Harvest season starts each August with early-ripening peaches and field nectarines before shifting entirely into apples by September. Wilkens grows more than a dozen distinct varieties, each following a strict ripening calendar. Early arrivals harvest crisp Gala, McIntosh, and Paula Red apples. Mid-season brings heavy yields of Honeycrisp, Cortland, and Empire, while late October rewards pickers with dense, sweet Fuji and Rome Beauty fruit suited for winter baking.
Orchard staff issue picking bags at designated entry kiosks, providing daily maps that show which rows are open for public harvest. Respecting these boundaries preserves the delicate fruit spurs that produce the following year’s crop. In October, pumpkin picking takes center stage. Visitors walk through open patch fields to select sugar pumpkins for pies or massive carving gourds straight off the vine. Finding firm stems and inspecting bases for ground rot ensures gourds last well through the fall holidays.
