Pumpkin patches near Wilmington, and where to find apples in a frost year
Pumpkin season is on; apples are the hard part this year. A spring freeze wrecked the crop at several nearby orchards: Milburn Orchards isn't opening apple picking at all in 2026, and Linvilla lost about 90% of its apples. So this guide leads with pumpkin patches, most within about 40 minutes of Wilmington or Newark, then names the orchards still picking. Hours and what's ripe change fast in fall, so check each farm's page before you load the car.
1. Ramsey's Farm
Wilmington
The close-in pick in north Wilmington: pick your pumpkin in the patch, plus a corn maze and hayrides. No apples here.
2. Harvest Hayride at Arasapha Farm
Glen Mills
A hayride out to pick your pumpkin, then a pillow bounce, pallet maze and tractor playground sized for small kids. Weekends only, and the last pumpkin hayride leaves at 3.
3. Dalton Farms
Swedesboro
The big fall-festival day just over the bridge: sunflower fields, a corn maze, pumpkin patch, tractor rides and a giant slide on one ticket (pumpkins and flowers cost extra). Open Thursday–Monday through Nov 1; buy online and go on a weekday to save.
4. Coleman's Christmas Tree Farm
Middletown
A quiet weekend pumpkin patch near Odessa, easy from Newark: free hayrides, a big playground and homemade ice cream. Bring cash.
5. Filasky's Produce and Farm Market
Middletown
A family farm in Middletown with u-pick pumpkins, a field hayride and a soybean maze designed for children. Hayrides and activities run weekends 10 AM–4 PM through October; u-pick pumpkins into early November. Call the farm for prices.
6. Linvilla Orchards
Media
The full day out in Media: Pumpkinland, hayrides and mazes. No apple picking this year after an April freeze; weekends have pre-picked apples from partner farms.
7. Milburn Orchards
Elkton
Just over the Maryland line and close to Newark. The Fall Festival, hayrides, corn maze and BIG BackYard play area are on, but there's no apple picking this year.
8. Thousand Acre Farm
Middletown
The nearest orchard we've confirmed is picking apples in 2026: dwarf trees kids can reach from the ground, by reserved time slot near Middletown. The last varieties ripen mid-to-late October, so book soon.
9. Indian Orchards Farm
Media
A five-generation family farm outside Media that's posting pumpkins, raspberries and mums as open for picking (apples aren't on the board right now); September and October weekend admission is $11.99 with a hayride. Check its status board the morning you go.
10. MC Farms
Pilesgrove
A new orchard in Salem County, NJ, picking apples Friday through Sunday while supplies last, with a hayride out and a barrel train for kids. Fridays are free.
11. Highland Orchards (West Chester)
West Chester
Pick-your-own apples and pumpkins outside West Chester, plus a corn maze with apple cannons on weekends. Check the farm's Facebook for what's ripe before you drive.
12. Barnard's Orchard
Kennett Square
A 300-year-old orchard near Kennett Square with about 30 apple varieties and its own cider. Fall apples are in the farm store; call before you count on picking.
13. Coverdale Farm Preserve
Greenville
A Delaware Nature Society working farm in Greenville: no picking, but quieter and more hands-on than the big fall operations.
14. Fifer Orchards
Camden Wyoming
Worth the drive, about an hour south: an all-access Fall Fest with a corn maze, jumping pillows and slides, and apple and pumpkin picking on select dates. Check Fifer's Facebook for the day's hours.
Questions parents ask
Can you go apple picking near Wilmington in 2026?
Yes, but at fewer farms than usual. A late spring frost took most of the local crop: Milburn Orchards cancelled apple picking for 2026 and Linvilla has no apple picking (it sells pre-picked partner-farm apples on weekends). Thousand Acre Farm near Middletown (by reservation, through mid-to-late October), MC Farms in Pilesgrove, NJ, and Highland Orchards in West Chester have advertised apple picking this season. Check each farm's page the week you go.
Where can I pick pumpkins near Wilmington?
Ramsey's Farm in north Wilmington is the close-in patch. Harvest Hayride at Arasapha Farm (Glen Mills) and Coleman's (near Odessa) are simple weekend patches with hayrides; Dalton Farms (Swedesboro, NJ), Linvilla and Milburn are the bigger fall-festival days.
When is pumpkin season?
Pumpkins peak late September through October. In 2026, Arasapha and Dalton run through Nov 1, Ramsey's daytime activities and Linvilla's Pumpkinland through Nov 8, and Fifer's Fall Fest through Nov 14 (closed Sundays). Hours change weekly in fall, so check each farm's page before you go.
Get the good ones before they fill up
One countywide shortlist every Friday morning, with ages, cost and logistics on each pick. Free.
More guides
Checked against each place’s current info.
Admission and hours come straight from each place’s guide. Last reviewed September 30, 2026. Confirm anything dated on the source before you go.