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All-in-One Guide to
Cape Cod Cranberry Harvest Season

During Cape Cod cranberry harvesting season, visitors come from far and wide to see acres of shiny, crimson berries floating on our local bogs.

Want to know what the harvest is all about and how you can see it in person?

I've created this "All-in-One Guide to Cape Cod Cranberry Harvesting Time" just for you!

What is a Cranberry Bog?

Simply put: a cranberry bog is a large, open field where cranberries are grown.

So, where are the berries?

Many harvest-watching newbies are surprised to learn that cranberries don't grow on trees or bushes. They don't grow in water, either.

Instead, they grow on low-to-the-ground vines in a special combination of sand, peat and other organic matter.

When is Cape Cod Cranberry Harvest Season?

Harvesting season begins in mid-September and reaches its peak in mid- to late October.

By mid-November, the season is pretty much over. :(

Coming to the Cape especially to see the cranberry harvest?

Planning your visit can be a bit challenging because most cranberry farmers don’t often announce their harvesting schedules ahead of time.

In the "Bogs to Visit" section below, I’ll tell you which farmers give us advance notice of their harvest dates. I'll also give you a general idea of when the harvests typically start at other bogs.

Once the season kicks off, I keep this page updated with the latest dates and locations for ongoing harvests. So, make sure to bookmark this page and check back frequently for updates!

How Cranberries are Harvested

What will you see on harvest days?

That depends on which method the farmers are using to pick the berries:

• Wet harvesting - Also known as "water harvesting", the berries are gathered from a flooded bog.
  
  
• Dry harvesting - Picking machines are used to gather the fruit from a dry bog.
  

The Wet Harvesting Process

This is what everyone flocks to our local bogs to see!

It's a multi-day process that starts as water is pumped into the bog from a nearby lake or retention pond.

Next, the farmers drive water-reel machines (a/k/a "egg beaters") through the flooded bog.

The reels churn just below the water's surface, knocking the cranberries off the vines.

Then, more water is released into the bog, bringing the water level up a few more inches so the berries can float freely.   

How long are the berries left floating?

Not long! 

Once the berries are off their vines, the crop is usually brought in within the next 24 hours or so.  

*Tip: If you drive by a bog and see cranberries floating, there's a pretty good chance you'll find the farmers bringing in their crop later that day or the next morning. 

How are the cranberries removed from the bog? 

First, the farmers surround the floating berries with a long length of "boom" material.

Next, the farmers gradually tighten the boom and push the  corralled berries toward an underwater vacuum system that sucks the berries through a large hose and up to the wash plant.

As the berries go through the wash plant, weeds and other debris are separated out and fed into another truck for disposal.

Finally, the rinsed cranberries drop into the bed of a tractor-trailer for transport to a processing facility.

The Dry Harvesting Method

Only a small fraction of Cape Cod's cranberry crop is dry harvested. So having a chance to see this process is an extra-special experience (IMHO)!

No flooding is involved with this method. Actually, it's just the opposite. For a successful dry harvest, the berries must be free of moisture.

The farmers use a picker machine to "comb" the berries from the vines and deposit them into a container.

Then the berries are sorted to remove any damaged or over-ripe fruit and bog debris.

And finally, the most delicious cranberries you've ever tasted are bagged and ready for sale. :-)

Where to Watch the Cranberry Harvest

Beaton's Discovery Hill Bog

295 Route 6A
East Sandwich, MA

Looking for an early season harvest? This is one of the first places on Cape Cod where we see it happening.

Watch for the farmers bringing in the crop at this bog during the second week in September. 

You'll find limited, off-road parking alongside Rt. 6A. 

*2025 Update: Beaton's Bog was harvested September 10th.

Fresh From the Vine Cranberry Farm

300 Main Street (Route 28)
West Yarmouth, MA

Chris and his crew at Fresh From the Vine, are a super-friendly, hard-working team who thoroughly enjoy sharing their love of cranberry farming with all of us.

They welcome the public to watch them at work in the bog ... and they tell us when to come see the harvest.

*2025 Update - Here's this season's harvesting schedule:

• October 11 - 13
   
• October 18 - 19
  
  
• October 25 - 26
  
  
• November 1 - 2 or 8 - 9 (exact dates still to be determined)

In the event of nasty weather, harvest dates might be changed. Before you head out to watch the farmers at work, be sure to check Fresh From the Vine's Facebook page for last-minute updates.

Want to buy fresh cranberries? (Hint, hint: Yes, you do!)

Stop by Fresh From the Vine's farm stand next to the bog.  

The stand is normally open daily from early October until sometime in November, until they've sold out their entire crop.

Old Colony Bog

Knob Hill Road & Mayflower Terrace
South Yarmouth, MA

This big, beautiful cranberry bog stretches nearly the entire length of Knob Hill Road and Mayflower Terrace. So there's plenty of room to watch and take photos from the roadside when the berries are floating!

You can also reach Old Colony Bogs from the Cape Cod Rail Trail Bike Path: 

• Get off the Rail Trail at the North Main Street/North Dennis Road crossing in South Yarmouth. Then go north, across the bridge over Rt. 6. You'll see Knob Hill Road on your right, just after you've crossed the bridge.

Harvesting usually starts here around the first week in October and continues until later in the month. 

*2025 Update: I swung by here on Columbus Day weekend and saw a large section of bog flooded. Look for activity here over the next few weeks.

West Yarmouth Road Bogs

With so many acres of active bogs in Yarmouth, there's no shortage of other places to look for harvesting activity around town.

You'll find a few more spots to watch in the areas around:

• 363 W. Yarmouth Road; and
  
  
• Syrjala Conservation Area - limited parking at 95 Winslow Gray Road for walking trail to bogs; also entrances in the area around 160 West Yarmouth Road.
  

I usually look for harvesting to being at these bogs around Columbus Day and continue into early November.    

*2025 Update: The crew started harvesting at the West Yarmouth Road bogs the end of the first week of October. 

FYI: The only place to park on West Yarmouth Rd. is along the road shoulder. Park at your own risk! And be sure your vehicle is not blocking the farmers' entrance to the bogs!!

Hall's Cape Cod Cranberries

Depot Road
Harwich, MA

This is a great stop along the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Harwich!

Farmed by generations of the Hall family, this bog is at the Depot Street trailhead on the Rail Trail.

If you're coming by car, you'll find a small parking area across the street from this iconic building ...

Harvests here usually begin around the second week in October.

Follow Halls Cape Cod Cranberries on Facebook to find out when they plan to harvest this year. They also post the dates and times when Maura's on-site shop will be open, selling fresh cranberries and handcrafted artisan gifts. 

Thacher Cranberries

Great Western Road
Harwich, MA

As you ride along the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Harwich, you'll also pass by Thacher Cranberries on Great Western Road.

You can get here by car, too. Head to the area around 201 - 280 Great Western Road. Just be aware that there's very little safe parking alongside the road.

Watch for wet harvesting to start at Thacher's bogs in early October.

Falmouth Cranberry Bogs

There's a lot of cranberry-growing acreage in the town of Falmouth, too.

You'll normally find one of these bogs — or a portion of one  — under harvest from mid- to late September through October.

There's limited off-street parking, mainly on the road shoulder, in each of these locations.

• Old Barnstable Road to Carriage Shop Road
  
  There's a large area of bogs stretching between 143 Old Barnstable Road and 714 Carriage Shop Road in East Falmouth. (Street addresses are approximate.)
  
  *2025 Update: Harvesting began at the bogs between Old Barnstable and Carriage Shop on September 15th. On October 15th they were working at the area near the intersection of Old Barnstable and Old Meetinghouse roads.

• E. Falmouth Hwy. (Rt. 28) Bogs - in the area of 633 E. Falmouth Hwy., East Falmouth, near Rocky's Gym.
  
  
• Wing Pond Conservation Area Bogs - walk-able via Wing Pond Woods trails. There's a small-ish parking area at the end of a dirt road off Rt. 28A. (Walking trail info and map).
  
  You can also bike ride to the conservation area bog on the Shining Sea Bikeway. It's about 1.9 miles south of the North Falmouth trailhead.
  

•  Thomas B. Landers Road Bogs - in the area around 64 Thomas B. Landers Road near the intersection with Turner Road.

Where to Find Guided Cranberry Bog Tours

A few cranberry growers on Cape Cod give scheduled, guided tours.

And only one grower offers special tours where you can wade into the bog. (I've done it. And I have to tell you, it was a mind-blowing experience!)

So let's start there ...

Cranberry Harvest Tours to Walk or Wade

Long-time Cape Cod cranberry farmer, Dave Ross, offers two different types of bog experiences at harvest time:

A walking tour where you'll see the crew at work and learn all about cranberry farming on the Cape ...

And a special wading tour where you can don the waders and climb in among the berries ...

Dave operates cranberry bogs in several different towns on the Cape. So tour availability, locations, dates and times vary from week to week, according to the crew's work schedule.

Reservations are required for all tours. 

For more information and reservations, see Dave's Cape Cod Cranberry Bog Tours website.

Organic Cranberry Farm Tours

On a guided tour of Leo and Andrea Cakounes' property in Harwich, you'll learn all about a year in the life of a working organic cranberry farm.

Over the course of about 90 minutes, Andrea shares her wealth of knowledge about how an organic cranberry bog is formed, planted, tended and harvested.

You'll also have a chance to meet the resident farm animals and learn how they, together with the native birds and bees, all contribute to the success of this organic cranberry farm.

You won't see berries floating on the Cakounes' bogs.

But you'll definitely come away from this tour with new appreciation for the hard work and dedication it takes to bring organic Cape Cod cranberries from the farm to your table!

Advance reservations are required. No drop in's, please!

For details and reservations, see Leo and Andrea's Cranberry Bog Tours website.

Annie's Crannies Tours

From the bright lights of Broadway to the much less "flashy" life as a bog owner/farmer on Cape Cod ... that's Annie Walker's amazing journey.

On a tour of Annie's Crannies cranberry farm in Dennis (love that name!), you'll see Annie's beautiful farm and learn how she came back to the bogs once owned by her grandfather, continuing the family tradition today.

2025 Update: Annie will hold tours on Saturdays and Sundays only, October 11th to November 9th.

The tour begins at 11 a.m., and tickets are $10 per person. 

*Note: You won't see cranberries floating at Annie's farm.

Annie also sells her special bogside honey, beeswax candles, homemade jams, soaps and lovely gift boxes, too. Her gift shop at the farm is open from Columbus Day weekend to Veterans Day weekend, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Saturday and Sunday only.

*Tip: Annie's Crannies is tucked away on Scarsdale Road, a quiet side street off Rt. 6A in Dennis. Keep an eye out for signs pointing the way!

For more about Annie, her farm, her tours and her gift shop offerings, visit Annie's Crannies website.

Related Pages:

• Quick & Easy Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce Recipe

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