Pick Your Own Apples
We have several thousand apple trees in our orchard. In 2020, we planted two additional high density apple blocks with 2,500 trees that use wires to hold up the trees, similar to a vineyard.
Apples are a good source of fiber, high in Vitamin C and potassium and low in sodium. Remember "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"!
At Rock Hill, we want your picking experience to bring lasting memories for your family. Our trees are pruned so you can pick without ladders.
Want to know what that white stuff is on the apples? Read about how we use Surround as part of our Sustainability effort.
When Can You Pick?
Apple Picking will open August 24, 2024. For early September, only apple picking available, no corn maze, wagon rides, etc. Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch will open mid/late September.
Special Dates
Pricing
In order to eliminate long check-out lines in our Pick-Your-Own Apple Orchard, you can buy the size bag you want, and pick until it is full! You no longer have to wait to have your bags weighed. Note that due to implementing a reservation system, each person needs to purchase a bag (or reservation for the corn maze or pumpkin field) before coming to the farm. Only visitors who have purchased apple picking tickets will have access to the apple trees.
Need more apples? No problem, just buy another bag. Here are some of the combinations:
1/4 Peck Bag - Includes a 1/4 peck bag to pick apples into, wagon ride, visiting/petting baby calves. Does not include entry to the corn maze, tickets available on-site if desired.
Combo #1 - Includes Corn Maze, 1/4 peck apple bag to pick into, wagon ride, visiting/petting baby calves
Pumpkin Combo #2 - Includes Corn Maze, 1/4 peck apple bag to pick into, one any size Pumpkin in the pumpkin patch, wagon ride, visiting/petting baby calves
Corn Maze - includes Corn Maze, wagon ride, visiting/petting baby calves. Does not include access to apple trees
Pumpkin - includes one of any size pumpkin in the pumpkin patch (typically 15-30#) and a wagon ride to pumpkin field. Does not include access to apple trees, does not include entry to the corn maze.
You must use the bags provided, not your own bags
All apples must fit in the bag, no carrying in hands, purses, strollers, etc.
A guest is anyone aged 3 years old and older who wants to enter the apple orchard
You may purchase additional bags, but no returns of bags or apples will be accepted, so pick only what you want.
Groups of 10 or more that will be making their reservations in one online transaction can contact us at info@rockhillorchard.com about group discounts. Individual transactions are not eligible for group discounts.
Picking Tips
Hold the branch with one hand to steady it. With slight pressure, squeeze the apple and start to twist it from the tree. If you roll it upside down, it will release from the branch. Leave the small fruit bud as that is what next year's apple will grow from.
Approximate Apple Ripening Schedule
- The dates listed below are approximate for a "Normal" year weather-wise. If the winters are colder or warmer than usual, the dates could shift by several weeks in either direction
Below is a list of apples grown at Rock Hill Orchard. Many of them are available for Pick Your Own.
Late August / Early September
| Variety | Best Uses |
| Blondee | Superior early yellow apple with sweet, crunchy fruit. Good for eating fresh or in desserts. |
| Buckeye Gala | Gorgeous, shiny, red-striped skin that is very sweet with crisp yellow flesh. Good for snacks. |
| Honeycrisp | Amazing eating apple with very distinct sweet flavor. Firm flesh makes it great for pies and baking. |
| CrimsonCrisp | Extremely crunchy tart apple. Good for baking and sauces. Medium crimson red apple with a very firm, crisp texture with a tart, complex flavor. |
| Rising Sun Fuji | Early Fuji selection that ripens 5-6 weeks ahead of regular Fuji and colors to a beautiful pinkish-red blush. Mild, sweet flavor with creamy white flesh and the great Fuji crunch |
Mid/Late September
| Variety | Best Uses |
| Autumn Crisp | Cross between Golden Delicious & Monroe. Extra crisp and juicy. Fruit is sweeter than it is tart, making it great for fresh eating. Fruit is also considered non-browning or very slow to oxidize. |
| Macoun | An excellent dessert apple with characteristics similar to McIntosh. Flesh is white, firm and juicy. |
| Jonathon | Tart, crisp and juicy apple, excellent for snacking and sauces. |
| Golden Delicious | Fruit is firm, medium to large, sweet and juicy. Very versatile. Good keeper. |
| Ambrosia | Crisp and juicy with a sweet, honeyed flavor. Naturally low in acid so slow to brown. |
| Red Delicious | Sweet, crisp and juicy. |
| Empire | Cross between McIntosh and Red Delicious. Sweet apple with a crisp texture and bright white flesh. |
| Melrose | The official state apple of Ohio, this Jonathan x Delicious cross is large, firm, crisp and juicy |
Early October
| Variety | Best Uses |
| Keepsake | Sweet and spicy and the texture is crisp and dense, making it an ideal cooking apple |
| Rosalee | Cross between Honeycrisp & Fuji. Clean, floral taste with spectacular texture. Keeps well. Limited fruit in 2021 (first year picking). |
| Autumn Gala | Early October Gala apple that keeps better than traditional Gala. Fruit is very firm and dense and exhibits very little stem cracking. Limited fruit in 2021 (first year picking). |
| Smokehouse | Pleasant dessert apples with a red-striped skin tinged with yellow. Flesh is firm and juicy, perfect for fresh-eating, cooking, and baking. |
| Jonagold | Cross between Jonathan and Golden Delicious. Excellent dessert apple - crisp, juicy with a great sweet flavor. |
| Ida Red | Dual purpose. Crisp, fine-grained fruits have a sweet-tart, white flesh — one of the best pie apples |
| Rome | Great baking apple with a sweet and tart flavor |
| Cameo | Crisp with a scent of pear with a sweet-tart flavor with firm flesh that resists browning. Good for everything. Descended from Red Delicious. |
Mid/Late October
| Variety | Best Uses |
| Mutsu | Complex and spicy flavor descended from a cross of Golden Delicious and sweet Indo apple. Dual purpose baking and eating. |
| Winecrisp | Crisp with a fruity flavor with Cox's Orange Pippin as a grandparent |
| Suncrisp | Its heritage includes Cox’s Orange Pippin and Golden Delicious making the fruit sweet, rich, very firm and mildly aromatic. All-purpose apple. |
| Stayman / Winesap | High-quality dessert apple. Tree yields large, firm, wine-spicy fruit with a deep red color. Stayman is an offshoot of Winesap. | Antietam Blush | First apple bred exclusively for the Maryland climate. The flesh is crisp and juicy with a zing that comes from a balance of high acid and sugar. |
| Pink Lady (Maslin, Barnsby) | Perfect balance of tart and sweet and the crisp, juicy flesh breaks cleanly in the mouth. |
| EverCrisp | Packing a loud crunch, the apple combines the best of its parents HoneyCrisp and Fuji. |
Early November
| Variety | Best Uses |
| Late Fuji (Aztec, Sun, Supreme, Stripe) | Crisp, very sweet flavor. Great for eating, sauces and baking. |
| Granny Smith | Crisp hard apple with a sharp taste. Great for baking. |
| Goldrush | Crisp hard flesh and a good sugar / acid balance, related to Golden Delicious. |
| Pink Lady (Lady in Red, Cripps Pink) | Perfect balance of tart and sweet and the crisp, juicy flesh breaks cleanly in the mouth. |
Storage Tips
Apples stay crisp and fresh for weeks if kept cold and moist. For best results, store them in a vegetable crisper or plastic bag in your refrigerator. Kept at room temperature, apples ripen ten times faster than when kept cold. Before storing, remove any apples that are bruised and use them immediately.