Apple Harvesting and Storage in October

A summer’s sunshine, a gentle sloping southern-facing yard or garden location, successful cross-pollination and the genetics of the graft elements of cultivar and rootstock will all play their part in determining the timing of the ripeness of apples.

Many Malus domestica (apple) fruit trees grown in containers, yards, and home orchards will have had a summer ‘drop’ of apples. With the changing season into Fall, windfall apples may be a daily occurrence. Yet apples will remain on trees into October which is considered the height of apple harvest, a focus of community-based celebrations. Here’s a harvesting and storing apples in October guide for fruit gardeners growing their own culinary or cooking apples or dessert apples at home.

Apple Ripeness Test

In some temperate areas, the month of October can bring increased rain, possible frost and threat of snow as well as a few mornings or afternoon of autumn sun. Clearance of windfall apples on a regular basis, ideally each day if possible, will allow for mildly bruised and intact culinary apples to be used in home cooking.

Fruit on apples trees in October can be tested for ripeness by gently twisting the apple to one side when holding the individual apple in the palm of a hand from underneath. If the apple comes away from the spur or tip readily, then this is a good-looking ripe apple ready for the saucepan. Gardeners need to take extra care when testing for apple ripeness while standing on a ladder near the apple tree.

Apple Harvest Equipment

An apple picking bucket should be used if intending to harvest apples from one or more trees or for more than 15 minutes. Even with a shoulder sling to hold the apple picking bucket in place, apple pickers need to take care not to hurt their backs with the weight and repetition. Regular stops to empty the bucket and stretching can guard against poor posture. An alternative choice for the apple harvest is to buy a canvas cotton/linen or knitted apple picking tote or make your own tote design.

Apple pickers not wishing to climb ladders to reach those higher ripe fruits can use a variety of cutting/pruning equipment with netting to collect and catch the apple harvest.

Storing Apples After October Harvest

Serious apple growers may purchase stackable wooden apple racks that will save space, keep the home-grown apples into winter and look elegant in the home. Less sophisticated apple storage solutions include thick cardboard boxes and plastic stackable crates.

A cool and consistent temperature of around 2.5 to 4.5 degrees Celsius and darkness will keep apples from the October harvest stored well. Temperatures above 7 degrees Celsius (in an attic or loft space) will lead to premature rotting.

Areas where there are strong chemical smells such as car maintenance products and paints should be avoided. A clean unused area of a garage, utility room or outbuilding, guaranteed vermin-free, would be ideal for storage this year’s harvest of home-grown apples.

With excellent storage, dessert apple cultivars such as ‘Pixie’, ‘Winston’ and ‘Idared’ can be stored for six months after harvest. Popular cooking or culinary apples such as ‘Grenadier’ stored well for up to a month and ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ and ‘Blenheim Orange’ for around four months.

Home apple growers can research their apple cultivars, grown in orchards, as container plants or in open yards and gardens by asking their local fruit tree nurseries, garden centres and gardening clubs or searching online to find out maximum storage times.