The Roanoke Area and surrounding Western Virginia Apple U-Pick Orchards in !

Find a local pick your own farm here!

Apple U-Pick Orchards in The Roanoke Area and surrounding Western Virginia in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for apples that we know of in this area.

Not all areas of a state have apples orchards that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!

Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!

PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.

New! As inflation remains high, see this page for reliable (tested) brands of generic canning lids at lower costs, and cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

New! Road tripping and camping is a great way to have a fun, safe and inexpensive family trip. The national and state parks and monuments are open, and campgrounds usually cost between $10 and $40 per night. September to November is the best camping weather. See our new website Road Tripping and Camping.com for tips, tricks, guides, checklists and info about parks, monuments and other places to visit.

New! We just went live with our latest website, FunFactoryTours.com - As they name implies, you can find a fun factory tour, including chocolate, automobiles, historical forts and sites, famous buildings, Active Federal facilities even fun geology: like fossils and volcanic areas

Bedford County

A J. Gross and Sons - apples, blackberries, nectarines, peaches,
6817 Wheats Valley Road, Bedford, VA 24523. Phone: 540 586 2436. Email: gross.orchards@gmail.com. Open: Monday through Saturday 8 am to 6 pm. Directions: from downtown Bedford take route 43 north right on jopling road left on Wheats Valley Road Orchards will be on left. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AmEx.
A J. Gross and Sons Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: 540-874-4749 Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesmid June thru mid September peaches are available; apples available mid August thru November first for pick your own and harvested apples are available year-round. The apple festival is the 3rd Saturday in October. Apple valley 5-k on the 1st. Saturday in November. Apple blossom festival is the 2nd.Saturday in April. Peach festival on the 4th Saturday in July. Gross' Orchard is a family owned and operated orchard which has been in business since before the turn of the century. Our specialties are mountain grown peaches and apples. Fall apples -- beginning September 1st. You also have the privilege to participate in our pick your own program. Peaches June 15 - September 10. Also Produce, Summer Apples June 15 - August 31, Fall Apples Starting September 1, Tours Welcome Year Round - Just Call For An appointment, Jams & Jellies with Sugar and Without; Country Ham and Bacon, Apple Cider Apple Harvest Festival -3rd Sat. in October (UPDATED: September 26, 2019)
Comments from a visitor on September 01, 2009: "Extremely well organized. Very, very friendly. Lots of produce, jellies, jams, etc. Highly recommended."
Appleseed Country - Johnson's Orchards and Peaks of Otter Winery - Johnson\'s Orchards and Peaks of Otter Winery - Pick-your-own or fresh-picked apples, peaches, nectarines, and plums.
2122 Sheep Creek Road, Route 680, Bedford, VA 24523. Phone: (540) 586-3707. Email: appleseed@earthlink.net. Open: Weekends 12 pm to 5pm January-March Daily-Noon to 5pm April-December Fruit - August - October. Directions: Take Route 460 1 mile west of Bedford. Turn right on Route 680 north for 5.5 miles. Follow the \yellow apples. From the Peaks of Otter and Blue Ridge Parkway. Click here for a map and directions.
Appleseed Country - Johnson's Orchards and Peaks of Otter Winery Facebook page. turn right on Route 680 for 1 mile. Follow the yellow apples. A drive to our farm is spectacular anytime but especially in the fall when the leaves start turning. You can taste our apples
Kennedy's Orchards - apples
1272 Kennedy Ridge Road, Bedford, VA 24523. Phone: 540 297-4931. Open: Monday through Saturday from 9am to 5 pm; Orchard is open from September until apples are gone. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Pick your own .

Giles County

Doe Creek Farm - apples, winery, restrooms, picnic area, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties
412 Doe Creek Farm Road, Pembroke, VA 24136. Phone: 540-922-2705. Email: doecreekfarm@gmail.com. Open: See our website for current hours. Directions: From Blacksburg, follow Route 460 West to Hoges Chapel. Turn right on Route 613 $Doe Creek Road$. Go 1.6 miles, and turn right on Doe Creek Farm Road. Follow farm driveway to the end. From Pearisburg, follow Route 460 East to Hoges Chapel. Turn left on Route 613 $Doe Creek Road$. Go 1.6 miles, and turn right on Doe Creek Farm Road. Follow farm driveway to the end. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . Alternate Phone: 540-293-4521 Picking updates: Click here for picking updatesFrom Blacksburg, follow Route 460 West to Hoges Chapel. Turn right on Route 613 (Doe Creek Road). Go 1.6 miles, and turn right on Road. Follow farm driveway to the end. From Pearisburg, follow Route 460 East to Hoges Chapel. Turn left on Route 613 (Doe Creek Road). Go 1.6 miles, and turn right on Road. Follow farm driveway to the end has been transformed from a large commercial orchard to a pick-your-own apple orchard. Our dwarf trees make picking easy for guests of all sizes. Bring your family and friends out for apple picking and cider and wine sampling late August through October. We are partnered with our family's winery, Altillo Vineyards and Winery, to offer you award-winning Virginia wines. We have wine (samples, glasses and bottles) for sale on Sundays from 12pm to 5pm during apple season in the barrel house (beneath the packinghouse). Come out and enjoy a glass of wine in our new barrel house, connected to the lower patio.

Halifax County

Giant Oaks Farm and Orchard, Bed & Breakfast - Uses natural growing practices, apples, apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, Muscadines, grapes, pears, raspberries (Autumn, red), raspberries (Autumn, black), strawberries, walnuts, Turkeys (organic, not-hormone-fed), Honey from hives on the farm, Fresh eggs, Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), gift shop, snacks and refreshment stand, restrooms, picnic area, petting zoo, farm animals, birthday parties, weddings and wedding parties, school tours
3035 Neals Corner Road, Clover, VA 24534. Phone: 850-691-9661. Email: ericakay55@hotmail.com. Click here for a map and directions. . Alternate Phone: 804-712-1738 . UPDATE for 2019, Their website is gone; Does anyone have current information, are they still offering pick your own or are even open? If so, please write me

Patrick County

Levering Orchard - cherries, peaches, apples
163 Levering Lane, Ararat, VA 24053. Phone: 276-755-4837. Email: franklevering1@gmail.com. Open: Always Call ahead for availability Cherries start in mid-to late May, peaches in July; See this page for picking updates. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions.
Levering Orchard Facebook page. . Packhouse Phone: 276-755-3593 Click here for directions. Our specialty is PICK-YOUR-OWN-FUN for the whole family, so, if possible, bring pickers with you if you don't want to do your own picking! Typical dates are: Early sweet cherries available starting Thursday, June 1stMid-Late Season Sweet Cherries from June 15 til long as they last (July?)Sour/Tart (pie) Cherries (ESTIMATED) June 14 (MAYBE SOONER!)Freestone Peaches July 29 (MAYBE July 22)Many summer apple varieties available from July 29th til September 3rd Fall apples (ESTIMATED) September 15 til Thanksgiving. (UPDATED: May 07, 2018, JBS)
Comments from a visitor on August 01, 2010: "Wonderful orchard in a beautiful location! My daughters and I picked buckets of peaches here and had a great time. And they were very affordable, 39 cents per pound!!"
Windy Hill Orchards - Uses integrated pest management practices, apples, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, Muscadines, grapes, nectarines, peaches, raspberries (red), Cider mill (fresh apple cider made on the premises), restrooms, picnic area you may bring your own food, school tours, group reservations
176 Windy Hill Lane, Ararat, VA 24053. Phone: 276-251-5222. Email: debbe@windyhillorchards.com. Open: Spring & Summer hours: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10am to 5pm; Closed Sunday and Monday: Tuesday and Wednesday by appointment. Directions: . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Debit cards, PayPal.
Windy Hill Orchards Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: 276-692-8157 We use integrated pest management practicesTypical dates: Blueberries - Due May 30th; Peaches - Due the 3rd week of June. Blackberries - Due in July. Grapes - First grapes due in July. Apples - Gala's due in Aug..We have a beautiful crop of apples this year. We have raw cider at the shed for purchase. We also have raw cider vinegar available. Virginia facebook page. . (UPDATED: September 24, 2023)

Apple

Apple Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

Apples ripen from the outside of the tree towards the center, so the apples out the outside of the tree will ripen first. Once they are picked, they stop ripening. Picking apples directly from a tree is easy. Roll the apple upwards off the branch and give a little twist; don't pull straight away from the tree. If two apples are joined together at the top, both will come away at the same time. Don't shake the trees or branches. If the apple you are trying to pick drops, (or others on the tree) go ahead and pick it up. They're perfectly fine! But do wash them before you eat them! More info: How to tell when apples are ripe

Once picked, don't throw the apples into the baskets, place them in gently, or they will bruise and go bad more quickly.
Don't wash apples until just before using to prevent spoilage.
For an explanation of why apple slices turn brown and how to stop it, see this page!
Keep apples cool after picking to increase shelf life. A cool basement is ideal, but the fruit/vegetable drawer of a refrigerator will work, too. A refrigerator is fine for small quantities of apples. Boxed apples need to be kept in a cool, dark spot where they won't freeze. Freezing ruptures all of an apple's cells, turning it into one large bruise overnight. The usual solution is to store apples in a root cellar. But root cellars often have potatoes in them: apples and potatoes should never be stored in the same room because, as they age, potatoes release an otherwise ethylene gas, which makes apples spoil faster. If you can keep the gas away from your apples, they will keep just fine. Just don't store them right next to potatoes.
Prevent contact between apples stored for the winter by wrapping them individually in sheets of newspaper. The easiest way to do this is to unfold a section of newspaper all the way and tear it into quarters. Then stack the wrapped apples. See more here: How to store apples at home
Apples don't improve or "ripen" after being picked - this is an urban myth - see this page for the truth - with references!

Which apple variety is best?

There are tens of thousands of varieties of apples, developed over centuries. They vary in sugar, acoidity, flavors, storing, crispness and many other attributes. See our guides to apple varieties:

Canning apples - fully illustrated, with step-by-step instructions

New!As inflation remains high, see this page for reliable (tested) brands of generic canning lids at lower costs, and cost-saving measures for getting fruit and vegetables and home canning.
If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days.

Recipes, illustrated with step by step instructions

Apple pie recipe and directions and illustrated! I can say, with, ahem, no bias at all, that this is the best apple pie recipe in the world! (Alright, I did have an apple strudel in Vienna once at that place listed in Fodors that was REALLY good, but that wasn't a pie, was it? And since this was the recipe my grandmother used, it must be great!)
How to make applesauce for a single meal (not canning it) with NO special equipment
Apple cobbler
Apple crunch - best of all! Moist, low sugar and using oats!
Apple crisp - ever-popular, low sugar and using oats!
Apple, blackberry, cherry, and/or peach cobbler
Apple-blackberry, crumble - a English favorite (or favourite)

2024 The Roanoke Area and surrounding Western Virginia Apple U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Find a pick-your-own farm near you! Then learn to can and freeze! Since 2002! We update continuously; Beware the copycat websites!