A 300-acre, sixth-generation Elkhart County farm dating to 1922 that grows far beyond apples, but its own site is more focused on the general farm market than a dedicated apple u-pick calendar — confirm apple-specific dates by phone.
Kercher’s Sunrise Orchards is located at 19498 County Road 38 in Goshen, Elkhart County, and sits on 300 acres — a genuinely large footprint compared to most orchards in this research batch. Hours are 9am-5pm Monday through Friday and 9am-3pm Saturday, with the farm closed Sunday; phone is 574-533-6311. Both the hours and a count of 19 apple varieties across the 300 acres were confirmed directly on kerchersorchard.com, read September 2, 2026.
The site also gave a specific cider availability window — September 15 through December 31 — for apple cider, though it did not carry an explicit 2026-dated u-pick apple start or end date on the pages checked. That cider window is a useful indirect signal: if cider is available starting mid-September, apples are almost certainly already being harvested by then, even without a page that says so outright.
What distinguishes Kercher’s most clearly is the breadth of what it grows and sells: corn, pumpkins, cabbage, squash, and peaches, all sold through its own year-round market alongside the 19 apple varieties. That’s a genuinely diversified operation compared to several single-crop-focused orchards elsewhere in this research, and it suggests a farm built around a market that operates on its own calendar most of the year, not just during a compressed fall apple season.
Free weekend hayrides connect the orchard to the pumpkin patch during the fall run, per the record — a nice touch for families who want more than a straight picking trip, and notably free, unlike some paid attractions at other orchards in this batch.
The sixth-generation and 1922-founding claims — both frequently repeated in local coverage (WNDU, Visit Elkhart County) — would make Kercher’s one of the oldest continuously family-run orchards in this entire research batch, on par with or older than Radke Orchards’ 1894 founding. That said, these specific figures weren’t independently confirmed on the orchard’s own site during this research, so treat them as well-sourced but secondhand rather than directly verified.
The record notes Kercher’s own site is more focused on the general farm market’s product calendar than a dedicated apple u-pick season page. That’s a reasonable choice for an operation this diversified — a single “apple season” page might undersell everything else on offer — but it does mean visitors specifically chasing u-pick apples need to call ahead rather than relying on a clear online date range.
Absent a direct apple u-pick calendar, the confirmed September 15-December 31 cider availability window is the closest thing this record has to a timing guide. Cider is typically pressed from apples already harvested or at least ready for picking, so a mid-September cider start is a reasonable (though indirect) signal that apple picking is likely underway by then, if not earlier. That’s an inference built from an adjacent confirmed fact, not a direct statement from the orchard about apple u-pick dates — worth treating as a planning hint rather than something to build a firm travel date around.
Kercher’s Sunrise Orchards offers real scale (300 acres, 19 confirmed varieties) and a genuinely long family history, if the third-party sixth-generation and 1922 claims hold up, plus a diversified year-round market that goes well beyond apples. The tradeoff is that apple-specific picking dates aren’t spelled out on the site the way they are at some more apple-focused peers, so call 574-533-6311 to confirm timing before making the trip.
Not confirmed for apple-specific 2026 dates. The site did give a cider availability window of September 15 through December 31, which is a reasonable, if indirect, hint at when the broader fall season is in full swing here.
you need a specific apple u-pick start/end date confirmed online — the site's focus is the broader farm market calendar, not a dedicated apple picking page.
9am-5pm Monday through Friday, and 9am-3pm Saturday, closed Sunday — confirmed directly on the orchard's own site.
19, confirmed directly on the orchard's own site, across 300 acres.
The site gives a cider availability window of September 15 through December 31.
No — third-party coverage (WNDU, Visit Elkhart County) describes it as sixth-generation and founded in 1922, though these specific claims weren't independently verified on the orchard's own copy.
Corn, pumpkins, cabbage, squash, and peaches, sold through its own year-round market, alongside free weekend hayrides connecting to the pumpkin patch.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. In past seasons it has run: Mon-Sat, closed Sunday. 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.
19498 County Road 38, Goshen, IN 46526, in Elkhart County. It is one of 1 orchards we track in Northern Indiana.
kerchersorchard.com
Checked September 2026.