Discover the orchards in Kentucky where you can pick your own apples, plus what varieties to look for and why it pays to check before you go.
If you’re waiting for cool October weather to go apple picking, you may be too late.
Kentucky’s apples already tend to ripen earlier than those in northern growing states. This year, the season is running even earlier.
“The 2026 season has been exceptionally early, even by Kentucky standards,” says Brent Arnoldussen, assistant extension professor and state extension specialist for commercial fruit production at the University of Kentucky. “Visitors should not assume that a favorite variety will be available on the same dates as in previous years.”
That means some popular varieties may be gone before the leaves start changing.
Apples generally ripen first in warmer parts of western and southern Kentucky, then in central Kentucky. Higher elevations in eastern Kentucky can run a little later. Weather and conditions at individual farms can change that pattern from year to year.
This fall, some U-pick windows may be especially short. Evans Orchard in Georgetown expects to offer U-pick apples only during its Sept. 12-13 Apple Festival weekend. Reid’s Orchard in Owensboro lists U-pick through Sept. 13, with later picking depending on how much fruit remains.
Before leaving home, check the orchard’s website or social media page, or call to make sure U-pick is open that day. Varieties, picking hours, and prices can change with the harvest.
Here are six orchards in Kentucky where you can pick apples this fall.
1. Eckert’s Versailles Orchard: Start picking now
Location: 1396 Pinckard Pike, Versailles, Woodford County
U-pick: Open for the 2026 season
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Picking hours may end earlier depending on heat, weather, and crop conditions.
Price: Field and playground access costs $7 (Tues-Thurs) and $10 (Fri-Sun) online or $12 and $15 at the gate. U-pick apples cost $2.99 per pound, and package deals are available.
Apple season has already started at Eckert’s Versailles Orchard.
In early September, the orchard was offering Crimson Crisp, Jonathan, and Pixie Crunch apples for U-pick. The lineup changes as varieties ripen, and Eckert’s posts current picking hours and availability online.
A wagon takes visitors into the orchard. The farm also has a country store, bakery, playground, and food concessions. Weekend live music runs through September and October, and pumpkin season usually begins in mid-September.
The bakery sells cider doughnuts, apple pies, hand pies, caramel apples, and other fall treats.
2. Evans Orchard & Cider Mill: Plan for Sept. 12-13
Location: 1783 Newtown Pike, Georgetown, Scott County
U-pick: Sept. 12-13; the farm says it likely will not offer U-pick after that weekend.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday; closed Monday.
Price: No general admission fee to enter the U-pick area; $14 for a ½-peck bag (holds about 5 pounds of apples). Playground, corn maze, hayride, and other activities cost extra.
If Evans Orchard is on your fall list, don’t wait too long.
The Georgetown farm says extreme heat and heavy rain made 2026 a difficult growing season. The orchard expects to offer U-pick apples during Apple Festival weekend, Sept. 12-13, and may not have enough fruit to continue afterward.
Evans grows 23 apple varieties and presses cider at the farm. Already-picked apples will continue to appear in the market as different varieties ripen, even after U-pick ends.
The farm also has a play area, cafe, market, and seasonal events. For apple picking, though, Sept. 12-13 is the weekend to watch.
3. Reed Valley Orchard: Try something you’ve never seen at the grocery store
Location: 239 Lail Lane, Paris, Bourbon County
U-pick: Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on U-pick days
Price: No admission fee; $1.59 per pound for U-pick apples
If you want to come home with something besides apples you’ll find in the supermarket, come here.
Reed Valley Orchard’s 2026 harvest calendar includes a long list of familiar and lesser-known varieties.
Around mid-September, the apple selection is expected to include Pixie Crunch, Grimes Golden, Jonagold, Sweet Zinger, Golden Russet, Hidden Rose, Ludacrisp, Rosalee, Winesap, and Mutsu.
Later in the season, the list can include EverCrisp, Fuji, Arkansas Black, Pink Lady, and GoldRush.
Some of those newer names come from the Midwest Apple Improvement Association, or MAIA, a grower-led breeding cooperative that develops apples suited to growing conditions in the Midwest and surrounding regions.
MAIA’s best-known release is EverCrisp, a Fuji-Honeycrisp cross. Other releases include Ludacrisp, Rosalee, and Sweet Zinger.
Arnoldussen says orchard visitors should not overlook unfamiliar varieties. Honeycrisp, for example, can be challenging to grow consistently in Kentucky’s warmer conditions, while other varieties may be better suited to individual farms.
“Those lesser-known apples are often one of the most interesting reasons to visit a local orchard,” he says.
Stepping Stone Farm now operates Reed Valley Orchard, but regular U-pick apples are at Reed Valley, 239 Lail Lane. Stepping Stone’s market and playground are at 1674 Cynthiana Road, where it sells already-picked apples seasonally.
4. McGlasson Farms: Pick apples along the Ohio River
Location: 5832 River Road, Hebron, Boone County
U-pick: Open for the 2026 season
Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Price: $30 per half-bushel when U-pick opened Aug. 21
At McGlasson Farms, apple season started in August.
The sixth-generation farm opened its U-pick orchard Aug. 21. Two days later, it was already reporting Honeycrisp, Golden Supreme, Jonathan, Cortland, McIntosh, Gala, Early Blaze, Zestar, and Wolf River apples at the farm stand.
The farm sits along River Road in Northern Kentucky, not far from the Ohio River. The McGlasson family has farmed here since the late 1800s, and the roadside market operates seasonally from May through November.
Its roadside market adds pumpkins, cider, caramel apples, gourds, produce, and other seasonal items as fall moves along.
Because the U-pick season started Aug. 21, call or check the farm’s latest social media update before driving out for a specific variety.
5. Reid’s Orchard: Catch the western Kentucky season early
Location: 4818 State Route 144, Owensboro, Daviess County
U-pick: The primary U-pick window runs through Sept. 13
Store hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Price: U-pick apples start at $15 for a ½ peck bag. Playground, train, and other activities cost extra.
Reid’s Orchard has been part of the Owensboro landscape since 1873.
That year, Allan Reid came to Kentucky from Scotland and developed an interest in growing peaches and apples. More than 150 years later, the family farm still grows both, along with strawberries, vegetables, and pumpkins.
The orchard’s U-pick apples run through Sept. 13 this year. After that, the farm asks visitors to call to see whether enough fruit will remain for picking.
September and October bring apples, pumpkins, and mums to the farm, while the Apple House sells fresh produce, cider, breads, fudge, jams, and jellies.
Families can also visit Reidland, the orchard’s fall play area, which includes a corn maze, soybean maze, barnyard animals, slides, games, and other activities. It is open through Nov. 7.
If apples are the main reason for the trip, call first for availability. This year’s picking window may not last long.
6. Mulberry Orchard: Save this one for later in September
Location: 1330 Mulberry Pike, Shelbyville, Shelby County
U-pick: Expected to begin around Sept. 19, depending on weather
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday
Price: Fall daily admission is $10 per person (ages 3 and up), which covers the playground, wagon rides, and entry to the U-pick areas. Fruit prices are based on volume.
While some Kentucky orchards are already well into the season, Mulberry Orchard expects its U-pick apples to start later in September.
The Shelbyville farm is targeting around Sept. 19, although weather and crop conditions can change the date.
Mulberry grows more than 20 apple varieties, with different kinds ripening as the season moves along.
The family-owned farm also has a market, a kitchen serving lunch, and a fall activity area. Its location between Louisville and Lexington makes it an easy day trip from either city.
Check with the farm before visiting to confirm that U-pick has started and see which varieties are ready.
Kentucky’s apple season starts earlier than you may think
Kentucky does not follow the same apple calendar as Michigan, New York, or New England.
By October, some Kentucky varieties have already been ripe for weeks.
Gala and Honeycrisp commonly ripen in August. Jonathan, Golden Delicious, and Red Delicious usually follow from late August into September.
September and early October can bring Jonagold, Mutsu or Crispin, Fuji, Winesap, and EverCrisp. Later apples such as Arkansas Black, Pink Lady, and GoldRush can extend the season farther into October.
Those dates are only a guide. Location, weather, the specific variety, and conditions at each orchard all affect when an apple is ready.
Before you go
Apple varieties can change quickly, especially in a season like this one.
Arnoldussen’s advice:
- Check the orchard’s current updates immediately before visiting. A variety on a general harvest calendar may have ripened early or sold out.
- Confirm that the farm is offering U-pick that day rather than only selling already-picked apples.
- Ask which varieties are at their best. Orchard staff can help match apples to eating, baking, applesauce, or storage.
- Try an unfamiliar variety. Local orchards may grow apples that rarely appear in conventional grocery stores.
- Follow farm rules and pick only from rows and varieties marked as open. Apples can look ready before they are fully ripe.
Most of all, don’t wait for sweater weather; Kentucky’s apple season is already here.
