Pick your own fresh strawberries at these Triangle farms this spring
Triangle residents who pick their own strawberries at area farms may not notice it, but the plants they’ll be taking from this season may not be the same varieties as in past years.
A fungal disease called Neopestalotiopsis, Neo-P for short, infected suppliers’ strawberry tips, making some local farmers wary about introducing plants into their fields.
Neo-P is harmful to strawberry plants but does not attack humans or other animals, Bill Cline, an extension specialist on small fruit production and pathology at N.C. State, told The News & Observer in a phone interview. Still, infected plants may not immediately show symptoms, and many farmers only plant strawberries once each year.
“You just have that one shot of producing that crop,” Cline said. “And if you bring in plants that have this fungal pathogen, then you have to deal with that disease throughout your crop cycle.”
Infected plant debris left in fields can spread the fungus to new, clean plants the next season. And though there are ways to mitigate risk, farms such as Waller Family Farm in Durham and Double R Cattle Services in Hillsborough decided not to plant strawberries last year and are closed for the 2025 season.
But some Triangle farms decided to grow a different strawberry variety, and several are already opened for you-pick.
David Heeks of Heeks Farm — who is opening his Durham County property to pick-your-own customers for the first time — is among the local farmers who are growing Fronteras strawberries this year.
“This is going to be a very unusual strawberry season for everyone, growers and pickers alike,” Heeks told The N&O in a phone interview.
Here are some Triangle farms that are allowing the public to pick their own strawberries this spring.
Remember: Use sunscreen and wear sensible shoes while you’re out picking. And, before you head out, it’s a good idea to check the farms’ websites and social media pages, where many of the farms share updates on berry availability, opening hours and other policies.
Pick-your-own strawberry farms in Wake County
- DJ’s Berry Patch: 1223 Salem Church Road, Apex; 919-600-4020. Pick-your-own program begins Friday, April 18. Hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday.
- Buckwheat Farm: 2700 Holland Road, Apex; 919-303-0339. Check Buckwheat Farm’s Facebook page for updates. You-pick begins Monday, April 21. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
- Po Hous Farm: 2300 Richardson Road, Apex; 919-524-0991 or pohousfarm@gmail.com. The strawberries this year are larger than in previous years, farmer-owner Andy Jenks told The N&O over the phone. However, there are fewer berries per plant. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Pick-your-own begins Thursday, April 17.
- Grasshopper Farms NC: 8004 Poole Road, Knightdale; 919-373-8511 or info@grasshopperfarmsnc.com. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday.
- Marks Creek Farm Market: 3232 Marks Creek Road, Knightdale; mcfarmmkt@gmail.com. Check Facebook for hours.
- McLean Farms: 5490 River Road, Fuquay-Varina; 919-669-2996 or mcleanfarmsfq@gmail.com. Check Facebook for hours.
- Page Farms: 6100 Mount Herman Road, Raleigh; 919-451-5534 or pagefarmsraleigh@yahoo.com. Hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. each day the farm is open.
- Porter Farms and Nursery: 3525 NC Hwy 42, Willow Spring and 7615 Ten-Ten Road; 919-567-0504 or getfresh@porterfarmsandnursery.com. Check Facebook for updates.
Pick-your-own strawberry farms in Durham County
Heeks Farm: 3602 Hall Road, Rougemont
Farmer-owner David Heeks, who has 25 acres of fields in Durham County, is allowing the public to pick their own fruits and vegetables for the first time. In the past, Heeks Farm has sold its harvest at farmers markets in Carrboro and Durham, and it sold ornamental grass to a nearby nursery.
“My hope is this is going to revitalize this farm,” he said. “We’re going to have Heeks Farm 3.0, with plenty of customers coming and spending money every week and hopefully providing some economic opportunities for some workers.”
The pick-your-own program has been funded in part by a grant from the Durham County Soil & Water Conservation District. Heeks said he has put the grant money toward plant and fertilizer purchases, and infrastructure improvements.
The public is asked to purchase a ticket online to reserve their spot at Heeks Farm. The ticketing system will ensure that there’s enough parking and berry availability.
You can bring your own baskets, but the farm also has them.
As of Thursday, April 16, the pick-your-own season had not started; sign up for email updates at heeksfarm.com to be notified when strawberries are ready.
In addition to strawberries, other fruits and vegetables such as blueberries, blackberries, muscadine, cherry tomatoes and sugar snap peas will be available for pick-your-own at Heeks Farm, when they are ready to be harvested.
Pick-your-own strawberry farms in Orange County
- Eno River Farm: 2127 St. Mary’s Road, Hillsborough; 919-245-8775 or info@enoriverfarms.com. Check Instagram for updates on the you-pick option opening date.
- McAdams Farm: 1100 Efland Cedar Grove Road, Efland; 919-732-7701. Call or check Instagram for updates on when you-pick begins.
Pick-your-own strawberry farms in Johnston County
- Pace Family Farms: 12701 Buffalo Road, Clayton; 919-398-2698. Call or check Facebook or Instagram for updates.
- Smith’s Nursery, Inc.: 443 Sanders Road, Benson; 919-934-1719
- WDW Strawberry Farm: 3510 Progressive Church Road, Princeton; 919-921-0104 or wdwfarms@aol.com. Check Facebook for updates.
What’s being done about Neo-P?
At their research farm in Castle Hayne, Cline’s team has planted many strawberry varieties and inoculated each of them with Neo-P fungus spores.
The researchers hope to discover which varieties are naturally resistant to the disease and share that information with growers, so they can make more informed decisions about which strawberry varieties to buy and plant.
“We’re excited about it,” Cline said. “And really felt like we need to jump on that, and produce the fungus in the lab, produce the plants in the field and then put them together and see which ones survive.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Pick your own fresh strawberries at these Triangle farms this spring."
CORRECTION: This story has been updated with Heeks Farm’s correct address.
