When Is Apple Picking Season in New Hampshire?
Apple picking in New Hampshire runs mostly from Labor Day weekend into October: nine of the 16 orchards here open in early September, and eleven finish in mid or late October. The edges stretch further. Applecrest Farm Orchards in Hampton Falls opens in mid-August, while Stone Mountain Farm in Belmont and Currier Orchards in Merrimack keep picking until Thanksgiving.
Because most windows overlap, orchards differ more in what grows in their rows than in their dates. Gould Hill Farm in Contoocook grows over 100 varieties and Stone Mountain more than 45, while Smith Orchard in Belmont has seven and Patch Orchards in Lebanon ten. Poverty Lane Orchards, also in Lebanon, lets the public pick bittersweet and bittersharp cider apples that almost nobody else in New England does.
Our picks
- Picking before Labor Day: Applecrest Farm Orchards. Opens for apples in mid-August, the earliest start on the list, and picks through the end of October.
- Still picking in November: Stone Mountain Farm. Picking runs from September 1st through Thanksgiving, with more than 45 varieties in the rows.
At a glance
| Option | Address | Picking Season | Picking Starts | Picking Ends | Apple Varieties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, NH 03844source | Mid-August through the end of Octobersource | Mid-Augustsource | Late Octobersource | 40source | |
| 195 Meaderboro Road, Farmington, NH 03835source | Late August through early Novembersource | Late Augustsource | Early Novembersource | 20source | |
| 71 Northeast Pond Road, Milton, NH 03851source | Late August through Octobersource | Late Augustsource | Late Octobersource | 25source | |
| 580 Mountain Road, Concord, NH 03301source | Late August to mid-Octobersource | Late Augustsource | Mid-Octobersource | 28source | |
| 40 Patch Road, Lebanon, NH 03766source | End of August until mid-to-late Octobersource | Late Augustsource | Late Octobersource | 10source | |
| 141 River Road, Plainfield, NH 03781source | Open August to Octobersource | Late Octobersource | 14source | ||
| 73 Carter Hill Road, Concord, NH 03303source | Around Labor Day weekend through Columbus Day weekendsource | Early Septembersource | Mid-Octobersource | ||
| 656 Gould Hill Road, Contoocook, NH 03229source | Labor Day weekend to Columbus Daysource | Early Septembersource | Mid-Octobersource | 100source | |
| 9 Peaslee Road, Merrimack, NH 03054source | Labor Day until Thanksgivingsource | Early Septembersource | Thanksgivingsource | ||
| 280 Derry Road, Chester, NH 03036source | Labor Day weekend to Columbus Daysource | Early Septembersource | Mid-Octobersource | 12source | |
| 66 Rowell Road East, Brentwood, NH 03833source | Pick your own opens September 12, 2026source | Mid-Septembersource | |||
| 522 Laconia Road, Belmont, NH 03220source | September 1st through Thanksgivingsource | Early Septembersource | Thanksgivingsource | 45source | |
| 184 Leavitt Road, Belmont, NH 03220source | Open September to Octobersource | Early Septembersource | Late Octobersource | 7source | |
| 1540 Mount Cardigan Road, Alexandria, NH 03222source | Open for pick-your-own beginning in Septembersource | Early Septembersource | 15source | ||
| 98 Poverty Lane, Lebanon, NH 03766source | Open September to Octobersource | Early Septembersource | Late Octobersource | ||
| 834 Dunbar Hill Road, Grantham, NH 03753source | Pick-your-own apples September to Octobersource | Early Septembersource | Late Octobersource |
Which New Hampshire orchards open in August
Six orchards pick in August. Applecrest starts in mid-August, and Butternut Farm in Farmington, McKenzie's Farm in Milton, Apple Hill Farm in Concord and Patch Orchards open in late August. Riverview Farm in Plainfield says only that it is open August to October, but its ripening calendar begins with Paula Red and Zestar in August.
An August visit means the early varieties. Riverview's calendar runs from those August apples to Cortland, Honeycrisp and Macoun in the middle of October, and Apple Hill marks only part of its 28 varieties as pick-your-own, so the apple you want may be in the farmstand rather than on a tree. Carter Hill Orchard sums up the state as a whole: its own variety page says the season typically runs from mid-August to mid-October.
Where you can still pick after Columbus Day
Four orchards close in mid-October: Carter Hill, Gould Hill and Hazelton Orchards in Chester (all Labor Day weekend to Columbus Day), plus Apple Hill. Seven more run to late October. For a November trip the list is short: Butternut Farm picks into early November, and Stone Mountain and Currier go to Thanksgiving, which makes Currier one of the few places in the southern half of the state still picking that late.
Dates and crops particular to 2026
A few orchards give dates for 2026 itself. Apple Annie in Brentwood opens pick-your-own on September 12, 2026, the latest start here. Poverty Lane and King Blossom Farm in Grantham both opened on 5 September 2026. King Blossom calls its crop decent and expects to sell out, so it rewards an early visit. Poverty Lane reports a smaller crop than last year, which means more walking between trees, and its farm stand runs as an honesty box on Thursdays and Fridays.
The options in detail
Applecrest Farm Orchards
A fourth-generation farm on 220 acres just off Route 88 in Hampton Falls, and the one that calls itself the largest apple orchard in New Hampshire. It opens for apples in the middle of August, earlier than anywhere else here, and keeps going to the end of October, so it is the answer if you want to pick before Labor Day. Picking is sold by the peck and the half bushel; the farm dropped picking by the pound for the 2026 season. A farm market, scratch bakery and creamery are all on the same site, so there is plenty to do besides pick.
Butternut Farm
A Strafford County farm with seven acres of pick-your-own orchard and the longest apple season of any orchard here: late August right through to early November. That late finish matters if you are travelling in the first week of November, when most New Hampshire orchards have closed their rows. There is a hard cider tasting room on site, and the same farm runs pick-your-own strawberries, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches and pumpkins across the rest of the year. The farm posts daily picking conditions on a phone info line, which is worth calling before a long drive.
McKenzie's Farm
A family u-pick farm in Milton, at the top of the Lakes Region near the Maine line, that opens its apple rows in late August and picks through October. Apples are sold by the bag at posted prices, and a free tractor hayride around the orchard runs during apple season. Alongside apples it grows pick-your-own strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, tomatoes, flowers and pumpkins, so a September visit can be more than one crop. Dogs are not allowed in the picking areas.
Apple Hill Farm
A Concord farm that started its pick-your-own operation in 1995 and publishes an unusually clear crop calendar: apples from late August to mid-October, with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and black currants filling the earlier months. It grows 28 varieties including some uncommon ones, and only part of the list is marked pick-your-own, so the variety you want may be in the farmstand rather than on a tree. The farmstand is open seven days a week from July until the day before Thanksgiving and has an on-site bakery making pies and jellies from scratch.
Patch Orchards
An Upper Valley orchard owned and worked by the same family since 1775, up at the top of Churchill Way in Lebanon. Picking runs from the end of August to the middle or end of October, one of the longer windows on this list, and the varieties include Honeycrisp, Kindercrisp, Fuji, Gala, McIntosh, Cortland, Paula Red, Empire and Macoun. The farm stand is open daily from August through November with cider donuts, maple ice cream and its own sweet and hard cider, and there is a corn maze and a pumpkin patch in the fall. Note the mailing address and the GPS address differ: the farm gives 88 Churchill Way for satnavs.
Riverview Farm
A hillside farm above the Connecticut River in Plainfield with 14 apple varieties across more than 2,000 trees, and a published ripening calendar that runs from Paula Red and Zestar in August to Cortland, Honeycrisp and Macoun through the middle of October. The farm is open August to October and closed Mondays and Tuesdays, which catches people out. Besides apples there are late blueberries and raspberries, pumpkins, a themed corn maze and a barn store selling the farm's own cider, including make-your-own hard cider kits.
Carter Hill Orchard
A Concord orchard that calls itself New Hampshire's neighborhood apple orchard, with a picking window built around the two holidays most people plan around: Labor Day weekend to Columbus Day. It is one of the rare New England orchards that also grows peaches, and it publishes a variety-by-variety calendar so you can time a visit to a specific apple. The bakery is the other draw, with cider donuts, pies and whoopie pies, though the farm suggests calling ahead to check the donuts have not sold out. Apples are bought as pick-your-own bags at the white building before you head into the rows.
Gould Hill Farm
A hilltop orchard in Contoocook with an 80-mile view and, at over 100 varieties, by far the deepest apple list of any orchard here. Picking typically runs from Labor Day weekend to Columbus Day, and is sold by the bag in quarter peck, half peck, peck and half bushel sizes. The trees are dwarf and semi-dwarf, so picking involves no climbing. The 1810 post-and-beam barn holds a store and bakery, and Contoocook Cider's tasting room and restaurant is on the same site, open weekends with live music. One thing to watch: picking closes at 5pm, half an hour before the store does.
Currier Orchards
A small family-run u-pick orchard in Merrimack that runs one of the longest seasons in southern New Hampshire, from Labor Day all the way to Thanksgiving. That makes it one of the few places in the southern half of the state still picking in November. Alongside apples it sells pumpkins, local honey, jellies, homemade pickles, pumpkin bread, fresh cider and you-bake apple pies. It has no website, so its listing with the state's fruit growers association is the best place to check details before you go.
Hazelton Orchards
A Chester family orchard growing apples on the same ground since 1898, with some trees over a century old and still bearing. The u-pick orchard runs Labor Day weekend to Columbus Day and has twelve varieties. One thing to know before you drive: the farm stand and the picking orchard are at different addresses. The stand is at 280 Derry Road and the orchard entrance is at 20 Harantis Lake Road, and on weekdays you buy your picking bags at the Derry Road stand first. Peaches, which the farm is known for, are sold picked at the stand rather than picked by you.
Apple Annie
The latest opener on this list, and a deliberately small one: a quiet Brentwood orchard off the beaten path that describes itself as a friendly place for a family outing rather than a fall attraction. Both the farm store and pick-your-own open on 12 September in 2026, so it is the wrong choice for an early-September trip and a good one once the main-season varieties are ready. It grows low-spray apples and sells cider donuts, apple baked goods, fall vegetables and flowers, and jams and jellies made from its own produce. Check the opening date before travelling, since it is set fresh each year.
Stone Mountain Farm
A Lakes Region farm on Route 106 in Belmont whose high-density orchard opens on 1 September and keeps picking all the way to Thanksgiving, the longest run of any orchard here. More than 45 varieties grow in the pick-your-own rows, the second deepest list on this page. The farm stand alongside sells pumpkins, gourds, squash, tomatoes, hot cider donuts, maple syrup and local honey, and it is open every day of the season, 10am to 6pm. If you are looking for somewhere still picking in November, this and Currier Orchards are the two.
Smith Orchard
A small, locally owned orchard in Belmont's Lakes Region with just seven apple varieties, open through September and October. It picks for customers who would rather not, but says most people come for the picking itself. Organic blueberries grow here too, and the farm makes its own cider, cider donuts at weekends, apple crisp mix, and jams and jellies sold in a gift shop. Its own site lists hours seven days a week, 9am to 5pm, while its growers-association listing says Tuesday to Sunday, so it is worth a call before a weekday visit.
Cardigan Mountain Orchard
The most northerly orchard on this list, on rolling hills below Mount Cardigan in Alexandria, and the one with the mountain views. It opens for pick-your-own in September and grows around 15 varieties across more than a thousand trees, many of them planted in the 1930s and still producing. A country store sells pie, jam and apple butter when it is open, and there is a barbecue restaurant on site for food to take away. The orchard does not publish a closing date, so call ahead late in the season.
Poverty Lane Orchards
Better known to cider drinkers as the home of Farnum Hill Ciders, this Lebanon orchard grows Uncommon Apples, the bittersweet and bittersharp cider varieties almost nobody else in New England lets the public pick. Pick-your-own opened on 5 September in 2026 and runs through October. The crop is smaller than last year but the fruit is good, which the orchard warns means more walking between trees than usual. The farm stand is deliberately pared back this season: pick-your-own and sweet cider only on Thursdays and Fridays on an honesty-box basis, with Farnum Hill ciders available at weekends when staff are on site.
King Blossom Farm
A small heirloom-apple farm in Grantham, in the Dartmouth-Lake Sunapee hills, whose pick-your-own opened on 5 September in 2026 and runs into October. It is candid about scale: the farm says it has a decent crop this year and expects to sell out, so this is one to visit early in the season rather than late. The farm stand sells the farm's own preserves under the Heirloom Gourmet name along with honey, syrups, dried herbs and vegetables. Pick-your-own raspberries run earlier in the summer and are finished by apple season.
How we researched this
The candidate list is the NH Fruit Growers Association member directory, the state's register of commercial orchards, which tags 42 as pick-your-own; two of those, in Acton, Maine and Pepperell, Massachusetts, are outside the state. The cut from there was a stated window for picking apples. Alyson's Apple Orchard in Walpole and Brookdale Fruit Farm in Hollis were left out for that reason, and so was DeMeritt Hill Farm, whose listed August to November dates cover the whole farm season rather than the apples. Windy Ridge Orchard in North Haverhill had no apple dates and two conflicting street numbers, which leaves Cardigan Mountain Orchard in Alexandria as the most northerly pin.
Eleven season windows come from the orchard's own site and five from its growers-association listing; where the two disagreed, as on Hazelton's and Riverview's variety counts, the farm's own figure is used. An empty cell is a number or date the orchard never gave. Prices are not compared here, because of all these orchards only Applecrest and McKenzie's publish what pick-your-own costs. Most of these orchards say their dates depend on the weather, and several ask you to call on the day, so check before a long drive.