Strawberry Picking

Opening April 17th

Strawberry picking season at Carrigan Farms runs from mid April through late May. Located in Mooresville, NC in the Lake Norman area, we're just 30 minutes north of Charlotte.

Season Dates

Opening date April 17th. Hours are 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM through season end in late May. We recommend coming in the morning when it's cooler.

The strawberry crop looks phenomenal for 2026. The berries are blooming their hearts out right now. There are tons of flowers and white berries that will soon turn red. Although we had a frost the morning of April 9th, Farmer William was able to frost protect and keep the flowers alive. We are not predicting any more frosts and the warm temperatures for this upcoming week will cause a lot to ripen.

Frost protection is a cool way farmers protect flowering crops in the springtime. Now that the daily hours of sunlight are increasing and the temperatures are warming up, the plants are have broken winter dormancy and are flowering. The flowering plants are susceptible to frost but Farmer William checks the weather all the time and stays vigilant. If there's frost in the forecast, he'll pull an all-nighter. The wee hours of the morning are usually the most crucial, because that's typically when the temperatures drop the lowest. If they're below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, William turns on the overhead sprinklers. As water freezes on the strawberry blossoms, it releases heat. This is called the "latent heat of fusion." The small degree of heat released is enough to keep the blossom from freezing and dying, which means it has the opportunity to turn into a red strawberry later. Farmer William has a video about this very cool process.

Pricing

Price varies by container size with four sizes to choose from starting at $8. Please be sure to bring cash because that's the only form of payment accepted.

How It Works

It's very simple. You come during the hours we're open, park, get a basket, and go be a strawberry picker.

What to Bring / Tips

Bring your sunny disposition and your farmer footwear.

Picking strawberries is very easy because they are color coded-- just pick the fully red ones! Please don't pick the flowers, tiny green ones, white ones, or pinkish ones; these will all turn into red ripe strawberries as they ripen on the plant. Note that strawberries are non-climacteric, meaning, they cease to ripen after picking, so only pick ones that are fully ripe.

We provide all the picking containers. If you'll be traveling a long distance after picking or don't have access to refrigeration right away, a cooler with a frozen ice pack is a great thing to stash in the car. That way, you can place your whole basket in the cooler with the ice pack and it can begin chilling down. When you pick red-ripe strawberries from the plant in the heat of the day, they're hot. To preserve them at their peak, put them in the refrigerator, don't leave them in the hot car for hours.

For footwear, we're fond of sneakers for the grippy properties but boots are also great. There are some areas of the field that can be wet and if you despise wet socks, you might want some boots. Steer clear of stilettos! The sun can be brutal so a hat helps. If you are very fair, you might even want some sunscreen.

The strawberry stand at the field is old-school and takes paper money, as in, US dollars. There's no method or way to take any form of credit cards or digital payments, so, please bring physical cash. We don't have an ATM. So, come prepared so you don't have to backtrack to the ATM at the gas station.

One more thing: please leave Fido at home. The strawberry patch does not allow dogs.

Directions

Carrigan Farms is located on Highway 150, on the East side of Mooresville. The field is at the intersection with Wiggins road. Carrigan Farms itself has multiple entrances. To find the strawberry field using your GPS, use the address: "1145 Oakridge Farm Hwy., Mooresville, NC 28115"

Videos

Curious about strawberries at the farm? Here are some short videos explaining various parts of the growing process:

How to pick the perfect strawberry

Planting the strawberries in the fall

Late February strawberry growth update

Early March strawberry growth update

Mid March strawberry frost protection

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Open swim begins in late May and is available all summer. Apple picking begins in September. The pumpkin patch and haunted trail are open in October and we are currently taking reservations for weddings, company picnics and Christmas parties.