Hwy. 521, Salters, SC 29590. Phone: . Open: UPDATE for 2021, Their website or Facebook page says they are closed indefinitely ; previously it was April - May, Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 7 pm, Sunday from 1 pm to 6 pm. Click here for a map and directions. 70"> Hwy. 521 east of Salters. (ADDED: April 22, 2010, from the govt website)

 

Strawberry

Strawberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

In the U.S. strawberries typically peak during April in Florida and Texas, May in the deep South, and in early June in middle sections and later June in the far North and Canada. Keep in mind that crops are ready at various times of the month depending on which part of the state you are located. In order to produce good local strawberries, producers depend on ideal spring weather conditions. 

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. Always call before you go to the farm - strawberries are affected by weather (both rain and cooler temperature) more than most crops. And when they are in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL first!
2. Leave early.  On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
    
3. Most growers furnish picking containers designed for strawberries, but they may charge you for them; be sure to call before you go to see if you need to bring containers.
   
   
   If you use your own containers, remember that heaping strawberries more than 5 inches deep will bruise the lower berries. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers. I like the Glad storage containers like the one at right.
4. Bring something to drink and a few snacks; you'd be surprised how you can work up a thirst and appetite! And don't forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren't a problem, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.

Tips on How to Pick Strawberries

1. Grasp the stem just above the berry between the forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.

2. With the stem broken about one-half inch from the berry, allow it to roll into the palm of your hand.

3. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. 

4. Carefully place - don't throw - the fruit into your containers. Repeat the picking process with both hands.

5. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips

Whether you pick strawberries from your garden or at a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Be careful that your feet and knees do not damage plants or fruit in or along the edge of the row.
   
2. Pick only the berries that are fully red. Part the leaves with your hands to look for hidden berries ready for harvest.
   
3. To help the farmers, also remove from the plants berries showing rot, sunburn, insect injury or other defects and place them between the rows behind you. If they are left in the plants, the rot will quickly spread to other berries.
   
4. Berries to be used immediately may be picked any time, but if you plan to hold the fruit for a few days, try to pick in the early morning or on cool, cloudy days. Berries picked during the heat of the day become soft, are easily bruised and will not keep well.
   
5. Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunshine any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking. Strawberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for two or three, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor and tends to shrivel.
   
6. For interesting and fun strawberry facts and trivia from the California Strawberry Commission, click here!

When you get home

1. DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them.  Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
2. Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
3. Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the caps (green tops) off the others and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make jam right away) See this page about how to freeze strawberries.
4. If you like the strawberries you picked, ask the farm what variety they planted, and not the weather conditions the week or two before. The flavor of a strawberry is affected by the variety, the weather and the degree of ripeness when picked.
5. Now, get ready to make strawberry jam. It is VERY easy - especially with our free strawberry jam instructions - they're illustrated and easy.

Strawberry Recipes, Canning and Freezing Strawberries

• How to freeze strawberries!
• Strawberry jam (with pectin) (uses less sugar or honey and less cooking)
• Strawberry jam (without pectin) (requires much more sugar and cooking)
• Strawberry (and other berry) jams without sugar
• Strawberry jelly
• Strawberry-rhubarb jam!
• Homemade strawberry ice cream (regular, low fat, nonfat, low sugar, vanilla and even gelato)
• Canning strawberries
• Make gourmet chocolate-covered strawberries
• How to make fruit juice -  strawberry and other berries
• Strawberry pie filling
• Strawberry pie
• Easy Rhubarb-Strawberry pie
• Fig-strawberry jam
• Fig-strawberry jam, made with Jello gelatin

Strawberry Facts, Measurements and Tips

• Picking the best strawberries: Select firm, fully red berries. Strawberries DO NOT continue ripen after they are picked! In the photo, only the berry on the far right is completely ripe.
• Strawberry festivals: Most areas that grow strawberries have a strawberry festival, at which you can taste all kinds of fresh strawberry foods, pies, jams, cakes - and most commonly, fresh strawberry shortcake.  To find out where and when there is one near you, see this page for a list of strawberry festivals, sorted by state!
• Strawberries measurements: government agriculture websites tell us that
  1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups and is about the same as 1 liter and
  1 quart of fresh strawberries weighs 1 lbs to 1.25 lbs (or 450 to 600 g). Of course, the weight varies on variety and weather conditions. 
  1 quart is normally enough for 4 servings, although I'll admit my son can eat 1 pint by himself!
• How much to pick? In general, 1 quart of fresh, whole, just-picked strawberries = approximately 3.5 cups hulled, whole berries. In other words, removing the caps/hulls and the occasional mushy berry means you lose 1/4 cup to 1/2 (it depends how much fruit you remove with the hull) or about 7 to 12% of every quart you pick.
• One cup of strawberries contains only about 50 calories
• U-pick strawberries are much healthier than store-bought.  Consumer reports says store bought strawberries have so many pesticide and fungicide residues on they, that they don't recommend you eat them at all!
• U-pick strawberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. 1 lbs of fresh strawberries is about 2/3 of a quart.
• It takes about  10 to 15 minutes to pick a quart, if the berries are reasonably plentiful
• The strawberry plant adapts to wide variety of soil conditions, but does not tolerate drought well, and the berries quickly rot if the weather is rainy. For this reason, the plants are usually grown on raised beds through plastic mulch!
• Cultivation of strawberries began in Europe in the 1300's, but the berry only became very popular in the early 1900's in California.
• Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as strawberries quickly mold when left at room temperature, and only last a couple of days in the refrigerator.
• You can easily freeze berries that you cannot use right away - just wash, cut the hulls off and pop them into a ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible.  Those vacuum food sealers REALLY do a good job of this! The berries will keep for many months frozen without air.
• Want to grow your own strawberries?  Here's an article about how to: Strawberries are an Excellent Fruit for the Home Garden, HYG-1424-98!
• See this page for many more fun and interesting strawberry facts, nutritional information and trivia

Other weird strawberry facts

• Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.
• Strawberries were originally called strewberries because the fruit was 'strewn' amongst the leaves of the plant.
• California is king of strawberry productions because: California produces 75 percent of the nation's strawberry crops; one billion pounds of strawberries each year.  If all the strawberries produced in California in one year were laid berry to berry, they would go around the world 15 times. Each acre of land in California in strawberry production produces an average of 21 tons of strawberries annually, with a total of 23,000 acres of strawberries planted in California each year.

More conversions

1 pint (2 cups)  of fresh whole strawberries

• = about 8 oz (1/2 lb) of strawberries
• = 2.25 cups of sliced strawberries
• = 1 cup pureed strawberries
• = 12-14 large strawberries

2 quarts of fresh strawberries are needed for a 9" pie

A 10 oz package of frozen berries is about the same as 1 cup of sliced fresh strawberries

References:

• University of Illinois Extension
• Driscolls
• Ohio State University Extension
• Strawberries-Average retail price per pound and per cup equivalent

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children"s consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers