FAQ’S – Mountain Home Berry Farm

When is the farm store open? Please check the Farm’s Seasonal Hours/ Available Produce page. Our hours vary with each season.
What produce will you have available with each season? Please check the Farm’s Seasonal Hours/ Available Produce page.
When does berry season begin and what berries are available? Early June…Please check the Berry Season page for those details. We will also place the opening date for u-pick and order details on our homepage. You can also find information on our Facebook page, on Instagram, and by visiting our Google site.
Is there are charge for people wanting to come and take pictures at the farm? Fall is a popular time for picture taking at the farm. We set up all kinds of cute backdrops, have pumpkins all over the place, and have beautiful sunflowers growing! Photo opportunities (at the front of the farm and at various hayride stops) are included in our activity pass during our Fall Festival weekends and are also a part of field trips during the week. Photo opportunities at the front of the farm are given to our customers during the week and on weekends. If you’re coming to the farm for pictures only, please inquire about fees for individuals and professional photographers. Please check at the farm store or give us a call beforehand.
What happens in the Fall at the farm? Please check the Fall Festival page for all the details! You may also give us a call or send us a message if you need further information.
What should I place an order for? Asparagus and all berries.
What kinds of jams, salsas, sauces, relishes, butters, and pickles do you offer? Please see the Farm Store Items page for details.
Do you make the jams, salsas, sauces, relishes, butters, and pickles? No, all the jams and salsas are made by Mennonites.
Do you use organic farming methods? Yes. If we have to use products for plant issues, we will use what is listed as organic.
What may we u-pick? Blueberries and blackberries, purple hull peas, and raspberries (by appointment).
Are we selling the farm? It’s not for sale at this time.
Are we a large farm? We are not. Our property has a total of around 22 acres. We do not farm all of it. We have around 4 acres of improved fields for annual crops (pumpkins, peas, etc), (2) one acre fields of blueberries, (2) one acre fields of blackberries, a 1 acre field of raspberries, approximately one acre of strawberries, multiple asparagus patches which are equal to around two acres, and several small elderberry areas.
Do we answer the phone before or after hours or on our day(s) off? We do not but feel free to leave a message for us, and we will return your call on the next day we’re open.
What do you do in the winter? Although we’re not open to the public from right before Christmas until early April, there’s still so much to be done on the farm! We use the wintertime as a time for pruning our plants and doing soil amending as well. We also make repairs to equipment, fencing, trellising, do store and home projects, and much more.
What happened to the berries in the summer of 2020? Due to excessive rain, cool temps, overcast days, lack of pollination, winds, and two late freezes, the berries were not as productive as they should have been. We also lost 90% of one of our blackberry varieties. Fortunately, we had a later variety that was unaffected, and we still had some blackberries for U-PICK and for orders. This was not just a Mountain Home Berry Farm problem. Many farmers nationwide were affected.
Will we have Fall Festivities in 2020? Yes! We’re open to private groups by appointment Tues through Thurs and to the public Fri, Sat, and Sun. Check out our Fall Festival page for more information.
Do you offer any Christmas activities? Yes! The two weekends before Christmas, we offer lighted hayrides by reservation. It’s a fun event! Food…hot cocoa…bonfires…Lots of Lights… Check out our Lighted Christmas Hayride page for details.
Do we allow people to pick their own pumpkin from the plant? No. There are a few reasons we do not. #1- In order to take the pumpkin from the plant, a sharp objects needs to be used detach the pumpkin. We do not feel it would be safe to have folks walking around with sharp objects. #2- People have a tendency to step on live plants while walking int he patch. Crushed plants die and can no longer produce pumpkins. #3- Many people do not know that pumpkins need to be cut from the plant when harvesting. Plants get pulled out of the ground while people are trying to pull the pumpkin from the plant. Dead Plant=No More Pumpkins. We harvest the pumpkins and place them in the field near the farm store. Folks are welcome to pick a pumpkin from those in the field or those in the Pumpkin Barn.
Is the petting zoo open all year? No. It is open during our Berry Festival (second week in June) and Fall Festival weekends (late September through October).
Do we have public restrooms? Yes, and they’re so cute!