Michigan · Orchard fruit
Typically mid-July to mid-September, with peak early August through late August.
Hatched chalk = early and late shoulders; solid = peak.
Japanese types first, then Stanley and Italian prune plums into September.
From mid-July — first pickings, lighter supply, best prices come later.
early August through late August — full stalls, full flavor. This is the stretch to plan around.
Through mid-September — quantity for preserving, and the stalls start dealing.
about 9 weeks end to end, shoulders included.
Taste one first — varieties swing from candy-sweet to tart-skinned — and pick into shallow buckets. The picking window tracks the band above: early trips get clean fields, peak (early August through late August) is the sure bet, late season is for quantity.
Farm-to-farm variation is real — up to two weeks either side of the typical window. Plan the trip, then call the farm before you drive.
Plum peak moves across the map. After this window, it lands next in:
In Michigan, the plum season typically runs mid-July to mid-September, with peak availability early August through late August. Exact weeks shift a little with each year's weather.
Aim for peak: early August through late August. An early trip around mid-July gets first choice of clean fields; a late one is for jam-and-freezer quantity. Any single farm can run up to two weeks either side of the chart — call before you drive.
about 9 weeks end to end — mid-July to mid-September. The early and late shoulders are real but lighter; the solid stretch of chalk on the band is the sure bet.