Time to start harvesting apples

mildew, aphids, apple scab, codling moth, apple maggots, fireblight and blackspot. Easy really.

Apples come to ripeness at different times of the late summer to early autumn. Knowing your variety is important in knowing the likely harvesting time. This havesting time can be variable from place to place and year on year. The general rule is if you cup the apple in your hand and gentle twist and it comes free from the tree it is ripe. That said your timing in windy Ireland can be a little earlier than that as a night of gales can windfall the whole tree before the apples reach this stage. This will cause bruising to the fruit and lay it vunerable to slug and worm damage on the ground.

Most modern varieties of apple don’t store well in the domestic situation. Commercially apples are stored in chill rooms with a controlled atmosphere to inhibit the production of ethylene by the apple hence slowing ripening. This method can hold apples for six months or more. Cellars were used in older times but these apples would produce a waxy almost greasy covering on the skin and lose their crispness. With supermarkets constantly supplying us with fresh apples all year round apple storing is a dwindling art.

I would recommend eating apples when fresh or stewing and freezing. But if you are growing an apple suitable for storing, like the cooker Bramley seedling, adhere to the following guidelines as closely as possible.

Only store the heathiest undamaged fruit. Store in a dark dry place. Try to store at a cool temperature 5 degrees centigrade is recommeded and the salad draw of your fridge can be used for small amounts for this purpose. Try to store the fruit so they are not touching one another, wrapping each apple individually in news paper was an old fashion method and then boxing in cardboard. Check frequently, particularly if the fruit is touching, for rotten fruit. As we are all aware one rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel.