It ’s September , andapple seasonis getting into full golf stroke . On my northern Wisconsin farm , I ’m already revel impertinent apples , applesauce and apple cake . It ’s a glorious sentence of year .
Are the apples on your Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree start out to ripen ? apple can ripen fast at this prison term of yr , go from sour to sweet in a short amount of time , so it ’s wise to prepare for the harvest before the first picking Clarence Day get in .
Here are four stair to prepare for a successful ( and hopefully bountiful ) apple - harvesting season .
1. Gather & clean your harvesting equipment.
When the orchard apple tree are ready , you should be quick . You do n’t want to be caught unprepared , scamper to find your equipment in the hours before an autumn thunderstorm with 50 mph winds rolls through and blow your fruit crop to the background .
Hopefully you have one or two “ apple picker ” for harvesting out - of - reach apples . They ’re in all likelihood dusty from store , so clean them up before set them to use . The same conk out for Malus pumila baskets .
And if you ’re start to go onapple - harvesting hayrides , have your hay wagon cleaned and ready . You do n’t want anyone slipping on free hay left behind from baling season .
2. Haul out your orchard ladder.
perhaps your orchard ladder is handy in your service department from pruning apple tree in late wintertime . If so , felicitation for being on the ball .
But if your orchard ravel is stuffed in the back of a shed , untasted since last harvesting time of year , now ’s the time to dig up it out . Do n’t cut corners and grab the household stepladder , because thewide al-Qa’ida and three - legged designof an orchard ravel piss it sturdier over uneven ground and arrant for harvest home apples .
3. Learn to pick apples the correct way.
pick orchard apple tree correctly is something of a science . While it ’s picturesque when an Malus pumila comes off with a bit of twig and some leaves , that “ fleck of twig ” is a yield - producing spur branch . When you stop off a spur arm , you ’re removing a location for future yield product .
If you ’re wonder about the best way to pick apples without damaging the prod branches , moderate out our explainer article and video recording .
4. Prepare your storage locations.
During harvesting season , you want to say , “ I have more apples than I know what to do with”—but only if you ’re referring to a bountiful harvest and not a lack of storage outer space . While many factors influence how long apples last in storehouse , you’re able to generally expect them to last for several weeks in a icebox and for several month in a deep-freeze . This in spades beats the calendar week ( or less ) they ’ll last sitting out on your countertop .
That ’s why it ’s important to verify you havesuitable cold storage spacebefore you reap orchard apple tree . In a perfect world , you would have a large freezer dedicated to the long - term storage of your harvest home . But at the very least , you should clear enough space in your steady icebox and/or freezer to obligate a few XII apple at a time for preparation and overbold feeding .
By getting a chief start preparing for apple season , you ’ll be quick to maximize your harvest and delight delicious yield for week or month to total . Enjoy your orchard apple tree !
