In the Kuban, local strawberries ripen as early as May, while on the Kola Peninsula cloudberries aren't picked until the end of July. Russia's berry season stretches over almost half the year. We look at which berries ripen first, and when to expect them in different regions.

Every year, the berry season opens in the south and ends in late autumn: the last berries to leave the bogs are cranberries, which are picked until early November. In between come wild strawberries, bilberries, cloudberries, raspberries, bog bilberries and lingonberries, and each berry has its own time in each region.

The Order in Which Berries Ripen

The order of ripening is largely determined by when a plant flowers. "Wild strawberries start flowering earliest, followed by bilberries, bog bilberries and raspberries," explains senior researcher at Moscow State University and PhD in Biology Yevgeny Kubarev.

For central Russia, such as the Moscow Region, the berry calendar looks like this:

  • Wild strawberries — mid-June to July. They grow on forest edges, in clearings and on dry meadows.

  • Raspberries — July–August. Look for them in clearings, felled areas, ravines and by rivers.

  • Bilberries — July to September. They like spruce forests and boggy ground.

  • Bog bilberries — also July–September, usually growing alongside bilberries in boggy areas.

  • Lingonberries — late August to September. They prefer coniferous forests and higher ground among bogs.

  • Cranberries — mid-September to October, and sometimes into early November. They grow in bogs.

The South: Strawberries From Mid-May

The berry season opens earliest in the south, in Krasnodar Krai and Crimea. Local strawberries ripen here from around mid-May, and the main harvest runs from late May to mid-June.

The Moscow Region: Where to Find Forest Berries

In the Moscow Region, the northern and eastern districts are considered the best for berries. For specific places:

  • wild strawberries — forests near Serpukhov, Pushkino, Noginsk, Shatura, Yegoryevsk, Shchyolkovo, Dmitrov and Protvino;

  • raspberries — along the Dubna River, and in the Volokolamsk, Shchyolkovo and Yegoryevsk districts;

  • bilberries — on the border between Taldom and Dmitrov, and near Sergiyev Posad, Naro-Fominsk, Orekhovo-Zuyevo and Shatura;

  • bog bilberries — Taldom, Shatura and Yegoryevsk;

  • lingonberries — Shatura, Yegoryevsk and Klin;

  • cranberries — the bogs of Taldom, Yegoryevsk and Dubna.

Karelia and the North-West: A Season by Decree

In some regions, the dates for picking wild berries are officially set by the authorities, on the advice of scientists. Karelia is one example. In 2026, the republic's Ministry of Natural Resources allowed berries to be picked on the following dates:

  • cloudberries — from July 11 in the central and southern districts, and from July 18 in the Arctic districts;

  • bilberries — from July 25 and August 1, respectively;

  • lingonberries — from August 21 and August 28;

  • cranberries — from September 12 and September 19.

The difference between the south and the north of Karelia alone is about a week for each berry.

The Kola Peninsula: Early Cloudberries

On the Kola Peninsula, the main berry is cloudberry. Its main harvest usually runs from the last ten days of July to early August. But in 2026, because of warmer weather, cloudberries flowered earlier than usual, as early as May.

"Yes, this phenomenon really was observed: everything across the North flowered much earlier," said director of the Pasvik Nature Reserve Natalya Polikarpova.

According to her, the first ripe berries start to appear towards the end of July.

Siberia: Honeyberries Come First

In Siberia, the berry season starts later, and the first garden berry to ripen here is the honeyberry, an edible honeysuckle. In the central part of Krasnoyarsk Krai, it's picked in the second half of June and early July. Garden strawberries near Krasnoyarsk are harvested en masse in the first half of July, raspberries in the second half of July and August, and sea buckthorn in August and early September.

For forest berries in Krasnoyarsk Krai, the dates are also set by the regional ministry. In 2026, picking mushrooms and berries was allowed from July 1 in the southern districts, from July 6 in the rest of the region and from July 20 in the north. Lingonberries could be picked from August 20 almost everywhere, and from September 1 and September 10 in some districts.

Yakutia: A Short, Packed Summer

In Yakutia, the berry season is especially short. In 2021, for example, the republic's Ministry of Ecology set the following dates: wild strawberries in the central districts ripened in the second ten days of July, bog bilberries from around July 20, blackcurrants in the north from August 5, and lingonberries after August 20.

In just a month and a half, the northern summer manages to "deliver" almost the whole range of berries.

How Not to Miss Your Berry

Find out the official dates in your region. In many regions, including Karelia, Krasnoyarsk Krai and Yakutia, the authorities set picking dates every year on the advice of scientists. There's no point going before these dates: the berries won't be ripe yet.

Keep an eye on the weather in spring. A warm spring can bring the season forward, as happened with cloudberry flowering in 2026. So dates from previous years are only a rough guide.

Use small containers. Yevgeny Kubarev advises picking berries into small containers so they don't crush each other under their own weight.

Only pick what you know. "Pick the raspberries everyone knows from the bush, wild strawberries from the grass, and bilberries," advises Honoured Rescuer of Russia Alexander Gofshtein. It's best to leave unfamiliar berries in the forest.