A multi-generation family orchard in Montana's 'Fruit Basket' valley growing 14 apple varieties, but without a single confirmed hour, price, or variety name — this is a real, documented business known mostly through a local TV feature rather than its own site.
Ross Orchards sits at 200 North Street in Fromberg, Montana, in the same Clark’s Fork Valley fruit belt — locally nicknamed the “Fruit Basket of Montana” — that includes Bluewater Orchard just up the road. The record describes it as a multi-generation family operation growing 14 apple varieties, a genuinely large selection for a small Montana orchard, though the specific variety names were never published in either source used to compile this record. A local television feature from KTVQ frames the orchard as a “labor of love” continuing a family tradition, language that suggests a modest, personally-run operation rather than a commercially staffed agritourism business.
Contact is by email only — johnwalkerross@gmail.com — with no phone number found in any source checked, and no dedicated orchard website exists. This is a meaningfully different contact situation than most orchards in this research batch, most of which at least have a phone number even when no website exists.
This is the most notable gap in an otherwise fairly well-documented listing: both sources used here (orangepippin.com, a fruit-variety database, and the KTVQ news feature) confirm a count of 14 apple varieties without naming a single one. That’s unusual — most orchards that advertise a specific variety count also list at least a few of the more popular names as a selling point. Its absence here might simply reflect the sources checked rather than anything about the orchard itself, but it means this record can’t tell a visitor whether Honeycrisp, McIntosh, or any other specific apple grows at Ross Orchards — only that 14 different kinds reportedly do.
The KTVQ feature describes ripening as running anywhere from mid-August to late October depending on the year’s weather — a notably wide range compared to orchards with a fixed multi-week season. With 14 varieties in the mix, that spread makes some sense: different varieties naturally ripen at different points across a season, and a wider variety count likely means a wider overall harvest window, even without specific per-variety dates. For a visitor, this means the “right” time to visit depends heavily on which apples you’re hoping to find ripe, information this record can’t supply.
Unlike Bluewater Orchard nearby, which at least has a phone number despite address confusion, Ross Orchards’ only confirmed contact method is email. That’s worth planning around: if you’re hoping to confirm same-day or next-day availability before making a drive, an email-only contact method may not get a fast enough response. Building in more lead time before a planned visit — emailing a few days ahead rather than calling the morning of — is the more realistic approach given this contact setup.
No hours, no pricing, no confirmed picking format (u-pick vs. purchase-only), and no specific variety names exist anywhere in the record. The “labor of love” framing from the KTVQ feature is evocative but doesn’t translate into any of the practical details a visitor needs to plan a trip. Given the total absence of scheduling or pricing information, this is a listing to research further by email well before a planned visit, not one to show up at unannounced.
Ross Orchards is confirmed as a real, multi-generation family orchard with an unusually wide 14-variety selection in one of Montana’s best fruit-growing valleys, but it’s also one of the thinnest records in this batch for practical planning purposes — no phone, no hours, no pricing, and no variety names. Anyone interested should email johnwalkerross@gmail.com well ahead of a planned visit rather than expecting to confirm details on short notice.
Not stated in the record. A local news feature describes the 14 varieties ripening anywhere from mid-August to late October depending on the year's weather, but no specific 2026 dates or hours are given.
you need confirmed hours, pricing, or a specific variety list before visiting — none of these are confirmed in the record.
14, according to the record — though specific variety names were not published in the sources checked, so apple_varieties is left unspecified rather than guessed.
Anywhere from mid-August to late October depending on the year's weather, per a local TV news feature cited in the record. No specific 2026 window is confirmed.
Not stated in the record. No confirmed hours, pricing, or picking format (self-serve vs. purchase-only) were found.
By email, at johnwalkerross@gmail.com, per the record — no phone number was found, and no dedicated orchard website exists.
A multi-generation family orchard, described in a local TV feature (KTVQ) as a 'labor of love' carrying on a family tradition — framing that suggests a small-scale, non-commercial-feeling operation rather than a large agritourism destination.
2026 dates had not been published when we last checked. Check with the orchard before driving out.
Pricing was not published when we last checked.
No — this orchard sells pre-picked apples from its own trees rather than u-pick.
200 North Street, Fromberg, MT 59029, in Carbon County. It is one of 3 orchards we track in Clark's Fork Valley.
We track 3 orchards in Clark's Fork Valley, 1 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 Clark's Fork Valley had. Treat any date you see elsewhere as last year's until the orchard confirms it.
There are 2 other orchards we track in Carbon County. All Clark's Fork Valley orchards →
Map pin is set to the town centre. Navigate to the street address above, not the pin.
facebook.com · orangepippin.com · ktvq.com
Checked September 2026.