London’s best pick-your-own fruit and vegetable farms

One for the car-less Londoner (isn’t that 99 percent of us?!), this Enfield farm is in easy-ish reach of the city. Walk for 25 minutes when you get to Gordon Hill station and you’ll find this bit of green belt growing 20 different crops across its 50 acres. Strawberries are grown using a ‘table top’ system, so you don’t have to bend ’n’ pick like a sucker. Crops can be changeable, so always call ahead. Minimum spend is £3 (plus a 25p booking fee), and remember – no berry poppin’ in the fields. Fuel up afterwards on ice creams, meringues, and cold drinks from the farm shop.

How far? 22 miles 

How to get there: A train from King’s Cross to Potters Bar followed by a short bus ride will get you there in just under an hour. 

Book a time slot in advance. Check crop availability ahead of your visit on 020 8367 2035 or www.parksidefarmpyo.co.uk. You’ll find regular updates on Facebook. 

This 78-acre family-run Orpington farm is a produce lover’s dream, with a whole host of fruits and veggies up for picking. Over the summer months, you can usually pick everything from strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants to spinach, chard and beetroot. Or, hold out until the beginning of autumn when the apples ripen and free tractor rides begin on Sundays.

How far? 23 miles 

How to get there: The quickest way to get there onpublic transport is via a Southeastern train from London Bridge to Orpinton, then Orpinton to Knockholt followed by a 25 minute walk to the farm itself. 

Check crop availability ahead of your visit on 01959 534666 or www.hewittsfarm.co.uk.

Strawberries are a particular speciality at Crockford, which offers ripe fruit from core season in June right up until September. Or delight in broad beans, peas, squashes or asparagus, depending on the season. When you’re done, visit the on-site gelateria for ices made with own-grown fruits. The farm – set in 80 acres in West Surrey – is one of the oldest continually cultivated spots in the county and is mentioned in the ‘Doomsday Book’. Want to get an early stint of produce picking in? Head over in April and May to make the most of the asparagus and rhubarb crops. Again, you’ll need to call ahead to find out what’s ripe. 

How far? 28 miles 

How to get there: Take a train from Waterloo to Woking followed by a bus to get you there in around 50 minutes. 

Bookings required from June onwards, find out more here. Check opening days and crop availability on Facebook, call 01932 846611 or check www.crockfordbridgefarm.co.uk. 

The Thompson family have been running this Surrey farm as a pick-your-own for nearly 35 years. You’ll not run out of things to do here – this big operation boasts not just PYO fields but a restaurant, farm shop and garden centre too. Garsons also grows its strawberries table-top, and if you’re lucky, you’ll have your pick of raspberries too. It’s £4 for a Farm Pass to allow access to the PYO farm, which must be booked in advance. There are 155 acres to cover, so come with a plan of attack.

How far? 19 miles 

How to get there: 40 minute train from Waterloo to Thames Ditton and then a short bus journey

Check crop availability ahead of your visit on 01372 464389 or www.garsons.co.uk. 

Run by brothers Toby and Max Williams, this 150-acre farm near Dartford in Kent specialises in strawberries and raspberries, which are available to pick in June and July. After then, you'll find courgettes and courgette flowers, plus fields of sunflowers for a beautiful bouquet to take home. In October, pay a visit to the farm's pumpkin patch to snap some Halloween-worthy selfies and grab some gourds. 

How far? 17 miles 

How to get there: Get a train from London Bridge, Victoria or Blackfriars, then a bus to the nearby golf course, a two minute walk away from the farm. 

No need to pre-book for the PYO season, just turn up. Pumpkin pickers must buy tickets in advance. Check crop availability ahead of your visit on 01322 669711 or www.stanhillfarm.co.uk. 

Noisy broods of chickens will greet your arrival at this wholesome soft fruit farm in Buckinghamshire (there’s the odd sheep too, but they mostly keep to themselves). There are raspberries and blackberries aplenty and, towards the end of August, you can go and relieve the gnarly old apple and plum trees of their fruit – and choose from a whopping 18 different varieties. The farm's motto is "Everything we grow, we sell", which includes the honey made by its resident bee colony.

How far? 20 miles 

How to get there: Go via the Elizabeth line from Paddington to Langley then a bus. 

Check crop availability ahead of your visit on 01753 653064 or www.homecottagefarm.co.uk. 

Better move quick if you want to pick your yield at this Hertfordshire farm – its strawberries, blackcurrants and raspberries tend to get snapped up by crowds of quick-fingered visitors. If all goes well, you can pay the £3 minimum to pack your punnet with as many of those July strawbs as you can. If you visit at the right time, you can even pick up a few redcurrants to freeze and save to go with your Christmas feast.

How far? 27 miles 

How to get there: The fastest route is the train to St Albans City from London St Pancras followed by a four minute bus ride. That’ll take you just 45 minutes. 

No pre-booking required, but call to check timings and crop availability ahead of your visit on 01727 831224 or visit www.hawkswickfruit.co.uk.  

We’re going a little further afield to West Sussex now. But we promise this yield is worth the journey.  Each and every May, Roundstone Farm reveals its enormous crop of season fruits that are ripe for the taking (as long as you pay, obviously). There’s a load of veg up for grabs, too. Everything grown here is done so with as environmentally-friendly methods possible and there’s a tractor service that’ll drop you off to whatever patch takes your fancy. The PYO runs here until September. 

How far? 60 miles 

How to get there: Hop on a train from Victoria and ride an hour and a half to Angmering. Then it’s a quick 10-minute bus journey. 

Check available crops here. 

Perched just beyond the South Downs, Spring Gardens Nursery has crops galore. Beyond the abundance of PYO berries, it lets you snap up your own veg, like asparagus, sweetcorn, beetroot and marrows (you can see its crop chart to find out exactly which months are prime picking time). The produce has been tended to by Alan Harris and his family for over 40 years and naturally, it's got a cute wee cafe and a well-stocked farm shop too. 

How far? 52.5 miles

How to get there: Drive via the A24 or take a train from Victoria to Worthing, Pulborough or Horsham, followed by a bus.

Stay updated on PYO season and all the available crops at Spring Gardens Nursery here. 

Maynards Fruit Farm is one of the UK’s longest-running pick your own patches. It began life in 1952 and has been nurtured by the same family ever since. Here, you’ll get the most delectable strawberries, plums and blackcurrants straight from the source and into your basket. You may even recognise the taste of its juicy berries – Maynard supplies the blackcurrants that make Ribena so delicious.

How far? 61 miles

How to get there: Drive via the A13 or take a train from London Bridge or Charing Cross to Tunbridge Wells, followed by a quick bus.

Get all the PYO fruit updates from Maynards Farm on its website.