I live in Atlanta, Georgia and would like to go apple picking this
weekend, 10/28/06 or 10/29/06.  Are apples still avalable for picking
off of the tree (not already picked apples sitting in a barn or
bushel)?  If so, what places will have them this weekend?  I would
like to stay close to the city of Atlanta and avoid driving as far as
Ellijay, GA, which is better known for apples.  If Ellijay is the only
place, though, let me know where I can still go in that town.  Also,
if no apples are available anywhere anymore, are any other fruits or
vegetables available at a pick-your-own farm or orchard?  At the
least, if all else fails, please let me know when I can pick apples
next year.
Thank you very much.

j...

PickYourOwn.org has listings of farms that allow you to pick
your own fruit, broken down by state and further. This URL
will take you to the farms listed by county in Georgia, and
I count 3 farms that offer apples near Atlanta:
http://www.pickyourown.org/GAEJ.htm#listings

Rock Farm U-Pick Farms in Marietta, GA
Call about availability of apples - 770-992-1669:
http://www.freewebs.com/rockfarm/index.htm

Palmetto Farms in Palmetto, GA
(map link and info on the page)
Call about availability of apples - 770-463-1900

Briar Patch in Dacula, GA
(map link and info on the page)
Call about availability of apples - 770-962-4990

Those will be the closest, but you may wish to explore the
listings in nearby states if you want to plan an excursion
for next year.

As you explore that page, you'll see that there are many
other fresh fruits and vegetables available as well, and
some may be more available for hand-picking than apples,
at this point.


The following page lists apple resources in Ellijay, but
only one of the many farms indicates it is pick-your-own:
http://www.pickyourown.org/gaapples.php

That one is Hillcrest Orchards
http://www.hillcrestorchards.net/

Sadly, they offer picking only during their APPLE PICKIN' JUBILEE,
September 16th & 17th and September 23rd, 24th, 30th & October 1st
9 am to 6 pm (this year, anyway)
Admission $5.00 per person
http://www.hillcrestorchards.net/jubilee.htm

Unfortunately, you may be a bit late this season for apple picking,
but I'm sure you can still find them in bushels, and other fruits
and veggies may be available for picking, still.

sublime1-ga


Additional information may be found from further exploration
of the links provided above, as well as those resulting from
the Google searches outlined below.

Searches done, via Google:

"pick your own apples" Atlanta
://www.google.com/search?q=%22pick+your+own+apples%22+Atlanta

---

Request for Answer Clarification by jatlanta-ga on 26 Oct 2006 07:21 PDT

The first number I called on the list, Rock Farm, was disconnected,
could you please find the correct number, and perhaps call to see what
is available this weekend (which was my main question)?  I did already
get through to Briar Patch and Palmetto.  Thank you very much.

---

Clarification of Answer by sublime1-ga on 26 Oct 2006 11:26 PDT

Based on your feedback, I did some more research and found that the
daughter of the family that runs Rock Farm has a website for her
business, Rockstaff Kennels. Her website indicates you can contact
her by leaving a message at the same number for Rock Farm, however
there is a recently added note:

"Please note we have just moved to the Gainesville, Fl. area. You
 can still reach me via the email address below."
http://www.rockstaffs.com/

So it seems they sold the farm and moved, and have yet to update
the main farm's website. If it seems worth it to you, you might
try phoning the daughter at the cell phone # she provides on that
page, to see if she knows the number for the new owners, and 
whether they are staying in the farming business and might be 
available to serve you this weekend.

I sent emails to both her email address and the email address
given for the farm itself, and will let you know if I hear back
from either of them, but it may be a long shot to count on a
positive response prior to this weekend.

sublime1-ga

Well, I did in fact get to go apple picking this weekend, but
honestly, the only reason why I'm not giving this answer one star is
beacause you followed up on my request for corrected information, sort
of.  The original response gave me the same information I gathered on
google in less than five minutes by searching for "apple picking
Atlanta GA."  I presume you did a similar simple google search, copied
and pasted some phone numbers, and stopped there.  For $10 I was
hoping that you would at least call some of the places to find out if
apples were still available.  In fact, the first number on the list
was out of service, so the information was clearly not verified. 
Since I had to call around myself to find which pick-your-own apple
places still had apples left, I really could have saved myself the
$10.  Enjoy it Google, because I don't expect that I will use Google
Answers again after this first try.

Apples might be out of season (especially if it has been cold enough
for a slight frost in that area).  The season usually starts in the
beginning of July.

P.S.  Unless Palmetto Farms does not answer their phones with a formal
greeting...770-463-1900 is a wrong number.