Pick Your Own
AUGUST 2022 PICK YOUR OWN UPDATE
Our fields open at 9:30am and last entry for pick your own is 16:00pm Monday - Saturday , 9:30am - 15:00pm Sunday .
To reduce plastic waste, we encourage customers to bring their own containers for fruit picking.
Available for picking:
* Blackberries
* Damson Plums
* Strawberry
* Victoria plums
Rules and Notices
* We reserve the right to close our picking fields early or refuse entry without prior notification, due to a lack of fruit on certain days.
* Due to the small size of our shop and fields as well as the popularity of our pick your own service, we are unable to accomodate Large Groups or Coaches .
* No booking required.
* Please understand that unfortunately as our crops take time to recover after picking, we can't always guarantee enough produce for everybody.
* Buggies or dogs are not allowed in the fields.
* We reopened our small area where we can entertain young children and where they can play safely.
To reduce plastic waste, we encourage customers to bring their own containers for fruit picking.
Strawberries
The season starts with our first Strawberries, until late in the Autumn.
This year it is a very early season and we have started Pick Your Own Strawberries, three weeks earlier than last year.
Grown early under protection, these herald in the beginning of the summer in Kent.
The first strawberries are often the best flavoured of all.
Raspberries
Raspberries, a traditional fruit, they are great for making jams, desserts and wine. Unfortunately our raspberry crop will be delayed for few weeks.
However, raspberries grow through to the end of September, giving people plenty of time to pick their fill. They are a popular fruit and can be used for jams, puddings, on your breakfast granola or in delicious smoothies.
Redcurrant, Blackcurrant & Blackberries
Blackcurrants & Redcurrants come in July and last for about a month. These provide the middle of the season with colour, flavour and versatility. Delicious as jams, you can also make wonderful sorbets, easy jellies and quick compotes to accompany roasted meats. Blackberries season begins in mid- July and last until the first frost.
Try mixing them with other fruit for comfort food such as crumbles and, of course, summer pudding.
Plums
As summer progrresses Plum season follows. We grow varieties from Opal, Czar, Jubilee, Victoria and Marjories to make the most of English fruits into early September. Plums are fantastic for making jams, chutneys cakes and crumbles but are also delicious on their own or as an alternative topping for a pavlova.
At Downingbury Farm the safety and well-being of our customers and staff is of utmost importance. Our rules will be explained before you enter the fields and clearly displayed throughout, so
please ensure you pay close attention.
Pick Your Own fruit gathering is a great outing for all the family, we have a small sheltered area with a coffee machine, if you all want to take a little break from your harvesting work.
Our farm is known for a great variety of fruits and berries. We harvest these for sale in our local shops, but our fields are also open for you to come and hand-pick your own.
The process of selecting and picking your own produce is rewarding and makes a great family activity.
Much of our produce is protected from the elements in our poly-tunnels meaning you can come and pick whatever the weather.
If you don’t have the time to pick your own fruit, we have plenty available for you in our lovely farm shop.
For any more details on the crops, please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to seeing you in the summer.