June is the season when all fruits are at their ripest. Want to have fresh
fruit and beautiful scenery at the same time? Picking your own fruit is a great
way to do so. Here we have compiled a list of suburban gardens perfect for
picking. Here they are:
1. Enjoy watermelons at Laosong Watermelon Garden
Situated in Daxing District (on the southern end of Beijing City),
Laosong Watermelon Garden sells brand watermelons with registered trademarks.
Rather than simply a piece of land with watermelons scattered around, Laosong
is a large scale modern garden boasting both open fields and more than 20
greenhouses, complemented with an exhibition hall showcasing fresh from the
Laosong garden.
Watermelons from the greenhouses are all cute, mini ones specially grown for
visitors to appreciate and pick. With one hand holding the watermelon and the
other holding some scissors, all it takes is one click and you have one! While
picking such mini watermelons is not difficult at all, it's pretty hot inside
those green houses. So it is a good idea to drink enough water beforehand and
wear breathable clothing.
Mini watermelons are more expensive than ordinary ones. Jingxiu and Xinxiu
varieties are priced at RMB 30 each. The white ice cream variety weighing around
3 kilos are priced at RMB 35 each. Picking season lasts until October.
How to get there: Take Jingkai Highway to the Panggezhuang Exit. Drive until
Guaxiangqiao and turn to the east. Laosong Watermelon Garden is 2km away.
2. Enjoy Mulberry fruit at Daxing Yulin (imperial wood)
Yulin is the No.1 biggest and archaic garden in the suburbs of Beijing.
Mulberry fruits here are big, fat, sweet and directly edible without washing.
When the Yulin staff picks mulberry fruits, the scene is rather grand.
Several people stand in a tree shaking a branch lightly, while several others
stand under the tree with a huge white blanket to collect the falling fruits.
This is, however, forbidden for visitors.
Mulberry fruits of various colors (representing different stages of
maturation) hiding in the mulberry wood are of all different sizes. Those with a
white wax-like cover are the sweetest.
Mulberry fruits are not easy to keep, so it is best to eat them the same day
they are picked. Picking season lasts until around June 20, due to lower
temperatures. Tickets are RMB 40 per person (For 2 kilos of mulberry fruits).
Yulin garden has beautiful scenery with bridges, pavilions, and creeks. It's
a nice idea to have a picnic under big Mulberry trees. Some visitors even put up
tents. However, Yulin doesn't provide lodging for any visitors, and all must
leave the garden before 6pm.
How to get there: Take the 6th south ring road to the Dahongmen Exit. Head
south along 104 National Way past the town government of Qingyundian. Go south
for 2km until you see the signs. Yulin isn't far away.
