Tis the season for berry lovers, and there are plenty of other places around the state to “pick ’em” yourself.

“Y’all need some help? Just yell.”

That’s what you’re sure to hear upon stepping out of the car at Petals from the Past in Jemison. You’d be hard pressed to find a more friendly, knowledgeable and passionate plants man in Alabama than Jason Powell. His nursery and garden center is a must-go any time of year. But now is primetime.

When you pull into the parking lot at “Petals” – as the diehards call it – you know you’ve arrived someplace special. Cars ring the gravel lot from around Alabama, Georgia and as far as Florida. Dogs laze about trying to catch some shade. There’s a buzz of activity in all directions, and this time of year, you are immediately greeted with a blaze of seasonal color.

Petals is set up with display gardens that serve as outdoor classrooms – rows and rows of nearly every plant you would want to grow in your garden, and filling out the 65-acre spread are blackberries, blueberries, grapes and other fruits ready for visitors to harvest throughout the year. The anchoring element is the old barn where you pay and can browse Jason’s curated selection of garden tools, seeds and curiosities. Hundreds of premium plants are laid out to the right of the barn, organized in what look like garden beds. Everything is neatly ordered, allowing one to shop and be inspired at the same time.

Jason Powell, owner of Petals nursery and garden center

Jason comes by his profession naturally. He grew up in Auburn and comes from a family of horticulturists. His father, Dr. Arlie Powell, is a renowned pomologist, or fruit specialist, and educator who retired after working at four land grant universities. Jason and wife, Shelly hold master’s degrees in horticulture from Texas A & M University.

When Jason was drawn back to Alabama from Texas in 1994, he came with Shelly and rose cuttings that had proven to do well in the hot humid south – the genesis of Petals from the Past. In the intervening decades, Petals still offers a wonderful selection of heirloom roses, but has expanded to sell heirloom shrubs, fruit trees and an extraordinary selection of hard-to-find perennials.

June is a particularly good time to visit, for two reasons. The annual Black and Blueberry Festival takes place June 13 – timed to picking season. In addition to gathering a basket of your own berries, there will also be dessert tastings, talks on growing blackberries and blueberries, and fun activities for the kids. Then, on June 27, Petals from the Past holds its annual Greenhouse Sale, where you’ll find special plants at a discounted price. For a complete schedule of programs and in-season fruits ready for harvest, visit their website.

Petals from the Past is only one of many places to pick your own. Here are some other locations around the state to self-harvest your seasonal favorites:

Leavelle’s Berries in Buhl, Tuscaloosa County. 205-339-7723. Known primarily for blueberries. About an hour from the University of Alabama.

McCraw Farms in Maplesville, Chilton County. 334-366-4263. Known for peaches, but also offers plums, nectarines, blackberries and blueberries among other fruits throughout the year.

Little Sweets Strawberry Farm in Dothan. 334-618-8365. As the name implies, this is a prime place to gather strawberries in Southeast Alabama.

Bear Mountain Blueberry Farm in Springville, St. Clair County. 205-681-8656 A great resource for blueberries, about a half hour north of Birmingham.

Betty’s Berry Farm in Wilmer, Mobile County. 251-649-1711. Betty’s has been hosting blueberry U-pickers for more than 21 years.

Ken Buck Farms in Irvington, Mobile County. 251-824-2838 Offering peaches, corn, purple hull peas, pecans and satsumas.