Fruit picking is seasonal work. Sometimes there is no work. Other times there is a lot of work and farmers are crying out for pickers offering lucrative pay, accommodation, and other benefits. This makes fruit picking the ideal way for backpackers to fund their travel.

Fruit Picking in New Zealand

New Zealand offers year-round agricultural work in breath taking outdoor scenery. Work ranges from farm to vineyards to orchards; depending on the season.

Pickers are either paid per hour or per piece of fruit. At $28-30 per bin skilled workers can pick up to five bins per day, earning over $120 a day. Pickers have to work laboriously from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. to earn this.

Travelers can get a 12 month extension on their holiday visa if they are employed by an orchard. The North Island tends to get better weather than the South Island so itis a considered a more attractive part of New Zealand to pick fruit.

Fruit Picking in Australia

Fruit pickers can earn up to $200 daily. Although higher wages can be earned in iron ore mines, fruit picking gives you flexibility about when and how long you work.

As long as you aren’t worried about getting your hands dirty, finding work in fruit picking and farm work in Australia is easy. Australian farmers are desperate for hard workers around harvest time because a sizable crop is useless to them if they can’t get it picked.

Finding fruit picking work in Australia is a matter of knowing what fruit ripens when and where. Southern Parts of Australia have been struggling with a severe drought, making these areas difficult for finding work.

The weather is hotter and more unpredictable in Australia than it is in New Zealand. Australia also has pests such as poisonous snakes and scorpions which aren’t found in New Zealand.

Fruit Picking in Canada

Canadian orchards offer work for novice and skilled workers picking a diverse range of crops; from apples to plums to cherries to strawberries to loganberries. Harvesting, planting, and post production work is available throughout Canada.

Travelers can apply for the BUNAC’s ‘Work Canada’ program. This permits travelers to live and work in Canada as long as they have funds of CAN$1000; less is required if they can prove they will have a job before arriving to Canada. EU nationals can obtain a six month tourist visa and permission to work through the Canadian High Commission.

Fruit picking in America

Despite paying above minimum wage at $9.50 an hour; most American’s don’t want to do fruit picking. This leaves plenty of work for travelers to pick tangerines, grapefruits, and oranges.

Many orchards don’t bother advertising positions until they are desperate for workers because they get enough direct applications. The best way to find work is to find out what is in season then apply directly to orchards. There is also a harvest trail hotline.

The majority of fruit picking work is paid per piece rate. Pickers start work at 6 a.m. and would have to work hard 10-12 hour days to earn $90-120 before tax.

Fruit picking is exhausting labor, working long hard hours, for little pay; making it difficult for travelers to save much money. Although, there is usually plenty of work available and once you become more competent the pay increases.

Written by Jamie Z.
Jamie is a gardening enthusiast who loves to work with clients on their backyard facelift project ranging from designing herb garden to garden maintenance. His dad and his brother build pool fencing in Brisbane homes. Like most other Aussies, Jamie loves to spend his weekends in the backyard with his beautiful wife, three boys and a golden retriever.