Harvesting Apples

Did you know apples are grown in all fifty states?  Did you know the pilgrims planted the first apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the crabapple is the only apple native to North America?  Did you know apples were exported from America as early as 1768?  Did you know Pennsylvania produces only four per cent of those grown, Washington State is tops, with fifty-eight per cent?  Did you know the yearly, per capita apple consumption is twenty one pounds, compared with Europeans at forty-six?  Did you know apple picking season is under way?  Whether you are a backyard orchardist or will make a fun journey to pick your own, here is some information to help you pick quality apples.

In our region, some varieties, like the Yellow Transparent, ripen early, usually mid-July.  For the most part, the best selection starts around Labor Day through October.  It is important to know when a particular apple is generally ready to pick.  Most nursery catalogs and Extension guides can give you an idea, but yearly variations in weather, temperature, and sunlight make dates an estimate.  Mature fruit is different than ripe fruit.  Maturity means that the apple is finished developing.  Ripe means it is at its peak for flavor and texture.  We have all mistakenly bitten into a beautiful looking apple only to find it is green, hard, and sour.  For those who want to hold apples in storage, mature, but not fully ripe fruit is goal.  They will maintain their taste and texture better.  For eating, cooking, and baking, ripe fruit is best.  It is far from an exact science, but here are some tips to help guide your harvest:

Know the kind of apple.  Macintosh are ready earlier than a Red Delicious.  So be aware of the general harvest times.  Each variety of apple has specific characteristics, size, skin color, texture and taste.

Look at the skin color.  Immature apples are green.  If a specific apple by nature is mostly red, and still green, you know they aren’t ready.  Look at the ground color, which is the indented area by the stem.  The lighter yellow-green color, the chances are the apple is mature.  This does not work on all red apples.  Generally, and more so on later varieties, the seed coat will change to a dark brown.  Firm, but not hard flesh is another indicator of readiness.  There is a subjective test of taste.  When an apple is ready, there will be a pronounced fullness in flavor and sweetness.

Once an apple is ready, it still has to be picked and stored.  Most of all though, it has to be enjoyed.  For more information on picking and storing, the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County have the publication packet “Harvesting Apples.”  Please contact us at 570-963-6842 or email: LackawannaMG@psu.edu and request a free copy.

Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Extension - Lackawanna County

Pruning Fruit Trees

Late February and March are the best times to prune apple trees in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Prune peach trees in early April. Here are some basic rules that will help produce a healthy tree and quality apples.

•Remove all dead or diseased wood.
•Remove limbs that cross over and rub other limbs.
•Remove shoots that grow straight up.
•Remove low growing branches that will touch the ground when they bend with the weight of fruit.
•Reduce the density of the tree by removing shoots and branches at their base to open the tree up to allow sunlight and air movement in. The more light a branch gets the more fruit it will produce.
•Reduce the number of fruit spurs on spur type trees that have a history of setting too much fruit.
•Keep the top of the tree from overgrowing and overshadowing the lower branches. This can be accomplished by cutting the leader back to a smaller side shoot.

If you had fire blight in your tree last year, like I did, prune when the temperature is below 45 degrees to prevent spreading the blight. Remove the limb at least 8” below the infected area.

For more information contact your local cooperative extension office. In Lackawanna County call 963-6842 and ask for the Garden Helpline or email LackawannaMG@psu.edu


John Esslinger, Extension Educator
Penn State Cooperative Extension
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