When to buy fruits, vegetables -- by the season

Produce at a grocery store (WDIV)

What’s cooking tonight? It may depend on the season!


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If you’re anything like me, you’re at the grocery store every week, knocking on melons, acting like the noise is telling you something.

I can never seem to remember when I should be eating certain produce -- but it does matter. The best quality produce is to be eaten while in season! It actually makes a big difference in flavor and quality.

So, I figured I’d share some of my own produce research -- here’s something you can hold onto and use in the future. Some have more than one season -- some are year-round -- but as you’ll see below, some are very picky.

🍓 Seasonal produce guide -- when to eat what through the year:

Winter produce:

You’ll notice that this is the only season to buy some citrus-type fruits, like oranges and grapefruit. Oh, and also winter squash -- shocking!

Winter produce guide. (USDA)

Spring produce:

Just writing about spring makes me happy. Spring ushers in the season of green veggies -- asparagus, broccoli, peas and other earthy veggies, including onions and turnips. So lovely. I think this is my favorite produce season.

Spring produce guide. (USDA)

Summer produce:

Summer is all about the juicy stuff -- berries, melons, peaches and plums. Your grocery cart is going to get heavy.

Summer produce guide. (USDA)

Fall produce:

Whenever I think about fall produce, I always go to squash and sweet potatoes. And obviously pumpkin. In Michigan, it’s also apple season -- even though apples are usually pretty good all year.

Fall produce guide. (USDA)

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About the Author

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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