As temperatures drop and Colorado’s leaves begin their annual transformation, many residents typically turn to autumn traditions such as apple picking and pumpkin patches. This year, however, extreme weather could force fall enthusiasts to reconsider their weekend plans.
Repeated storms and hail have damaged crops, disrupting pick-your-own fruit operations at farms across the Centennial State.
An unusually hot spring followed by a scorching summer has also placed pressure on Colorado growers, with limited irrigation water making it more difficult for crops to develop.
An overnight freeze in April wiped out fruit production throughout Colorado’s North Fork Valley. Denver then recorded its second-hottest July on record, while hail and flooding swept through parts of the state over the Labor Day weekend.
Mike Nolan, a farmer with Mountain Roots Produce, told local NPR affiliate KSJD that the 2026 growing season has been unlike anything he has previously experienced.
“This is my 22nd season doing this. Probably the weirdest one I’ve experienced,” Nolan said.
He said a week of freezing nights in April, followed by a dry spring and persistently high temperatures, shortened the harvest window for many crops.
The threat has challenged Colorado farmers since the spring. Sonrise Farm, for example, announced in June that it would cancel its pumpkin patch season.
Fall apple picking is a major attraction at Colorado farms, but spring drought, an April cold front and record July heat damaged crops across the state.
Berry Patch Farms, pictured above, normally offers pick-your-own blueberries in July and a pumpkin patch in October. A shortage of crops during the harvest season forced the farm to adjust its fall festivities.
Drought conditions this year, pictured above, have affected fall harvest activities throughout the Centennial State.
Owners Mike and Theresa Schlagel told local NBC affiliate 9 News in June that they chose not to plant pumpkin seeds because the available water supply was too uncertain.
‘That’s a lot of pumpkin seed and a lot of expense to potentially have the pumpkins die in the field. Plus, it’s somewhat wasteful of that very limited water this year,’ Theresa said.
The couple said that one of the most disappointing parts of letting their pumpkin patch go was missing out on seeing families experience agriculture, some of whom are visiting a farm for the first time.
Farmers who lost most of their produce to these extreme weather conditions are now finding different ways to host their annual events.
Steve Ela, co-owner of Ela Family Farms, told the Denver Post that their apple trees bloomed three weeks ahead of schedule because of warm weather in February and March, but an April cold front wiped out their crop.
‘We’ve had bad years, but I’ve never had a zero crop,’ he recalled.
Regan Choi, also of Ela Family Farms, said their workers were scheduled to arrive a week after the April freeze. The farm invoked an ‘act of God’ clause and canceled the workers’ contracts.
The clause protects parties from fulfilling legal obligations if a natural disaster occurs.
Steve Ela, the co-owner of Ela Family Farms, said he has had bad years in the past, but nothing in comparison to this season
Sonrise Farm, pictured above, was forced to close its pumpkin patch altogether after it decided not to plant seeds in the summer due to drought-like conditions
‘These are people we work with year after year,’ Choi told The Colorado Sun. ‘We care about them. They’re counting on this income for their family for the year. It’s gut-wrenching.’
Kevin Kropp, the owner of First Fruits, told the publication that the April frost wiped out his crop as well, and he was forced to cancel some of his workers’ contracts under the seasonal H-2A visa workforce.
He said that they were able to keep some workers temporarily, and some eventually found jobs through the Department of Labor. But others had to find work elsewhere.
As the weather continues to harm produce around several areas in Colorado, farmers are getting creative. While some can sustain, others are focusing on other tasks, such as summer schedules and installing irrigation, while work on the orchard continues.
A list compiled by the Denver Post shows the enormity of the problem.
Many farms across Colorado had to cancel their events as an aftermath, including famous fruit pickup spots such as Longmont’s YA YA Farm & Orchard, Berry Patch Farms in Brighton, Garden Sweet in Fort Collins and more.
YA YA Farm & Orchard features an eight-acre orchard with 1,000 fruit trees, primarily heirloom apples. The farm had to cancel its 2026 u-pick event after losing 70 percent of its crop.
Nelms Farm Day will take place on September 20. The farmers had to pivot to potatoes after losing peaches and apples to the weather conditions
Garden Sweet has turned to flower picking following a difficult harvest season
First Fruits Organic Farm has also endured the impacts of a rough harvest season, sharing photos of frost on crops after a cold front
The owners decided to focus on a ticketed Apple Fest instead. Attendees can enjoy live bluegrass, BBQ and fresh cider donuts. They can pick flowers, pre-picked apples, fresh pie and apple cider.
Nelms Farm in Golden offers chemical-free apples and has been open to the public for the last 14 years. This year, its focus is on potatoes.
‘We had an early spring freeze this year and unfortunately lost our peaches and apples,’ the owners told the Denver Post. ‘We have both Yukon Gold and Viking Red potatoes, and they are so much fun to harvest.’
Amid the unprecedented conditions facing farmers, the US Department of Agriculture (United States Department of Agriculture) has offered technical and financial assistance.
Eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers could qualify for cost-share assistance to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes or vines.
