Strawberry Picking
Strawberry picking season at Carrigan Farms typically 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 sometime between April 10th and 20th, for exact dates, please ask Mother Nature. Hours are typically 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. We recommend coming in the morning when it’s cooler.
The strawberry crop looks promising for 2026. Although the plants are in winter dormancy right now, once the daily hours of sunlight increase and the temperatures warm up in late winter and early spring they’ll start growing, add new leaves and begin to flower. The flowering plants are susceptible to frost but Farmer William checks the weather all the time and stays vigilant. If the Charlotte, NC forecast is for temperatures of 38 degrees Fahrenheit or below, he’ll pull an all-nighter because the temperature in Charlotte is warmer than the temperature in the middle of the strawberry field. 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. For the 2026 season, the prices are still TBD although tentatively are set at $8 per quart and $24 per four-quart basket.
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.