With warm seasons and rich soil, Florida has 44,000 commercial farmers. These farms raise over 280 different crops, many of them fruit. Florida oranges are a common fruit, as are grapefruit, but Florida agriculture has a host of other fruits as well. Because the state runs 500 miles north to south, farmers can grow a wide range of fruits requiring different temperatures.
At the north end of the state, farms can grow fruits that require colder growing seasons, like blueberries and cantaloupes. Down south, farmers raise tropical fruits like mangoes and avocados. Citrus such as oranges and grapefruits grow in the middle of the state as well as on some farms in southern Florida. Key limes, thought to grow only in the Florida Keys, can grow as far north as Pinellas county in warmer years, although not commercially.
Every crop will have a different growing season. For example, guavas and papayas grow year-round in Florida, but farmers harvest lychees in July only. Additionally, growing seasons will vary by region; when it's cold enough for citrus in central Florida, temperatures may not yet have dipped enough for citrus trees in the southern end of the state.
The state's department of agriculture maintains a database of "you pick" farms in Florida. This database allows people to search for specific fruit crops in specific counties. If a fruit is not yet in season, the database will simply return the message "No businesses found."
Each "you pick" farm listed in the database lists an address, phone number and types of fruits available.
Before heading off to a "you pick" Florida farm, know what to expect. First, call the farm and confirm the address, availability of the fruit and hours the farm allows the public to pick fruit. Wear comfortable shoes and expect to get dirty, and remember that truly fresh fruit won't look quite like the fruit at the supermarket. Picking some fruit, like strawberries, requires bending and kneeling. Ask the farm about what's involved before making the trip, and make sure everyone going to pick the fruit can handle the physical aspects of the trip.
If a trip to a "you pick" farm isn't in the cards, there are still ways to pick fresh Florida fruit. Depending on the region, many homes have fruit trees that produce more oranges, grapefruit, lemons and avocados than one house can eat. Take a walk around the block and see what fruit trees are in the neighborhood. Generally, a polite request to pick fruit is met with an enthusiastic "yes!" as fruit that ripens and falls to the ground can attract fruit rats and flies.
