How the produce season finder works
Each row in the grid is one crop from one region, with the months it ships from published sources. Pick a month to highlight it and list what's shipping; pick a state to narrow the grid. Darker cells mark a peak only where the source names one. The list is deliberately short: we only include seasons we could check.
The seasons we track
Yuma, Arizona: Leafy greens and winter vegetables
Ships November to March. Over 90% of the winter leafy greens eaten in the US.
Source: University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, az1615, October 2026
Salinas, California: Leafy greens
Ships April to October. Volume shifts back from Yuma in spring and runs through the warmer months.
Source: DAT reefer report, October 2026
Florida: Strawberries
Ships November to April. Available November through April, depending on weather.
Source: Florida Department of Agriculture, produce seasonal availability chart, October 2026
Florida: Fresh-market tomatoes
Ships October to June. Florida grows most US field-grown fresh tomatoes from October through June; March to May is a key window.
Source: Florida Department of Agriculture, produce seasonal availability chart, October 2026
Vidalia, Georgia: Vidalia sweet onions
Ships April to September. 2026 pack date April 13; available April through September.
Source: Georgia Department of Agriculture and Vidalia Onion Committee pack date announcements, October 2026
Rio Grande Valley, Texas: Grapefruit and oranges
Ships October to May. Ruby Red grapefruit can be harvested October through May.
Source: Texas A&M AgriLife, Path to the Plate, October 2026
Washington: Apples (harvest; storage ships all year)
Ships August to November. Harvest from mid-August into November, peaking in October.
Source: The Packer, Washington apple harvest coverage, October 2026
Using seasons to plan reefer loads
Produce freight moves with the harvest, and so do reefer rates. When a region is at its busiest, shippers need many trucks at once and outbound rates tend to climb; when it winds down, trucks that stayed too long fight over fewer loads. The trick is to arrive as a region ramps up, with a paying load in, and leave with a strong load out.
Winter is a good example. Leafy greens ship from the Yuma area while Florida's strawberries and tomatoes and Texas citrus are also running, so a reefer can move between the desert Southwest, Texas and the Southeast with produce in both directions. In spring and summer the greens move to Salinas, Vidalia onions start shipping from Georgia, and Washington apples follow in the fall.
For live numbers, uSDA's weekly Specialty Crops National Truck Rate Report lists average per-load rates for 48-53 ft refrigerated trailers from major shipping areas to ten destination cities, plus truck availability.
Source: USDA AMS Market News, SC National Truck Rate Report (FVWTRK), October 2026
Between seasons
Produce isn't the only reefer freight. Meat, dairy, frozen food and beverages ship all year, and they fill the gaps when a region winds down. A steady reefer week often mixes a produce load out of a busy region with a grocery or frozen load back. Storage crops change the picture too: Washington apples are harvested in the fall but ship from storage through much of the year, and potatoes and onions move from storage well after harvest.
Reading the grid for a loop
Pick the month you'll be running and look for rows that overlap. Overlapping regions in nearby states are the makings of a loop: a load out of one, a short move to the next, a load out of that. Rows that end the month before you arrive are a warning sign: by the time you get there, shippers have fewer loads and more trucks waiting. Check the weekly USDA report before committing, because weather can move a season by weeks.
Produce season trucking tips
- Expect waits at sheds during peak weeks, and get detention terms on the rate con.
- Check the setpoint, mode and pulp range on every load; see the reefer temperature guide.
- Plan the run in, not just the load out: a long empty run to a produce region eats the higher rate.
- Keep receipts and pulp readings with each load; rejected produce is settled on records.
Let the desk follow the harvest
Following seasons across regions takes constant watching. Our dispatchers plan reefer loops toward regions as they peak and line up the load in before you head there. Nothing is booked until you say yes, and the broker sends the rate con straight to you. Our fee is 5% for one reefer with authority older than 6 months. See produce season dispatch and reefer dispatch.