A short guide to tracking the harvest calendar as it changes month by month.
Seasonality is decisive in fresh fruit and vegetable supply: citrus is available in the winter months, summer vegetables (tomato, pepper, zucchini) between June and October, while greenhouse products can be supplied year-round. But behind this generalization lies a far more detailed calendar specific to each product and variety.
July, for example, is peak season for summer fruit: peach and nectarine varieties, several plum varieties (Can Eriği, Türbe Eriği), early apricot (the start of Hasanbey harvest in Malatya), and watermelon-melon are all in season at once; this month also marks the end of the late/highland cherry harvest. Winter tells a completely different story: in January, late mandarin varieties like W.Murcott and Tango are at their peak, while long-shelf-life products like grapefruit and apples can be supplied from cold storage year-round.
These seasonal transitions are gradual, not abrupt: mandarin season, for instance, opens in late September with early varieties (Miho Wase, Okitsu), gradually moves through Clementine and Satsuma, then to W.Murcott and Tango — allowing a single product group to offer a supply window of nearly 7 months.
Harvest date and shipping date are two different calendars
For several products, the month a fruit is picked and the month it can still be shipped are not the same thing. Controlled-atmosphere cold storage extends the effective supply window well past harvest: kiwifruit picked in autumn can still be shipped into spring, and certain lemon varieties held in cold storage can supply through early summer, long after the tree itself has stopped bearing. A buyer reading only a harvest calendar would miss these extended windows entirely — which is exactly why availability, not just harvest timing, is what a seasonal calendar needs to show.
The calendar also has to account for paperwork lead time, not only fruit condition. A phytosanitary certificate is issued for a specific consignment shortly before shipment and is only valid for a limited window — commonly on the order of two weeks — so an order confirmed against next month's harvest still needs its inspection and certificate timed to the actual loading date, not the date the buyer first inquired.
You can use the month selector tool on our Seasonal Calendar page to see which product is in season each month; instantly view which products and varieties are available for supply in your selected month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a fruit still be shipped after its natural harvest season ends?
Yes — cold storage extends the effective supply window well past harvest for several products; kiwifruit picked in autumn can still ship into spring, and some lemon varieties held in cold storage can supply into early summer.
How long is a phytosanitary certificate valid for a shipment?
A phytosanitary certificate is issued shortly before shipment for a specific consignment and is only valid for a limited window, commonly on the order of two weeks.