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

Updated: October 19, 2024

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

Harvest Underway at a Cape Cod Cranberry Bog

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.

This is a cranberry bog. The waterways are irrigation ditches that bring water to the bog from a nearby retention pond.

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.

Here's a close-up of cranberries on the vines. These berries will be deep red and ready to pick in about 6 weeks.

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. :(

Mid-October is prime time!

Coming to the Cape especially to see the cranberry harvest?

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

In the "Bogs to Visit" section below, I’ll give you a general idea of when the harvests typically start at each bog.

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.

This is a bog before it's flooded.

Flooding the Bog

This is the same bog later that day.

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

"Egg Beaters"

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

Riding the egg beaters.

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

Autumn breezes nudge the cranberries to a corner of the bog.

Why Do Cranberries Float?

Inside a cranberry, little "air pockets" surround the fruit's tiny seeds.

The air pockets make the berries buoyant, so they float!

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.

Setting the Boom

"Corralling" the Cranberries

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.

These cranberries were headed for an off-Cape facility
to be made into "Craisins". :-)

Did You Know?

Wet-harvested cranberries are processed for juices, canned sauces and other commercially-made products.  

Dry-harvested berries are sold fresh at bog-side stands, farm markets and grocery stores.

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.

These cranberries are ready for dry picking.

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

Farm owner, Chris Wilson, with his vintage dry-harvesting machine

Fresh from the Vine Cranberries

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

These ladies are sorting the "old fashioned way": by hand.

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

Did You Know?

Kept cool and dry (not rinsed!), fresh cranberries will stay good for a month or more.

They also freeze well for up to a year.

Where to Watch the Cranberry Harvest

Topping my list of the best places on Cape Cod to watch the cranberry harvest is ...   

Fresh From the Vine Cranberry Farm

300 Main Street (Route 28)
West Yarmouth, MA

Autumn Display at Fresh From The Vine Cranberry Farm

What makes this bog so special?

Chris and Lindsay Wilson, owners of 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!

Fresh From The Vine's
Wet Harvest Dates
2024

• October 11, 12 & 13 - Harvesting the beds at the rear of the farm. Be prepared for a hike to get back there, and wear sturdy shoes! 
  
  
• October 19 & 20 - Harvesting the second bed from the back. Not quite as far to walk, a little over 1/4 mile from the parking lot.
  
  
• October 26 & 27 - Harvesting the area near the parking lot. Little to no walking required.
  
  
• November 2 & 3 - Final harvest of the season. Just over a 1/4 mile walk in and out.

*Note: 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!)

The Wilsons sell their dry-harvested berries at their Fresh From the Vine farm stand next to the bog.

The stand will be open nearly every day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from  October 5, 2024 until they've sold out their entire crop.

There's plenty of safe, off-street parking in the lot by the farm stand. That's a real plus, especially when you have little ones in tow!

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.

*2024 Update: Harvesting began here the first week in October.  There'll be lots more chances to see the berries floating here in the weeks to come.

Other Bogs in Yarmouth

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

Harvesting Day in South Yarmouth

There are 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.
  

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!!

*2024 Update: I spoke with the farmers at the 363 W. Yarmouth Road bogs on October 11th. They expect to be harvesting here for a few more weeks. Then they'll start working on the Syrjala Conservation Area bogs.  

Beaton's Discovery Hill (Rt. 6A) Bog

295 Route 6A
East Sandwich, MA

Watching the Harvest in East Sandwich

Looking for a harvest in September? 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 in mid-September. 

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

*2024 Update: They harvested here on September 13, 2024.

Thacher Cranberries

Great Western Road
Harwich, MA

Cycling enthusiasts: this one's for you!

As you ride along the Cape Cod Rail Trail in Harwich, you'll 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.

*2024 Update: Watch for wet harvesting to start here in early October.

Hall's Cape Cod Cranberries

Depot Road
Harwich, MA

View of Halls' Bog from the Rail Trail

This is another 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 ...

The old Ocean Spray cranberry warehouse.
Depot Street, North Harwich

When will you see cranberries floating at Halls' bogs?

Harvests here usually begin around the third week in October.

*2024 Update: The Halls plan to start wet harvesting their Depot Bog on Columbus Day weekend. 

Follow Halls Cape Cod Cranberries on Facebook for their occasional posts.

A Bit of Cape Cod Cranberry History

Here's what Ocean Spray's cranberry warehouse looked like a century ago:

See the ad on the side of building? It's a little faded now, but it's still there!

Cranberry Bogs in Falmouth

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

Old Barnstable Road Bog a few weeks before harvest time.

When the calendar turns to October, here's where my Falmouth-area friends go to watch the harvest.

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.)
  

• 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.
  

Cranberry bogs are at Point of Interest #15 on the Bikeway.
(Click map for larger version.)

•  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 ...

Watching Dave's Crew at Work

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

That's me, in the bog with Dave's crew. What a fantastic adventure!

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

When you call to make your reservation (required for all tours!), Dave will let you know where and when tours will be available. 

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.

Andrea demonstrates a vintage cranberry separator

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.

These goats do very important work!

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!

My hubby and me, goofing in the photo cut-out after our tour at the Cakounes' farm. :-)

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.

Annie Gives a Personal Tour of Her Cranberry Farming Operation

Tours are held on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. from mid-October to early November.

Tickets for the tour ($10) include a "back stage" look inside Annie's barn to see how she uses old-time methods to sort and bag her berries for sale. 

(*FYI: 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.

Gift shop hours for 2024 are Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m to 5 p.m., from Columbus Day weekend through November 10th. You can also order online.

*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.

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Related Pages:

• Quick & Easy Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce Recipe

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