Homestead Farm

Our take

The short version

Homestead Farm is a well-known Montgomery County pick-your-own operation, but its own site is direct and unambiguous about 2026: “No Cherries, Peaches, or Apples this Year due to Freeze (2026).” That’s a specific, dated statement from the farm itself, not a rumor or a third-party report, and it means there’s no apple picking here at all this season — not a limited crop, but none.

What the freeze took, and what it didn’t

It’s worth being precise about the scope of this statement: it names three tree-fruit crops — cherries, peaches, and apples — as unavailable this year due to freeze damage. It doesn’t say the farm itself has closed. The same site continues to advertise pick-your-own zinnias and other seasonal produce, which suggests the freeze specifically hit fruit trees (which bloom early and are vulnerable to a late spring frost) while other crops planted or harvested on a different calendar came through fine.

Not an isolated case this year

Homestead Farm’s situation lines up with a pattern across several other Maryland orchards in this file. Butler’s Orchard, also in Montgomery County, is opening apples for 2026 but describes an “extremely limited harvest” from frost damage. Kingsbury’s Orchard in nearby Dickerson reports “extensive freeze damage” serious enough to close its market early. Milburn Orchards in Cecil County describes a “near-total apple crop loss,” the first time in over 30 years its U-Pick Apple Adventures program hasn’t opened. Seen together, these records point to a real, damaging spring frost that hit fruit crops broadly across Maryland in 2026 — Homestead Farm’s total loss of cherries, peaches, and apples sits at the more severe end of that pattern, alongside Milburn’s.

What’s still open

If you’re already planning a Montgomery County trip and apples aren’t the only draw, Homestead Farm’s zinnias and other seasonal produce are still available for picking, per the record, Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 4pm. That’s a real, functioning part of the farm’s 2026 season even with the tree-fruit program sidelined.

No phone number listed

One practical detail: this record has no phone number for Homestead Farm, only an email address, HomesteadFarmEmail@gmail.com. If you want to confirm current conditions before visiting, email may be your only listed direct contact option based on what’s in this record, though the farm’s own site may list additional contact methods not captured here.

What this means for planning ahead

Because the statement about the freeze is specifically framed as “this year,” it reads as a single-season setback rather than a permanent change to what Homestead Farm offers. If apple picking here is something you’re hoping to plan for, the practical takeaway from this record is to check back for the 2027 season rather than expecting anything to change within 2026.

What’s missing, and why it matters

Beyond the freeze statement itself, there’s little else in this record about Homestead Farm’s broader apple program in a normal year — no variety list, no typical season dates, no pricing. Given that apples aren’t available at all in 2026, those gaps matter less this season than they might in a year with a normal crop, but they’re worth keeping in mind if you’re trying to plan a future visit.

Getting there

Homestead Farm is at 15604 Sugarland Road in Poolesville, Montgomery County, Maryland.

Bottom line

If you’re planning a 2026 trip specifically for apple picking, Homestead Farm isn’t the stop this year — its own site confirms no apple crop due to a freeze. The farm is still open for zinnias and other produce, and the tree-fruit program should be worth checking again for 2027.