PYO berries continues as a Kiwi tradition

The berry garden is flowering, berries are forming and soon the public will be allowed to participate in the Kiwi tradition of pick-your-own berries at Fairfield Berries.

Patrick and Elise Cotter have owned the berry garden near Wakefield for three years and this will be the first season they open a patch of garden for the public to enjoy picking their own fruit.

Picking berries in summer has been an intergenerational tradition in the Nelson Tasman region, but Patrick says many of the smaller gardens have gone by the wayside and an old favourite, Daelyn, is now a subdivision. Berry Lands has also just announced they will no longer be offering PYO.

The public still like to have the opportunity to wander down the rows and pick their own fruit and many have asked Fairfield Berries if it is possible.

“We’ve never done it before and it’s only our third season here, but we’ve had a lot of people asking for pick-your-own (PYO) and not many places are doing pick-your-own anymore. This block was bare and we were wondering what to plant and it’s by the shop, so we thought we’d try pick-your-own. “Pick-your-own is like a Kiwi tradition.”

Patrick says it will be a trial run this year to see if people get out and pick berries and how it works with the business. A third of a hectare has been planted for PYO and includes raspberries which should be ready from about 10 December and boysenberries which are expected to be ripe and ready to eat by 15 December.

The family also grow strawberries which they sell through the shop for a longer season, but those will not be part of the PYO options. Patrick says any surplus in the PYO block will be harvested and sold through the shop.