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Step 1
Navigate to the Texas section of the PickYourOwn.org website. This directory maintains detailed listings about many farms that allow you to pick your produce. It also provides links to website,s along with contact information for farms in Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston.
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Step 2
Contact the Texas Department of Agriculture, which also has an extensive directory of pick-your-own farms. The categories on its website are organized by county. Check out the counties near the one where you live. For example, if you're in Dallas, look at the farms in Tarrant, Kaufman, Van Zandt and Wise counties, too. If you're in Austin, check in Harris, Washington, Waller and Wharton counties. Houston's surrounding counties include Trinity and Cherokee. You may also navigate by type of produce on the right side of the page.
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Step 3
Favor produce that's in season. In the winter, look for crops such as winter squash, sweet potatoes and carrots. In spring, fresh peaches, blueberries, potatoes, watermelon, tomatoes, herbs and cucumbers become available. Around July, look for summer squash and zucchini. Apples and pumpkins often become available as early as June or July, and remain throughout the fall season.
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Step 4
Navigate to the farms' websites for current information about their harvest and pick-your-own policies. Favor farms that keep their websites updated. Look for a date on the pages to see when entries were made or when the site was last updated.
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Step 5
Call the farm to verify the availability of pick-your-own produce and hours of operation. It can be harrowing to get lost in the vast and empty Texas country regions. If you plan to travel far out of the urban areas, bring a highly detailed and current map of the area. Ask a farm owner or employee to provide you with landmarks. Print additional map details from a dynamic map website.
