A product-by-product look at which fruit, vegetable, and citrus varieties reach their busiest harvest, continue, start, or close in Turkey in October.
October is the month in Turkey's harvest calendar when summer products wind down and autumn and winter products take over: melon, watermelon, and most of the grape crop complete their season, apple and pear reach full volume, pomegranate prepares for its main harvest, kiwi and persimmon deliver their first lots, and in citrus the first oranges join mandarin and lemon. Below is a product-by-product assessment of what is at its busiest, what is still in supply, what is starting, and what is closing, drawn from our own variety-level Seasonal Calendar — see our September harvest guide for last month's picture, or our seasonal product guide for the general logic of how a season opens, peaks, and closes.
Root vegetables, onion, and potato enter their busiest period of the year
October is the month of storable vegetables. In dry onion, the Yellow and Red varieties; in potato, Marabel and Agria; and in carrot, the Nantes type and the highland Beypazarı carrot are supplied at their highest volumes. Under the right conditions potatoes keep for 5 months, pungent onion varieties for 6-9 months, and carrots for months in cold storage, which makes uninterrupted shipments possible throughout the winter — details are in our dry onion, potato, and carrot export guides. The first lots of winter vegetables also arrive this month: Winter White and Red Cabbage and İnegöl 92 leek begin their harvest in October, and Iceberg lettuce comes online in the same month, while Curly lettuce and spinach continue supplying — we cover all of them in our leafy and flower vegetables guide.
Summer vegetables are in the final part of their season: all pepper varieties, eggplant's Kemer and Pala varieties, cucumber, and zucchini continue to be supplied, while tomato's Truss Tomato moves toward the busiest period it will reach in November. For differences between varieties, see our pepper, eggplant, and tomato guides, and for garlic see our Taşköprü garlic guide.
Apple and pear at full volume, stone fruit and orchard-vineyard fruit closing
In apple, the main load of the season arrives in October: Golden Delicious and the native Amasya enter their busiest harvest period, while Starking (Red Delicious), Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn, and Cripps Pink begin their harvest this month and come online directly at the highest volume; Gala closes its season in October. Turkey ranks 2nd in the world in apple production per FAO 2022 figures — the full variety calendar is in our apple variety guide. In pear, the late-season Deveci variety and the native Ankara Pear are in their busiest periods in October; Turkey is the world's 4th-largest pear producer, with details in our pear export guide.
The stone fruit season closes this month: in plum, Mürdüm Eriği and President deliver their final lots, while the very-late-season Angeleno variety reaches its busiest period in October — the full calendar is in our stone fruit guide. In grape, Crimson (Seedless) is at its busiest in October, while Red Globe and Antep Karası close their seasons (our grape variety guide); in fig, the final lots of Bursa Black are being shipped (our fig variety guide). In melon, only Kırkağaç (Altınbaş) continues to be supplied, while Piel de Sapo and, in watermelon, Crimson Sweet complete their season — the joint season of the two is covered in our melon and watermelon guide.
Pomegranate, quince, kiwi, and persimmon: the opening of autumn fruit
In pomegranate, the early Ernar, which opened the season in August, closes in October; the main harvest variety Hicaznar, together with Wonderful, Beynarı, Fellahyemez, Katırbaşı, and Lefan, begins its harvest this month and enters its busiest period in November — the full picture is in our pomegranate variety guide. In quince, Eşme and Ekmek Quince also begin their harvest in October; Eşme, which takes its name from the Eşme district of Uşak where it originated, is Turkey's most widespread quince variety — Turkey accounts for roughly a quarter of world quince production, with details in our quince export guide.
In kiwi, Hayward and Yellow Kiwi begin their harvest in October and come online directly at their busiest period, and Early Green Kiwi also starts in the same month; according to TÜİK data, kiwi production rose from roughly 1,400 tons in 2000 to 89,831 tons in 2023 — the whole story is in our kiwi growth story. In persimmon, the non-astringent Fuyu type enters its busiest period in October, while the astringent Hachiya type begins its harvest; why the two types require different handling is explained in our persimmon guide. In avocado, the Bacon and Zutano varieties also open their seasons in October — for details of the Alanya-based rise, see our avocado guide.
The citrus season widens
In mandarin, Okitsu reaches its busiest period in October, while Primasol, Satsuma, and Robinson begin their harvest and come online directly at the highest volume; Dobashi Beni and Clementine also open their seasons during the month, and September's opening variety, Miho Wase, closes. According to TÜİK's May 2026 first estimate, the 2026 mandarin crop is projected at roughly 3.08 million tons (compared with roughly 2.10 million tons in 2025) — an assessment of these figures together with their sources is in our 2026-27 mandarin season update, and the place of the early varieties in exports is covered in our Satsuma mandarin guide. In lemon, the Italian-origin Interdonato enters its busiest period in October, and as September's Mayer variety closes, Eureka and Lime begin their harvest — see our lemon guide for the year-round lemon calendar. In orange, the early navel varieties Navelina and Fukumoto also deliver their first lots in October; the full variety sequence for orange is in our citrus variety guide, and its export picture is in our orange export guide.
With the transition from summer vegetables to winter vegetables and from stone fruit to citrus taking place, October is one of the most critical links in post-harvest quality management between seasons; you can find how we keep quality consistent from harvest to shipment in our cold chain guide, and product-specific transport temperatures in our transport temperature guide. Check our Seasonal Calendar for the current month at any time, or review our full Products page for variety and packaging detail on any item above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which products are at their busiest in Turkey in October?
Dry onion (Yellow, Red), potato (Marabel, Agria), carrot (Nantes, Beypazarı), apple (Golden Delicious, Amasya), pear (Deveci, Ankara Pear), grape (Crimson Seedless), plum (Angeleno), kiwi (Hayward, Yellow Kiwi), persimmon (Fuyu), mandarin (Okitsu), and lemon (Interdonato) are at their busiest in October; the Primasol, Satsuma, and Robinson mandarins and the Starking, Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn, and Cripps Pink apples also begin their harvest this month and come online directly at the highest volume.
Can melon, watermelon, and grapes still be found in October?
To a limited extent. In melon, only Kırkağaç (Altınbaş) continues to be supplied; Piel de Sapo and, in watermelon, Crimson Sweet complete their season in October. In grapes, Crimson (Seedless) is at its busiest, while Red Globe and Antep Karası close the season.
Which products open their seasons in October?
Pomegranate (Hicaznar, Wonderful, and other varieties), quince, kiwi, persimmon, avocado, winter cabbage, leek, and Iceberg lettuce, together with the early navel varieties of orange in citrus (Navelina, Fukumoto), begin their harvest in October.
