Some of the best activities in Gloucester County involve a bucket, a row of trees, and zero air conditioning. Pick-your-own farms are part of everyday life in this corner of South Jersey, not a novelty for out-of-towners. If you already live here, you know the drill. If you’re thinking about moving, an afternoon in the fields will tell you more about the place than any listing photo.

Note on sourcing: the farm details, addresses, phone numbers, and seasonal notes below come mainly from a March 2026 Gloucester County guide on ScottKompa.com, a local real estate team’s blog. A Yelp search page and a New Jersey farm directory confirmed that Mood’s Farm Market and Ferrara’s Orchards are listed as pick-your-own farms in the county. Anything that could have changed since is marked.

Why Farm Days Top the List of Activities in Gloucester County

The county’s mix of farmland around Harrison Township and the Route 77 corridor keeps pick-your-own close to home. Picking season runs roughly from late May through October, and each month brings something different.

  • June: sweet and pie cherries, early strawberries
  • July: blueberries peak, early peaches and nectarines
  • August: blackberries, raspberries, peaches, late blueberries
  • September–October: apples, pears, grapes, pumpkins

It’s late September now, so apples and pumpkins are the live options. Cherries and blueberries will have to wait until next June.

Mood’s Farm Market, Mullica Hill

901 Bridgeton Pike (Route 77) · (856) 478-2500

Mood’s is the anchor of the county’s pick-your-own scene. It opens with cherries in June and closes with pumpkins in October. In between, you can pick blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches, pears, plums, and apples.

In fall, the farm presses its own cider. It also makes apple cider donuts Monday through Saturday, and families treat them as a destination in their own right. Hayrides run out to the apple and pumpkin fields.

The market sells jams, jellies, and salsas made from the farm’s own fruit. Bring a bucket or box, because Mood’s specifies no bags. Availability shifts with weather and crop conditions, so check the farm’s Facebook page before you go.

Ferrara’s Orchards, Mullica Hill

1564 Commissioners Road · (856) 478-0208

Ferrara’s is family-owned and smaller in scale, which a lot of visitors prefer. The focus is blueberries starting in June, nectarines in mid-summer, and apples in the fall.

It pairs well with Mood’s if you want to hit two farms in one season. The farm is typically open Wednesday through Saturday during picking season.

Rowand’s Farm, Glassboro

295 Greentree Road · (856) 589-9234

Rowand’s is known for cherries. The farm sits two blocks off Delsea Drive (Route 47), and families have been coming for cherry season for generations. Sweet and pie cherries usually arrive in mid-June.

The window is short, sometimes a week or two. Once the crop is picked out, that’s it for the year.

One caution: the farm had a rough 2025, with no strawberry crop and a closed farm market. Cherry picking was expected to return in 2026. The farm is closed on Saturdays.

Fruitwood Orchards Honey Farm, Monroeville

419 Elk Road (Route 538) · (856) 881-7748

Fruitwood sits near the junction of Routes 77 and 538 in the Elk Township area. Our source describes it as just over the county line, so confirm the location before you count it as local.

You can pick strawberries (May through June), sour cherries (June), peaches in summer, and apples in fall. The honey comes from hives on the property. The roadside stand carries a wider run of seasonal produce and operates largely on a self-service basis.

The farm is closed Sundays. Call ahead to confirm what’s ready to pick.

Tips for Your First Trip

A few habits will save you a wasted drive.

  • Call or check Facebook first. Picking availability changes daily with crop conditions, weather, and how much has already been harvested.
  • Wear shoes you can get dirty. Closed-toe and washable beats sandals every time.
  • Ask about containers. Most farms provide them, but Mood’s wants buckets or boxes, and Fruitwood is largely self-service.
  • Go early in the week. Weekends at popular farms can get crowded during peak blueberry and apple season.
  • Move fast on cherries. Both Mood’s and Rowand’s have windows that can close within days. Watch their social media from early June.
  • Stay for the extras. Cider donuts and honey are worth the extra time.

What This Means If You’re Thinking of Moving Here

Farm access doesn’t show up in school ratings or commute calculators. Still, our main source reports that buyers coming from more urban or suburban parts of the Philadelphia region tend to value it more than they expected.

Mullica Hill, Sewell, Glassboro, and Washington Township are all named as places where a fruit-picking afternoon is a short drive away. For newcomers, a Saturday at one of these farms is an easy way to see whether the county’s pace suits you.

For longtime residents, it’s probably already on the calendar. If it isn’t, pick a weekday, grab a bucket, and go find some apples.