Radke Orchards

Our take

What the record actually confirms

Radke Orchards sits at 8999 W 200 N in Michigan City, LaPorte County, and has operated as a family-run farm since 1894 — one of the older continuously operating orchards in this research batch. Its own site, radkeorchards.com/plan-visit, read on September 2, 2026, states verbatim: “Open 8:30 to 5:30 daily starting on September 5th, 2026.” That’s a genuinely firm, dated, first-party opening statement — more specific than most other orchards in this list manage. No closing date is given, and cider donuts are confirmed, along with weekend tractor rides. Phone is 219-872-3140.

The honesty worth paying attention to

The same page that gave the firm opening date also included a caveat: a limited crop this year due to growing-season weather. That’s a genuinely useful, unusually candid piece of information, and it changes how to read everything else in this record. Third-party coverage cites more than 20 apple varieties at Radke in a typical year, but that figure isn’t itemized on the orchard’s own page, and — more importantly — this year’s weather-driven crop limitation means the full variety range that built that 20+ reputation may not all be available in 2026. Don’t plan a visit assuming you’ll find every variety Radke is known for; the orchard itself is telling you to expect less this year.

A firm date is still a real advantage

Compare Radke to several peers in this research batch that only give a general month, or state a current-status snapshot rather than a season calendar (Ditzler’s “now open daily,” for instance, or McClure’s “opening soon”). Radke’s specific September 5, 2026 date is a real point of confidence for planning purposes — you know exactly when the doors open, even without knowing when they’ll close or exactly what will be ripe.

Weighing the history against the weather caveat

Being family-run since 1894 gives Radke a longer continuous history than most orchards in this research batch, several of which are newer operations (Wea Creek, established 2008, for comparison) or don’t specify a founding year at all. That kind of longevity often correlates with an orchard that knows its land and has weathered difficult growing seasons before — which may be part of why the site is candid about this year’s limited crop rather than glossing over it. That’s a point in favor of trusting the operator’s judgment here, even though the news itself (a smaller crop) isn’t what every visitor wants to hear.

What to check before you go

Given the crop-limitation warning, it’s worth calling 219-872-3140 closer to your visit date to ask specifically what varieties are actually available this year, rather than assuming the 20+ variety reputation from third-party sources holds for 2026. No closing date is given either, so if you’re planning a visit later in the fall, confirm the orchard is still open before making the trip.

Bottom line

Radke Orchards offers one of the firmest, most specific opening-date confirmations in this research batch — September 5, 2026, 8:30am-5:30pm daily — backed by over a century of family operation. But its own site is upfront that this year’s crop is limited by weather, so temper expectations on variety selection and confirm current availability by phone before visiting.