The arrival of July each year means it’s no longer just the theater and art season in Door County. It’s cherry season, too.
Cherry lovers are flocking to Door County over the next few weeks to head out into the Peninsula’s orchards and pick their own sweet cherries and tart Montmorency cherries.
So, how are the pick-your-own cherry crops for 2025?
Orchard owners and managers who talked to the Advocate said the 2025 cherry crop is about average when it comes to the number of cherries they expect to be available for picking and the quality of the fruits.
However, a number of orchards are opening their seasons several days to a week or so later than usual as they wait for their cherries to ripen.
Skipp Robertson, owner of Robertson Orchards of Door County in Sturgeon Bay, said the spring weather wasn’t suitable for pollination, especially for the bees that perform that task.
Add to that a cooler-than-normal, cloudy June, and Robertson said after opening his 2024 season about a week earlier than normal, his 2025 season is starting a week or so later than usual, aiming for July 4 for sweet cherry picking and July 13 to 15 for tart cherries. He said 75% of his cherries still were green to yellow as of July 2, but the unusually hot temperatures of the last couple weeks of June and early July, and the sun that comes with that, are accelerating the ripening process.
But while Robertson said his crop was about average for the number of cherries, he might find himself closing the pick-your-owns early on some days to make sure the trees don’t get too picked over before their cherries fully ripen.
“It’s late this year,” Robertson said. “We had a strange, cool, wet spring. There was a lot of cold during pollinating season. Bees don’t fly when it’s cold or raining.”
Debbie Musil, manager of Choice Orchards in Sturgeon Bay, said her orchards have average crops this year for the number of fruits and how well they’re ripening, although their projected opening dates for pick-your-owns (July 7 for sweet cherries, July 15 for tarts) are several days later than in a usual year. She said it rained too much in June, but the recent hot, sunny weather is helping.
And Sir Reginald’s Sweet Cherry Orchard in Brussels, which opened July 3 in 2024 for pick-your-owns, also appears to be about a week later for 2025, posting July 2 on its Facebook page it hopes to begin its season mid to late the following week, meaning about July 9 to 11, as it waits for its sweet cherries to ripen more fully.
“We are starting to see color but we need more time,” the post said. “I’m looking for deep red (almost purple) color and lots of flavor.”
However, Sue Selvick, co-owner with husband, Tom, of Meleddy Cherry Orchard in Sturgeon Bay, said if Meleddy opens for pick-your-owns July 10 as currently planned, it’ll be the third straight year it’s opened on that date. She said their orchard is fortunate in that it’s not as close to Lake Michigan or the bay of Green Bay as some others, so it’s a little warmer and less susceptible to heavy winds.
And like the other orchards, Selvick said the number of fruits in their trees are on par with past years, maybe a little better than average.
“It’s a very good crop. There’s an abundance of cherries,” she said.
What to know before you go
Interested pickers should call the orchards or visit their websites, especially their Facebook pages, for the latest information, including projected opening and closing dates. Picking season can run anywhere from a week or less to a month, depending on the size of the orchards, the number of customers, type of cherries (the tart cherry season usually starts later and runs longer than sweets) and how long cherries remain available.
A number of orchards accept cash or check only for payment. Dress for being in the outdoors, potentially under the sun, for an hour or more. Some places allow pickers to take vehicles into the orchards for those with accessibility issues, but pickers should check before going.
Also, remember that most orchards offer pre-picked fresh cherries for sale as well as other cherry goods.
Pick-your-own orchards
Here’s a list of cherry orchards holding pick-your-own seasons in Door County; information is gathered from websites, social media and phone calls.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: It’s about time for pick-your-own cherries in Door County. Here’s how things look for 2025
Reporting by Christopher Clough, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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