Surrey has only a handful of proper picking fields, so people travel a long way for them. That makes timing and booking the whole game. Two farms are worth planning around: one on the edge of Esher, one just outside Weybridge.
Garsons, Esher
Garsons, Winterdown Road, West End, Esher KT10 8LS. The farm describes itself as one of the largest pick your own farms in the UK, on about 150 acres. The Thomson family have farmed here since 1871, first growing vegetables for the London market, and the farm turned to pick your own in the 1970s, when the farm shop and garden centre arrived too. Surrey Live describes the land as bordering the River Mole.
The fields are open for picking from late May to October. Strawberries are split into early, peak and late phases, and the first fruit of the year comes from walk-through polytunnels. Beyond strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, plums, apples, courgettes, sweetcorn, squash and pumpkins have all been listed over the years by Essential Surrey, and the farm also grows flowers.
How booking works
Entry is only with a pre-booked online Farm Ticket, and every person needs one. There are no tickets on the door or in the garden centre.
The ticket is £2.50 per person from age two, and covers entry only. You pay for what you pick at the end.
Tickets are non-refundable, including for missed slots, crop availability and weather.
The limit is eight tickets per booking, and groups over 16 need written approval.
The farm checks its crops daily and releases dates, usually at least seven days ahead. Dates often appear from about 7am, and weekend dates are generally released on the Friday morning before.
Surrey Live gives hours of 9am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sunday, with entry slots every 15 minutes and up to an hour of grace after your booked time. You drive through the farm and park at each field. It is a working farm with tractors about, and the ground can be uneven, so wear sturdy shoes. There is a picnic field in the garden centre's additional car park, and a farm shop and restaurant on site. Early in the season the farm warns that crops may be thin and that it may rest fields or limit tickets.
Details: Garsons visit information and booking FAQs.
Crockford Bridge Farm, near Weybridge
Crockford Bridge Farm, New Haw Road, Addlestone KT15 2BU. It is a family-owned fruit and vegetable farm of about 80 acres, just off Junction 11 of the M25, with a large free car park. Muddy Stilettos calls it one of the oldest continually farmed farms in Surrey, and Time Out says it appears in the Domesday Book. It is best known for strawberries and raspberries, and there is an ice-cream parlour for the end of a visit.
Its calendar runs through the year. Rhubarb and asparagus come first, in April and May. Strawberries and raspberries are abundant from June, with strawberries running to September and late everbearer varieties fruiting until the first frosts. Gooseberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, blackberries, broad beans, peas and carrots are also named in guides. In October there is a pumpkin festival over half-term, and from November it sells Christmas trees, including cut-your-own.
Book. Operations manager Andy Gould told Surrey Live that booking is “the single most important thing”, because each day has a finite amount of fruit and passes match it, so on busy days only booked visitors get in. Muddy Stilettos says booking is required in peak months. Check crops and reserve at crockfordbridgefarm.co.uk/farm-pyo. Opening hours have been reported differently by different sources, so confirm them on the farm's own site before you set off.
More: Muddy Stilettos Surrey and Surrey Live.
What ripens when
Crops shift from year to year, so check each farm's crop status before you travel. As a rough guide, from the regional calendar at PickYourOwnFarms.org.uk:
Early summer: strawberries come first. Farm Companion says they peak from mid-June through July, and that English gooseberries have a window of about three weeks in late June and early July.
July and August: raspberries and brambles follow, along with tomatoes, French beans and runner beans.
August and September: plums, sweetcorn and squashes.
August to October: pumpkins, then apples and late raspberries in autumn.
Making the most of it
Go early in the day and book the first slot you can get, especially at weekends. Take your own punnets if the farm allows it, and bring water and a hat, as the fields have little shade. Families with small children do well on weekday slots. Both farms suit a half-day out, and Garsons in particular works if you want lunch and a wander round the farm shop afterwards.
