Preparedness blog

When is Produce in Season?

By Ready Expert
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In the technologically-advanced world that we live in, you might be accustomed to having all types of fruits, vegetables and herbs in your grocery store at any time of the year. However, chances are that those produce items were picked a year ago and stored until they brought them to your market.

Self-sufficiency is an important principle that could help save you thousands of dollars a year in food and other bills. More and more, our neighbors and friends are becoming self-sufficient by planting gardens, trees and raising small animals.

You can become self-sufficient by growing your own produce. You can control how much you grow, save yourself money and combat against possible inflation.

Below is a seasonal produce cheat sheet! You can click on the images below to see a simple calendar that shows you when certain fruits, vegetables and herbs are in season. You can use this to shop according to the season or even know when you should be harvesting.

When is fruit produce season?
When is vegetables produce season?

We hope these come in handy! We’ve also prepared a PDF version that you can print off and keep.

Investing in freeze-dried fruits and vegetables that stay on a shelf for years could help you be self-sufficient. That way you can pull out any seasonal item that you want at any time of the year.

[Update: There were a lot of questions about where this information is valid. This information represents the produce seasons for the northern hemisphere and specifically represents the norm for the United States. While some states and areas might vary with some produce, these graphics represent the average across the nation.

Also, there have been some questions about printable versions of this document. The large orange "Print version" button on the top of this document might not be the highest quality print depending on your browser type. However, this link should provide a higher quality printable PDF.]

12 years ago
Comments
Erika
12 years ago at 5:51 AM
Of course, it is completely irrelevant if you live in the northern part of the country. Here in Maine, the few fruits that are on that chart that grow locally are off by months. The beginning of "in season" is actually while there is still snow on the ground for some of the fruits! Know a few (at least) local farmers. When things are in season, they will be available in bulk at farmers' markets.
fj
12 years ago at 5:57 AM
I would also like a printable version of the charts if it is possible.
Terri
12 years ago at 8:43 AM
Even in the printable PDF format, the charts aren't large enough to decipher.
Kerry
12 years ago at 9:19 AM
I would like to know the zone, as well. For Wyoming, this chart seems too good to be true..LOL!
Jude
12 years ago at 9:33 AM
Right below the charts is a blue PDF link and for me the charts come up just fine and print and can be read.
Rebecca
12 years ago at 9:51 AM
I also had a hard time, because I had a lot of questions... I assume this is for only the U.S., as it would be winter in Australia in June/July... and like others mentioned, it is not showing the different zones. Also, where is the citrus?
woodee
12 years ago at 11:03 AM
I'm glad you're placing making your informative charts printer-friendly, and making them available in PDF format! Now I can copy these to a flash-drive and/or cd, print them on water-resistant paper or laminate them. Either way, they'll be handy no matter what!
chris
12 years ago at 7:18 PM
When to plant as well as zoning is important for the chart
N B
12 years ago at 10:15 AM
Printing the PDF cuts off the bottom of the charts. You can't read all of the year-round produce or the * info at the bottom. It has been cut off. Can you guys fix the PDF, please? Thank you.
Northwoods Cheryl
10 years ago at 8:52 AM
Very little of these charts would apply to growing zones less than #6. A great deal of America is in zones 4 and under. Many of these areas cannot even be tilled until late April or early May. I am in Wisconsin in zone 4 on the edge of 3. Last killing frost here is mid-late May, sometimes June. First killing fall frost is often in mid September. These charts would be GREAT if done for the different growing zones. I have to follow Canadian growing practices here. It would be good to specify the regions this is for, so new gardeners will not be discouraged by thinking harvests go longer into the year than they actually will, if you don't live where this info is printed for..