Peach-picking season is upon us—it typically runs from July to September—and there are several area places where you can spend a day harvesting the fuzzy fruit. Weather and picking patterns can impact whether an orchard is open for pick-your-own days, so check a farm’s website for the most up-to-date information.
Baugher’s Orchard
1015 Baugher Rd., Westminster, MD
Distance from DC: About 70 miles.
Hours: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9 AM to 5 PM.
Prices: TBA.
This family-owned orchard hasn’t started its peach-picking season yet, but it’s planned to kick off in mid-July. Field helpers will show you how and where to pick, and there are wagon rides into the fields. Bonus—especially if you have little kids— there are portable bathrooms in the fields. After picking, check out the small petting zoo with lambs, goats, and turkeys.
Great Country Farms
34345 Snickersville Tpke., Bluemont, VA
Distance from DC: About 60 miles.
Hours: 10 AM to 5 PM daily (Peach picking ends at 4).
Prices: $1.99 per pound, plus an admission ticket ($10 for children, $12 for adults online; $2 more if you buy them at the gate).
Take a wagon to the orchards and get tips from the drivers on the best places to pick the ripest white and yellow peaches. Admission includes access to the farm’s 12-acre play area, which features rope swings, tractor tires, and giant tube slides. If you want to avoid crowds, head over on a weekday afternoon.
Hartland Orchard
3064 Hartland Ln., Markham, VA
Distance from DC: About 60 miles.
Hours: 9 AM to 2 PM; but call ahead of time to check fruit availability and hours.
Prices: $20 per peck (about 12 to 14 pounds).
Pickers can head to this orchard for yellow and white peaches available through the end of July. The farm takes cash or checks only.
Hollin Farms
1524 Snowden Rd., Delaplane, VA
Distance from DC: About 60 miles.
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 9 AM to 1 PM (Last pickers admitted at 12:30). But check online, as operating hours may change.
Prices: $25 per peck.
Mix and match peaches, plums, nectarines, and apricots in your peck. Plus, dig your own potatoes for $2 per pound. The farm provides containers; it doesn’t allow outside containers, backpacks, or large purses.
Homestead Farm
15604 Sugarland Road, Poolesville, MD
Distance from DC: About 30 miles.
Hours: 9 AM to 5 PM daily.
Prices: $1.99 per pound, plus a $3 admission fee (children under one get in free).
This low-key farm offers yellow peaches for picking, rain or shine. Visitors can bring their own container or buy one from the farm. Say hello to chickens, goats, and other farm animals on your way to the fields.
Larriland Farm
2415 Woodbine Road, Woodbine, MD
Distance from DC: About 40 miles.
Hours: Saturday and Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM; Tuesday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM. Entry to the fields ends a half hour before closing time.
Prices: Pay by the container—the farm provides them in various sizes.
Peach picking at this family-owned farm starts in mid-July and lasts until mid-September. Look for 16 different varieties of peaches, 14 of which are considered “freestone” (meaning the pit easily falls from the peach’s flesh).
Mackintosh Farm
1608 Russell Rd, Berryville, VA
Distance from DC: About 70 miles.
Hours: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 8 AM to 6 PM; Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM (Picking ends at 5).
Prices: $2.99 per pound, plus a $2 entry fee to the picking area.
Pick your own peaches, then grab lunch on the patio at this family-run farm. They offer containers and a limited number of wagons.
Marker-Miller Orchards Farm Market
3035 Cedar Creek Grade, Winchester, VA
Distance from DC: About 85 miles.
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM; Saturday, 9 AM to 5 PM.
Prices: $14 per half peck and $20 per peck
Once you’re done picking peaches, visit the farm’s market for other summer fruits or its bakery for pastries, donuts, breads, pies, and cakes made in-house. Kids can also play on the various playground structures that include a wooden ship and tractor.
Stribling Orchard
11587 Poverty Hollow Lane, Markham, VA
Distance from DC: About 60 miles.
Hours: Check the orchard’s Facebook page for operating hours
Prices: $2 per pound and $20 per peck.
The Stribling family orchard is open for peach-picking from mid-July through mid-August. As of Wednesday, July 5, the farm is waiting for more peaches to ripen before they allow pickers to enter. But once you arrive, picnic and pick while enjoying the view of the Blue Ridge mountains on the property, which is over 200 years old.
