Carter Mountain Orchard

2011 Hours of Operation

April 15th -  June 5th
Open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays 10-5
CLOSED EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 24th
OPEN MEMORIAL DAY MONDAY, MAY 30th 10-5

June 10th – August 26th
Open Monday-Saturday 9-6, Sundays 10-5
Thursdays open til 8PM

August 27th – November 5th
Open Daily 9-6

November 6th – November 27th
Open Daily 9-5
CLOSED THANKSGIVING DAY

December 2nd – December 23rd
Open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays 10-5
WEATHER PERMITTING

Carter Mountain Orchard is a working farm, and is not open to the public other than during our posted public dates and hours.

Please see our Fruit Availability Chart for general ripening dates. Remember that ripening dates can vary due to weather; please call or check the Today at the Orchard section on the homepage for current information.

Great!  Come on inside the barn and we will get you started.  Bring bags or baskets from home if you have them; otherwise, we will have plastic bags available.  We will let you know what is ripe, how to pick it, and where to pick!  Please respect our farm and only pick in the designated areas.  When you finish picking, bring your fruit back to the barn – we will weigh it and charge you accordingly.  Please pick only what you intend to pay for.

Only very well-mannered pets, on leashes, are allowed on Carter Mountain. You must clean up after your pets (yes, even in the orchard – please be respectful of our other customers). Please, no pets inside the barn.

We don’t mind if you sample the fruit in the orchard; however, we ask that you not be wasteful.

Not all varieties are ripe at the same time.  We carefully monitor the orchards and only open for picking the areas that have ripe fruit.  Our staff will direct you to the current picking areas – please respect our property and stay in these areas. To see our other farm policies, please click here.

Carter Mountain Orchard is a non-smoking farm. Please do not smoke anywhere on our property.

We accept VISA, MasterCard, and good ole cash.

Peaches and nectarines are either cling-stone (which means the fruit does not come away from the seed easily), semi-cling-stone (which means that some of the fruit will come away from the seed), or free-stone (which means the seed breaks away easily from the fruit). Generally, the earlier varieties are cling-stone. Many people like to use cling-stone peaches for pickling. For canning and freezing, most people prefer free-stone fruit, as it is much easier to work with. By late July and into August, all the varieties will be free-stone.

Please click here for our Apple Use Chart.

Cider freezes beautifully – just open the container, let about 1 cup out (to make room for expansion), re-cap, and put in the freezer. It will taste just the same when you bring it out to thaw! Stock up so you will have plenty for the holidays and the winter ahead.

Both Carter Mountain and Chiles Peach Orchard are owned and operated by the Chiles Family. You can pick strawberries, sweet cherries, peaches, apples, and pumpkins at Chiles Peach Orchard. Click here to learn more!

Doesn’t that sound great? However, there is much to be done in the orchard in the non-harvest season! Each and every tree must be pruned for maximum production and tree performance. This process begins immediately after harvest and takes 3-4 months to complete. We also repair equipment and buildings. Once the fruit starts blooming, we carefully monitor the weather – if the forecast is for below-freezing temperatures, we must use frost-prevention methods. We will be up all night checking temperatures, running wind machines, using overhead irrigation, and many other procedures to protect our crops as best we can. After bloom, the trees must be thinned (mostly done by hand) so that the fruit will be of good size. New trees must be planted in the late winter and early spring. Finally, there are several conferences and meetings to attend, so that we stay current in the latest technology and industry trends. And before you know it, it’s harvest time again!