Special thanks to G&S Farms in Brentwood for sponsoring our guide to cherry-picking in the Bay Area. They will open this weekend for U-Pick. Read on to learn where to go, what to bring, and other important information about Brentwood’s cherry farms. Sign their safety waiver from home to skip the line!
Timing is everything when it comes to cherry-picking, so we are grateful for the partnership of G & S Farms this year, to help us stay on top of the short season, which has begun as of May 1, 2026.
G&S Farms is a third-generation family farm specializing in corn and cherries in the Brentwood farming region.  Every May, they welcome local Bay Area families into their orchards for fresh cherry u-picking. The perfect combination of sweet, fresh cherries and a beautiful sunny day in the country is something G&S truly loves sharing and hopes you will too!
Follow at least one of the farms on Facebook or Instagram for timely updates, social media promotions, and price breaks for followers.
We’ve compiled a few tips for the most frequently asked questions about cherry-picking in Brentwood.
When can we pick cherries in California?
Brentwood Cherry Season typically opens in early May and extends through mid-June. Each season will bring slight deviations based on the weather and crop size. The farms cannot announce their plans for opening until very close to the opening day. It is a delicate matter: cherries ripen depending on how much sun they get.
Cherry picking has begun for 2026 at G&S Farm’s Home Orchard and Denali Orchard. As the month progresses, G&S will be open at their other orchards: Stonecourt and Gonsalves orchard locations! Many other cherry orchards will open over the coming weeks as well.
Sign up for the {510} Families email to stay on top of the U-Pick season.
Orchards typically open between 8 am and 9 am and usually close between 3 pm and 5 pm, or until ripe fruit is picked over. For most families, especially those with young children, it’s ideal to go early to avoid crowds and the afternoon heat.
Many farms are closed on weekdays, saving the ripe fruit for weekend visitors.
How do I get to the cherry-picking farms?
Brentwood is located about an hour east of Berkeley. Most of you will travel Highway 24 to Highway 680 to Highway 4, while those further South may travel Highway 580 to Vasco Road. Both routes will intersect at Marsh Creek Road in Brentwood. This is one of the main arteries through the growing region. Traveling East on Marsh Creek Road will bring you to Walnut Blvd. If you head Northbound, you’ll enter the heart of Brentwood’s U-Pick orchards.
Which U-pick farms are open?
It is very difficult to share this information in advance as the farms decide on their open/closed status based on the fickle nature of fruit availability. However, as soon as you arrive in the area, you’ll begin seeing signs on the side of the road inviting you to come “U-Pick”, so just pick one!
Sometimes they intend to open and then declare themselves “picked out” by noon! They seem to update on Facebook.
There are more than 50 U-Pick orchards throughout Brentwood. If you’re looking for a specific orchard, visit Harvest Time and add a filter for cherries. Download their Harvest Time Farm Trails map and mobile app (available for iOS and Android devices).
Throughout May, we will update this list with any known openings and closings. Most of the farms are clustered around Sellers Ave in Brentwood.
Most require a safety waiver before you can pick. Fill it out online at the corresponding website to save time upon arrival.
- G&S Farms (2490 Sellers Ave location open for May 2 & 3 AND 23601 Marsh Creek Road open May 2 and 3)
- The Cherry Pit (Opened April 25)
- Maggiore Cherry Ranch (3017 Walnut Blvd opened April 25)
- Nunn Better U-Pick Farm (Opened April 25)
- Sweet Lou’s Cherries (Opens May 2)
- CherryTime (opened April 29, then open Weds-Sun)
- 5 Star Cherries (Opens May 2)
- Seko Ranch (Opens May 8)
- Freitas Cherry Ranch (Opens May 16)
What to bring on your cherry-picking adventure:
Cash, just in case. Not only for cherries but enough for the other delicious fruits you’ll stumble across – apricots, peaches, etc. The farms used to be cash-only until the pandemic encouraged contactless payment. Be prepared with cash in case you find yourself at a fruit stand that is cash-only. And, be prepared with tap-to-pay as well, as some have no gone cashless!
Buckets or baskets. The orchard may offer you a bag, but you might want to give your child a small container they can hold in one hand. A smaller bucket will also help prevent over-picking. If you get to the cash register and you have 10 lbs of cherries, you might wonder what to do with $50 worth of cherries when you get home!
Hat. The Bay Area’s summer marine layer doesn’t push into Brentwood, so you can expect intensely sunny weather the majority of the time. Sunscreen is also a good idea.
Ice Chest. If you plan to extend your stay in Brentwood or the surrounding area, place your fruit in a chilled environment. On an average 85-degree day, car temperatures can exceed 130 degrees after an hour. If not bringing an ice chest, bring a box, large tote, or another container to bring your fruit home in. Note that for safety, you may have to leave your ice chest in the car.
Closed-toe shoes. Leave the sandals at home and bring a pair of old sneakers. This is especially important for small children. They’ll be walking in dirt with potential hidden dangers (rocks, pits, etc).
Water. While Brentwood is filled with shopping and restaurant options, there are limited opportunities to find water in the immediate growing region. Afternoon temperatures can often exceed 95 degrees in late May and you’ll want your family hydrated and refreshed to enjoy the experience of picking fruit together.
Wagon. Many families tell us that a wagon is a must-have. You can put your cherries in it to carry them from the orchard to the car, but more importantly, toddlers get tired of walking!
How do I tell which cherries are ripe?
Cherries will not continue to ripen once picked, so be careful not to fill your bucket with unripe fruit. If you’re not sure, you are always welcome to sample a cherry or two. For most cherry varieties in Brentwood, you’ll be looking for a deep red color. Rainier cherries, a popular late variety usually available around Memorial Day Weekend, will be yellow with blush tones. For any cherry, you’ll want to pick it when it’s firm but just tender enough to bite easily.
Keep stems on cherries. Once a stem is removed, the shelf life of a cherry will drastically diminish. By keeping your cherries cool with the stem attached, you can expect your cherries to remain at their peak freshness for 3-5 days.
Are any of these farms organic?
Lots of readers ask this. It is difficult to grow cherries at scale with the regulations of organic farming. You can find organic cherries sold at some of the farmstands, but as far as we know, only Dwelley Organic U-pick Cherries offers U-Pick. You can U-Pick other fruits at The Urban Edge Farm and Farmer’s Daughter Produce, both organic, and you might find organic cherries for sale there.
What else can we do in Brentwood?
Blue Goose Park offers fun playground equipment and many sprinkler/splash pad features. On a hot day, bring a swimsuit and a towel for a session there or at Antioch Water Park on the way home. If it’s not too hot, your appetite for farms may be larger. We enjoyed visiting three different farms in one day, starting with mulberries, then cherries, and finally flower-cutting!
Critical, must-read, essential tip for cherry pickers:
Check the Facebook or Instagram pages of the orchards. Although growers strive to update their websites, availability is always subject to change. If you have a favorite farm, please be sure to research before loading everyone into the car, especially if it is a weekday as many farms are weekends-only.
Watch for traffic. Thousands of families will visit Brentwood this spring to pick cherries. This means a lot of traffic on mainly one-lane country roads. Always keep an eye out for drivers who may be in a rush.
Thanks to G&S Farms for sponsoring our annual Cherry Picking guide!
