Update: July 1, 2021
Our pick your own strawberry season is now closed. We will still have prepicked strawberries in our farm store and at our farmers’ markets through the summer, as our everbearing strawberries have begun to bear fruit.
PYO Covid-Style
Here’s how our 2021 pick your own strawberry season will work, in order to comply with safe operating guidelines provided by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ontario Ministry of Health and our local Public Health Department. Please read the following guidelines carefully:
- Please stay home if you are experiencing COVID-like symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat)
- Please stay home if you have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19
- Only use containers provided by Richardson’s Farm and Market (used containers will not be permitted this year)
- Sanitize your hands using the hand sanitizer that is provided before entering the strawberry patch
- Stay in your assigned row
- Pick cleanly (pick all the ripe berries please). If ripe berries are left behind, they will rot and will affect the plant’s continued berry production for the rest of the season, as well as the picking quality for the next person that uses the same row.
- Do not sample berries in the field while picking (we realize this is usually part of the fun of picking your own–within reason of course 🙂 , however, in the interest of public health we are asking you to delay your sampling until after you have left the strawberry patch).
- Move flag to where you finished picking in the row.
- Maintain a 2m (6 ft) distance from other customers and staff at all times.
- Only 2 children under 12 years of age per adult
- Only 5 people from one family per row.
- Please wear a mask in our farm store, and when your are within 2 metres of anyone in the strawberry patch.
We will open for pick your own strawberries on Monday June 14th. The length of the season will be determined by the weather and how quickly the berries ripen.
Farm hours during pick your own season:
Monday to Friday 8:00am to 6pm
Saturdays 8:00 to 4pm
Closed Sundays
2021 Pick your own Prices (includes container–a minimum purchase of 1 -4L container per family applies):
4L Basket $15.00
Pre-booking a strawberry picking row is recommended but not required, especially for peak times like first thing in the morning or Saturday mornings. Follow this link to book your row now: Book a strawberry row
