2024 Southeast Colorado Apple U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Apple U-Pick Orchards in Southeast Colorado 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

Otero County

• Hanagan Farms - apples, pumpkins, Christmas trees, honry
  Hwy. 50 & Rd. 24, Swink, CO . Phone: (719) 384-5067. Email: hanaganmargret@hotmail.com. Open: July - October, Daily, from 9 am to 6 pm. Click here for a map and directions.
  Hanagan Farms Facebook page. Directions; Hwy. 50, 1 mile west of Swink. On-farm sales, roadside market: apples, beets, bell peppers, cantaloupe, chile peppers, chiles - roasted, cucumbers, garlic, green beans, honeydew, okra, onions, peaches, pears, pickles, pinto beans, plums, potatoes, pumpkins, squash, sweet corn, tomatoes, watermelon, zucchini, black eyed peas, eggplants, cider, Christmas trees, pumpkin patch, honey, handcrafted gifts. U-pick at the farm. Wholesale and retail(ADDED: May 11, 2010, from the CO Ag website)

Pueblo County

• Heckman Hollow - Minimizes chemical and pesticide use, apples, flowers, pick your own vegetables
  65295 Highway 50, Fowler, CO 81039. Phone: 719-691-5862. Open: daily from 9 am to 5 pm. Directions: We are located approximately 6 miles West of Fowler or approximately 26 miles East Of Pueblo on Highway 50. Turn north 100 yards West of mile marker 345 on a private road. There is a sigh in the neighbors field that says Lusks 12 mile north. Travel North until you cross the railroad track and you will be in our yard. We are located near the River Bottom. You will see a deer fence around the trees when you arrive. We have approximately 1100 trees; The following dates are estimated ripe dates; The - truncated. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check.
  Heckman Hollow Facebook page. We are located approximately 6 miles West of Fowler or approximately 26 miles East Of Pueblo on Highway 50. Turn north 100 yards West of mile marker 345 on a private road. There is a sigh in the neighbors field that says Lusks 1/2 mile north. Travel North until you cross the railroad track and you will be in our yard. We are located near the River Bottom. You will see a deer fence around the trees when you arrive. We have approximately 1100 trees; The following dates are estimated ripe dates; These dates could change with the weather; Always call to see what is available; You can pick fresh flowers and make your own arrangements, right here on the farm! We have everything you need to make gorgeous groupings for any event, wedding bouquets or just a little something to brighten someone's day!Lodi -(Strictly a softer apple for applesauce) July 9; Gala - An all purpose desert apple August 10; McIntosh -All purpose eastern apple September 5 to 10;Jonathan - A firm slightly tart apple that is especially suitable for canning and freezing; September 15 to 20 (By far our biggest seller) Red Delicious - September 28 to 25;Fuji - A firm sweet late apple;(Supply somewhat limited from spring frost);October 10; Granny Smith and Winesap - Good eating and cooking apples October 20; Please Note the estimated dates May change; Also note the current extreme heat and drought conditions can change availability quickly; Always call ahead; We will have very few Yellow Delicious this year as a railroad fire burned some of our Yellow Delicious trees. We minimize use of pesticides and other chemicalsWe are a mom and pop farm U pick family operated orchard. No dog and pony show just apples. . Please bring your own containers. Weigh the containers ahead of picking if you have larger coolers. Call ahead to be sure we can be here. We sometimes have school groups, church groups, home school groups and hungry deer and birds.(ha). The orchard area is contained with in an 8 foot deer fence. Please stay in this area when picking. MULBERRIES AND VEGGIES START IN JUNE. THE CHERRIES RIPEN IN THE BEGINNING OF JULY AND THE LODI, A SUMMER APPLE, START IN THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST. WE HAVE OUR VIRGIN FRUITWOOD FOR SMOKING AND FIREWOOD AVAILABLE ALL YEARHeckman Hollow FacebookInstagramTwitterTiktok (note, sold in 2021, formerly Lusk Orchard) (UPDATED: May 28, 2023, JBS) (UPDATED: January 25, 2023) A visitor writes on October 26, 2021: "Please note that Lusk Orchards (apples) has been sold. New owners are doing a beautiful job of refurbishing the place to their liking. Still selling apples (in season) and friendly as all get out.. I'm sorry I don't have the name of the new owners, but extremely friendly and helpful. They are worth the correction on your webpage."
  Comments from a visitor on March 27, 2009: "I love it. They are friendly, helpful and down home." Note from Blake: they offer competitive prices, so if you can or freeze a bunch of apples or peaches, this is the place to go!.
• Vine Abiding Farms - Minimizes chemical and pesticide use, apples, porta-potties are available
  65295 highway 50, Fowler, CO 81039. Phone: 719-469-4575. Email: vineabidingfarms@gmail.com. Open: Monday to Saturday, from 7 am to 8 pm; Sunday, from 1 pm to 8 pm, August 15 to October 31. Directions: We are located approximately 6 miles West of Fowler or approximately 26 miles East Of Pueblo on Highway 50. Turn north 100 yards West of mile marker 345 on a private road. There is a sign in the neighbors field that says Vine Abiding Farms 12 mile north. Travel North 12 mile until you cross the railroad track and you will be in our yard. We are located near the River Bottom. You will see a deer fence around the trees when you arrive. We have approximately 1100 trees. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check. . Alternate Phone: 719-469-8006 We are located approximately 6 miles West of Fowler or approximately 26 miles East Of Pueblo on Highway 50. Turn north 100 yards West of mile marker 345 on a private road. There is a sign in the neighbors field that says 1/2 mile north. Travel North 1/2 mile until you cross the railroad track and you will be in our yard. We are located near the River Bottom. You will see a deer fence around the trees when you arrive. We have approximately 1100 treesThe following dates are estimated ripe dates; These dates could change with the weather; Always call to see what is available; Lodi-(Strictly a softer apple for applesauce) July 9; Gala- An all purpose desert apple August 10; Mc Intosh-All purpose eastern apple September 5 pm to 10; We have a wonderful Jonathan crop this year! -A firm slightly tart apple that is especially suitable for canning and freezing; September 15 pm to 20(By far our biggest seller) Red Delicious- September 28 to 25;Fuji- A firm sweet late apple;(Supply somewhat limited from spring frost);October 10; Granny Smith and Winesap- (also very limited due to spring frost) Good eating and cooking apples October 20; Please Note the estimated dates May change; Please call ahead. We minimize use of pesticides and other chemicals

 

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:

• Summary table of many apple varieties and their characteristics
• Detailed descriptions of each apple variety with detailed characteristics
• Apple varieties, sorted by the order in which they typically ripe
• Apple varieties that don't turn brown when they are cut
• Why are some apples brown or spotted inside when you first cut them open?

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

• How to make applesauce
• How to make apple butter 
• How to make apple jelly
• How to make apple pie filling (canned)
• How to can apples
• Home canned apple juice

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)

Using fresh apples and miscellaneous

• How to stop cut apples from browning
• Apple festivals - find one near you!
• Apple facts
• Apple seeds and cyanide

 

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children"s consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers