PYO with us
OUR PICK YOUR OWN FIELDS ARE OPEN APRIL – OCTOBER, GROWING FRUIT, VEGETABLES AND FLOWERS. EXPLORE OUR FARM AND HAND-PICK DELICIOUS PRODUCE FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY TO ENJOY AT HOME.
Farm Shop OPENING HOURS | tuesDAY - SATURDAY: 9.30AM - 5.30PM | SUNDAYS: 9.30AM - 4PM
open 1st march - 31st december
Pyo 2023
check when our fruit, vegetables and flowers are in season for picking
We grow over thirty different types of fruit, vegetables and flowers at Rectory Farm for you to pick – all with their own specific season. Check what’s ready to pick before you visit and and check out our individual crop pages where we share our favourite recipes, details on the varieties we grow and how we grow each crop, plus tips on how to pick.
We are also growing pumpkins again for autumn 2023 after the success of our The Pumpkin Patch in 2022 – plus lots of new PYO flower varieties.
All our crops are weather-dependent and occasionally we close the PYO fields early, so please keep an eye on our social media channels for regular updates.
Please do not call the shop or email us for an immediate update on strawberry availability as it is unlikely that we will be able to respond in time now that we are in our busier season.
Pick Your own STEPS
- Please try wherever possible to bring your own containers and carrier bags when you visit our Farm Shop and PYO. Lots of small containers for PYO are better than one large one, as soft fruit will easily bruise and squash at the bottom of a deep container. We now offer a discount for all PYO fruit & vegetables when you pick into your own containers – save money and do good! Don’t worry if you forget, we have some you can use on the day and save for your next trip!
- Weigh your containers at the outdoor station in our punnet hut – we can then deduct these from the weight of your fruit when you come to pay at the end.
- Follow farm signage directing you to the crops you’d like to pick.
- Be careful not to overfill your containers as squashed and bruised fruit won’t last as long at home.
- Follow signs to the pay stations once you have finished picking. The amount you pay for most of our crops is based on weight, so feel free to bring lots of small containers for your fruit – it won’t cost any more!
- Anyone who does not pay for their produce or who is found eating (rather than tasting one or two berries) in the fields will be asked to leave.
- All of our crops are subject to the weather and occasionally we have to close the fields at short notice, we update our social media when this happens and put signs on the road.
- Last entry to our Pick Your Own fields is one hour before closing time.
Artichokes
Available: Back in 2024
Cook our beautiful globe artichokes in boiling water and serve with melted butter and cracked black pepper. Read more
Asparagus
Available: Back in 2024
The English asparagus season runs from St George's Day until Midsummer. PYO finishes on Sunday 11th June! Read more
Blackberries
Available: Back in 2024
Enjoy the first taste of Silvan variety blackberries in mid-July. Perfect eaten fresh or made into blackberry jam. Read more
Blackcurrants
Available: Back in 2024
Our blackcurrants are best picked in mid-July: eat them fresh or turn into a beautiful jam for your toast or porridge. Read more
Broad Beans
Available: Back in 2024
Pick our summer broad beans from June till August: eat them raw, blanched, in a risotto, a pesto, a soup or a salad. Read more
Courgettes
Available: Back in 2024
Ambassador courgettes - a dark green small variety - will be available to pick from the fields from early July every summer. Read more
Gladioli
Available: Back in 2024
Just a few stems of colourful gladioli will make a bold statement in the home or given as a gift. Read more
Gooseberries
Available: Back in 2024
Delicious and sharp, our Invicta gooseberries are just perfect for making into jams and puddings. Read more
Gourds
Available: Early October
Farm-grown gourds for cooking and home decor, from grey-blue Crown Prince squash to sweet and nutty uchiki kuri. Read more
Green Beans
Available: Back in 2024
Green beans are a delicious summer vegetable, find them in the veg patch for pick your own. Read more
Pinks
Available: Back in 2024
These dainty frilled flowers grow in an array of shades of pink and white and smell absolutely divine! Read more
Potatoes
Available: now
Sacks of our Saxon, Jelly and Mozart potatoes are available in the farm shop from the autumn. Read more
Pumpkins
Available: Early October
Our pumpkins are ready to pick in October, with a big pumpkin picking festival as the main event. Tickets on sale NOW. Read more
Raspberries
Available: Back in 2024
Pick your own raspberries from June: perfect for eating on the day or freezing to eat all year round. Read more
Redcurrants
Available: Back in 2024
Our tart and jewel-like redcurrants are ready at the end of June and can be picked until August. Read more
Rhubarb
Available: Back in 2024
Our 'Ruby Red' variety rhubarb is vibrant and sweet, and typically ready to pick from mid-April to mid-June. Read more
Strawberries
Available: Back in 2024
Our strawberry season runs mid-May to September. Perfect for smoothies, ice creams, puddings & jam! Read more
Sunflowers
Available: Back in 2024
Our beautiful sunflower walk opens in late summer for flower picking and memory-making photo opportunities. Read more
help us to reduce waste
Please try wherever possible to bring your own containers and carrier bags when you visit our Farm Shop and PYO. We offer a discount on all our PYO fruit and vegetables when you bring your own container - do good and save money!
Lots of small containers for PYO are better than one large one, as soft fruit will easily bruise and squash at the bottom of a deep container.
Use our "bring your own weigh station" to weigh your containers before picking – we can then deduct these from the weight of your fruit when you come to pay at the end.
Remember to bring your own 1 litre bottle for milk or buy a Rectory Farm glass bottle in the shop.
Homegrown
We have been growing strawberries at Rectory Farm since 1981. Back then we started with just one acre and a three week season! Today you can pick your own strawberries from May-September across 20 acres. We grow over 20 different crops from PYO fruit, vegetables and flowers.
Quantity discount
Picking more saves you money! Our quantity discounts start at eight full punnets of fruit, which can be a mixture of any of our produce or eight + punnets of the same thing. A great deal if you like making jam! You can mix and match our PYO vegetables as well: one full carrier bag of vegetables plus four punnets of fruit qualifies – or just two full bags of vegetables if you really love your broad beans, sweetcorn, artichokes, asparagus or broad beans. Remember that a fresh crop can be picked and frozen to be eaten all year round.
More this Year
We are always looking for new crops to grow. This year we are planting our standard orange pumpkins plus a huge variety of smaller ones – all of which are great for eating and decoration. Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know when tickets go on sale for The Pumpkin Patch 2023.
We are also growing more courgettes, beans, sweetcorn and vegetables for pick your own alongside our many fields of strawberries.
Growing Principles
Because we want to grow the very best fruit and vegetables possible, we adopt modern techniques such as growing strawberries on table-tops and in poly tunnels. This reduces the need for pesticides, shields the crops from the harshest weather conditions and produces a really consistent higher quality crop for you to pick. We choose the very best varieties based on flavour, and you simply won’t find strawberries this tasty (or local or fresh) in the supermarket. We irrigate all our crops using a fertigation system, a precise technique which minimises water waste, pollution and use of additional fertilisers.
Flowers
Once again this year we will have fields of clourful gladioli, dainty pinks and bright sunflowers to pick in the summer months. Sign up to our newsletter to hear about upcoming floral workshops on the farm, too.
Outdoor Escape
With over 45 acres on our site to explore you can spend hours picking with no interruption from the outside world. There is no greater satisfaction than picking your own produce then cooking and eating it that same day.
PYO
The Rectory Farm picking season runs from April - October, starting with asparagus and finishing with pumpkins.
Our strawberries ripen up at the start of May and finish into September. Check out our PYO page to see what's in season when, and for lots of recipe ideas.
Plan your visit
Enjoy a day out at Rectory Farm picking all your favourite fruit and vegetables to take home and enjoy. Remember to bring your own punnets and carrier bags to help us reduce plastic use.
Visit the shop from March - December to stock up on kitchen essentials and all our ready-picked fruit and vegetables if you’re short on time.
rectory farm cafe
Join us for coffee and locally baked pastries, a pot of tea and a slice of homemade cake, a freshly prepared lunch or a hot breakfast bap.
We have both indoor seating and outdoor seating (covered and uncovered) and plenty of space for families and groups to gather and catch up over good food and drink.