A large-scale cider operation (13,000-plus apple trees) with a genuinely concrete cider fact from the farm's own site, but PYO apple picking is limited strictly to weekends, unlike orchards offering daily picking.
Beardsley’s Cider Mill & Orchard is located at 278 Leavenworth Rd in Shelton, Fairfield County, Connecticut, with a phone number of 203.926.1098. The farm’s own site describes a genuinely large operation: more than 13,000 apple trees and 400 peach trees. PYO apple picking is confirmed as weekends only, 10am-5pm, and a cider mill and cider donuts are both confirmed on-site. The farm describes itself generally as open from August through Christmas Eve, though that’s a general seasonal framing rather than specific 2026 dates.
One of the more concrete, quotable details in this entire research project comes from Beardsley’s own site: it takes about 25 average-size apples to press one gallon of cider. That’s exactly the kind of specific, verifiable number the enrichment spec calls for — not a vague claim about “fresh cider,” but a real production ratio a visitor could actually reason about (a typical half-peck bag holding a dozen or so apples wouldn’t come close to a gallon of pressed cider on its own, for instance).
Unlike Rogers Orchards, which also limits PYO to Friday-through-Sunday, or Lyman Orchards, which appears to offer wider availability, Beardsley’s PYO apple picking is confirmed strictly for Saturday and Sunday, 10am-5pm. Anyone planning a weekday trip specifically to pick apples at Beardsley’s should know this in advance — the record doesn’t suggest any weekday PYO option, even though the broader farm operation (cider mill, farm store) may run more days.
Beardsley’s restricts backpacks and bags larger than 10 inches in the PYO orchard, a specific and easy-to-overlook rule. This is a different kind of restriction than the branded-bag-only policy at C.N. Smith Farm in Massachusetts, but it serves a similar function: visitors should expect to use whatever container system the farm provides or permits, rather than bringing their own oversized bag.
At more than 13,000 apple trees, Beardsley’s is among the larger operations documented in this Connecticut research, alongside Lyman Orchards. That scale likely supports the active cider-pressing operation the record describes, though no apple variety list is provided, so there’s no way to say from this record which specific apples make up that large tree count.
No apple variety names appear in the record. No PYO pricing is confirmed. And while the farm’s general August-to-Christmas-Eve framing gives a rough sense of the operating season, no specific 2026 season-start or season-end date for apple PYO itself was found.
Beardsley’s weekend-only PYO schedule is a useful data point when comparing Fairfield County options to farms elsewhere in this Connecticut research. Rogers Orchards in Southington similarly restricts PYO to Friday through Sunday, while March Farm in Bethlehem and Averill Farm in Washington Depot both operate daily. A visitor whose only free time is a weekday would need to look toward one of those daily-access farms rather than Beardsley’s, regardless of how large or well-equipped its cider operation is.
Beardsley’s Cider Mill & Orchard backs a large-scale tree count with a genuinely specific, checkable cider-production detail, but weekend-only PYO hours are the defining constraint for anyone planning a visit. Confirm current picking status by calling 203.926.1098, plan for a Saturday or Sunday between 10am and 5pm, and leave the oversized backpack at home.
Weekends only — PYO apple picking runs Saturday and Sunday, 10am-5pm, per the record. The farm is generally described as open August through Christmas Eve, but no specific 2026 apple season dates are confirmed.
you're hoping to pick apples on a weekday — PYO is weekends only, 10am-5pm — or you're planning to bring a large bag or backpack, which is restricted.
Weekends only. PYO apple picking runs Saturday and Sunday, 10am-5pm, per the record.
The farm's own site describes more than 13,000 apple trees and 400 peach trees.
Yes — the record cites a specific detail from the farm's own site: it takes about 25 average-size apples to press one gallon of cider.
The farm describes itself generally as open August through Christmas Eve, though no explicit 2026 season-start or season-end date was found.
No — the farm restricts backpacks and large bags over 10 inches in the PYO orchard, per its own posted rule.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. In past seasons it has run: weekends only (PYO). Check with the orchard before driving out.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
Yes — it's a pick-your-own orchard, with pre-picked apples at the farm stand too.
278 Leavenworth Rd, Shelton, CT 06484, in Fairfield County. It is one of 3 orchards we track in Fairfield County.
We track 3 orchards in Fairfield County, 3 of which let you pick your own apples. The orchard has not published a starting price, so it cannot be compared on cost — call before you budget.
One caveat worth repeating: this orchard had not published its 2026 dates when we last checked, while 0 of the 3 orchards we track in Fairfield County had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the orchard confirms it.
There are 2 other orchards we track in Fairfield County. All Fairfield County orchards →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
beardsleyscidermill.com
Checked September 2026.