One of the great joys of summer is a warm-off-the-tree peach, and New Jersey has pick-your-own peach farms a-plenty.

The peach picking season in the Garden State really gets going in mid-July and carries on through August and early September at some farms. Unfortunately, a cold spring seems to have wreaked havoc on a few of our favorite peach farms in 2020, so some have smaller crops and picking is sometimes on and then called off. Before you go, call ahead or check the farm’s Facebook page to make sure crops are still plentiful and what, specifically, is available on any given day. (You might also be able to pick blueberries, which are available at many farms through the end of July.)

Read on to find out where the juiciest peach picking in New Jersey can be found. And for more ways to enjoy the warm weather, don't miss our Summer Fun Guide for NJ Kids.

We've updated this article with 2020 info in bold, as well as removed farms that do not have peach picking this season.

Pick-Your-Own Peaches in Northern NJ

Follow up your peach picking with a pony ride and other kid-friendly fun at Alstede Farms. Photo courtesy of the farm

Alstede Farms – Chester

Pick your own peaches, blueberries, sunflowers, and more with an online timed ticket at Alstede in 2020. Pony rides, feeding the farm animals, and a maze are available but no bounce house or corn kernel play pit.
Alstede entices visitors with a slew of entertainment extras in addition to pick-your-own peaches, flowers, and other fruits and vegetables. There are always barnyard animals available to feed, events going on, and often a bounce house, pony rides, and corn or sunflower mazes, as well as a seasonal hay pyramid to climb. Check the farm's "what's picking now" tab for the best peach picking days.

Demarest Farms – Hillsdale

Pick your own peaches here with a reserved online time slot in 2020. Face masks required. No backpacks or strollers in the orchard, and no hayrides.
This popular farm offers more than 12 varieties of peaches for picking and is open to the public on the weekends from 10am–3 pm. The $5 admission includes a hayride, petting zoo, and access to the picnic area, and there's a $10 flat fee for a bag that holds up to 10 pounds of peaches you pick.

Stoneyfield Orchard – Belvidere

Open for weekend afternoon pick-your-own only in 2020. No reservations needed. Check its Facebook page for daily updates or call ahead.
This adorable country farm offers pick-your-own peaches during limited hours. After you’re done peach picking, stop in for a visit with the animals or peruse the goods at the farm store. No credit cards are accepted here, so be sure to bring cash or check.

Wightman Farms – Morristown

Pick peaches at this NJ farm on Saturday or Sunday. Buy tickets at the gate. Masks required. Follow its Facebook page for the latest updates.
The orchard is open weekends only, on Saturday from 9 am–5 pm, and Sunday from 9am–4pm. You can only pick into provided containers. Pay for entry, as well as fruit, or skip the schlep and just purchase direct from its farm store seven days a week.

Pick-Your-Own Peaches in Central NJ

Battleview Orchards – Freehold

PYO peaches on hold due to a loss of crop. Check back in August 2020 via its Facebook page.
Staggered varieties mean peaches are available at this popular farm through mid-September. The orchard is open daily and hours vary from day to day (they advise to call ahead for daily orchard hours). You’ll need to arrive at least 20 minutes prior to closing to pick your fruit. Don’t leave without a visit to the country market, where the farm’s famous apple cider doughnuts are baked fresh daily, also note that Battleview Orchards is a cash-only farm.

Giamarese Farm & Orchards – East Brunswick

Open Wednesday-Sunday for peach picking and nectarines in 2020. Masks required and multiple handwashing stations available.
Home to several varieties of peaches and nectarines, this 35-acre family-run farm has been around for more than seven decades. Plan to arrive at least an hour before closing. Check out the website for coupons that can be used on pre-picked produce for sale at the farm market, including corn, tomatoes, and lettuce.

Johnson's Corner Farm – Medford

Reserve your peach, blueberry, or sunflower picking online in advance for 2020. Masks are required. The petting zoo, wagon rides, and splash pad are open, too!
Johnson's offers 10 varieties of peaches in its orchard, which is accessed by a paid hayride. Once you’re finished picking, cool down at the farm’s splash pad or check out the pedal go-kart track and obstacle course at the Discovery Barnyard and Animal Farm (for an additional fee).

Lee Turkey Farm – East Windsor

Open seven days a week for pick-your-own peaches in 2020 while they last. Check Facebook for the latest PYO update.
Celebrating 150 years of farming in NJ, this farm has the pick-your-own process down to a science. The $2 Pick-Your-Own Club membership covers a family for the entire season. When you come to pick, there’s a $5 picking deposit per adult that goes toward your final purchase. The farm says this nominal fee is to offset the irresistible peaches you’re bound to taste as you pick. There’s a nice park right across the road with picnic benches and a pavilion where you are welcome to eat.

RELATED: See Baby Animals and More at Family-Friendly NJ Farms

Take your pick of more than 30 varieties of peaches at Melick's Town Farm. Photo courtesy of the farm

Melick's Town Farm – Califon

Make reservations online for peach picking at Melick's seven days a week in 2020. Masks required.
Melick’s low-key farm experience allows pickers to walk right into the orchard, where you’ll find 30 varieties of peaches—both yellow and white—growing on more than 5,000 trees. Luckily, the trees are low to the ground, making the fruit easy for little arms to reach. There’s no entry fee; just pay for what you pick. The farm is open for picking 9 am–6 pm, seven days a week.

Phillips Farm – Milford

Open every day except Tuesday for pick-your-own 2020 season. PYO between 9 and 10am on Thursday-Saturday is reserved for seniors and those at high risk. Face masks for required.
Stop by the farm stand at this working farm to get your containers weighed before walking out to the orchard. Pick-your-own is offered Wednesday through Monday (closed Tuesdays) from
9 am–6 pm. The farm’s clingstone yellow peaches (meaning the peach flesh “clings” to the pit) are already in full swing and the pricing ranges depending on how much you pick.

Terhune Orchards – Princeton

Catch limited blueberry and peach picking at Terhune Orchards (the peaches may come back again). A number of social distancing rules are in place, including mask requirements and limiting picking sessions to just 30 minutes. The farm walking trail and wine tastings are available, but most other activities and amenities, including the petting zoo are closed in 2020.
This Princeton farm is beloved for its family fun that includes wagon and pony rides, face painting, and a petting zoo, with live music and cooking demonstrations under the festival tent. Baskets overflowing with just-picked peaches and nectarines are ready to take home from the farm store to make your favorite peach recipes. Or try one of the orchard’s delicious freshly baked peach cobblers or pies. 

Pick-Your-Own Peaches in Southern NJ

Mood’s Farm Market – Mullica Hill

Peaches, blueberries, raspberries, and sunflowers were all available for picking at this NJ farm in late July 2020. New social distancing rules include masks.
Look out for the orange windmill on Route 77 and you’ll know you’ve reached this peach paradise. Bring your own bucket or box (plastic bags are not allowed) to pick peaches at this picturesque farm. Once you check in, hop back in the car to drive to the easily accessible orchards. Closed Sundays, but picking is available every other day of the week from 8 am–7 pm.

Originally published in 2016 and updated annually.