Now is the first time you should start to consider harvesting your apples, they need harvesting in early autumn which is the last of the dying summer sunshine and just before the winter frosts set in and ruin the crop. So harvesting and storing your apples well, will mean you will be able to enjoy your apples throughout the whole of winter.

What should you do:

• In early September start picking your apples which is when they are at their most ripe and are pluck able easily from their tree by only needing to place you cupped hand under the apple, gently lifting and twisting once.

• Look closely at each apple you have picked and check for insects or bruising before cleaning them off with a cloth.

• Should there be any slight insect damage in the skin of the apple it is usually harmless, however, don’t attempt to store any fruit that is bruised because they will start to rot and will infect the others.

• After wrapping your apples within newspaper, put them on a shelf.
The variety of apple will determine the length of time the apples can be stored for. Generally speaking those apples that tend to ripen later in the year will tend to store better for longer periods of time than the earlier season’s varieties such as the ‘Discovery’ once this apple is picked it must be eaten immediately.

Keep your apples in a cool, but frost-free temperature, it will help them to store for many weeks even through the winter months. Either a garage or a well built garden shed would be good storage places for your apples.