When to Harvest Apples

The question of when to harvest apples confuses many gardeners. And not because the question is complicated, but because everything seems to be clear. In fact, especially for winter varieties, not everyone can pick the fruits on time. Firstly, few people know what signs determine the ripeness of apples. Secondly, the harvesting time by day and by month is also a mystery to some. What many people don't know?

How to determine the ripeness of apples

First, information for the uninitiated. Determining when to put apples away for storage only makes sense for summer and autumn varieties. This is because early and mid-early varieties can be eaten immediately, late varieties only after some time. The latter, even collected on time, still remain green; they need time to ripen. The ripeness of the first two can be determined with an accuracy of several days. By what signs?

Sign 1. The color of fully ripened fruits will never be green, unless this is due to selection characteristics. Autumn apples can still be somewhat greenish in color, summer apples - never, they are either yellow, or red, or almost white, or several colors at once.

Sign 2. Brown or dark brown seed color.

Sign 3. The fruits break off with a slight force; there is no need to pull them so that the branch bends.

Sign 4. Carrion appears on the ground in a color corresponding to the variety, of good quality, that is, not rotten or damaged by disease.

Sign 5. If you press on an apple and release it, but the dent remains, the fruit is ripe. If it disappears immediately, the fruit is still green, the skin is torn - it is overripe.

Apart from external signs, you can determine whether a fruit is ripe or not using a “laboratory” method in your kitchen. The apple is cut in half, dipped for a minute or two in a solution of water (1 liter) and potassium iodide with iodine (1 gram each). If the pulp has turned bluish throughout its entire thickness, it is too early to harvest. If blueness appears only near the skin, it’s time. More about harvest time.

When to pick apples depending on the variety

This does not mean the varietal name itself, for example, Antonovka or White filling, but the seasonality of the fruit: summer apple, autumn or winter. In this regard, the questions of when to harvest apples in principle and when to remove apples for storage are two different mutually exclusive questions.

Nobody puts summer varieties into storage, because even in the most favorable conditions, apples from the summer harvest last for a maximum of a month, and then only if you’re lucky. They are collected in late July - early August only for immediate consumption. The most popular of the early varieties are: - “White filling” - “Papirovka” - “Candy” - “Anise” - “Grushovka Moskovskaya” - “Red early” - “Melba”

Autumn varieties are removed from the tree towards the end of summer. They are more “universal”, suitable both for eating and for storing for not very long-term storage, for approximately up to 3 months. When kept for a long time, the dense pulp becomes loose and is more suitable for puree. At the beginning of autumn you can already try apples: - “Streifling” - “Autumn Joy” - “Champion” - “Glory to the Winners” - “Mackintosh” - “Zhigulevskoe” - “Orlovskoe Striped”

Winter varieties for storing in storage are ideal varieties, and the question of when to pick apples for the winter is more than relevant. In this category, external signs of maturity do not “work.” To store them in a cellar or other place, apples are removed approximately in the first half of October, but before a significant cold snap begins and before carrion appears under the trees. Of the winter varieties that are well stored: - "Antonovka" - "Winter Lungwort" - "Orlik" - "Jonathan" - "Simirenko" - "Welsie" - "Antey" - "Aport"

In addition, winter varieties of apples are divided into 2 categories: those that are harvested a little earlier and those that are harvested last. Last of all, “Minskoe”, “Boyken”, “Zaslavskoe”, “Belarusian Senap” and “Idared” are removed. Regarding harvesting fruits for storage, it should be remembered that even if it is clear from day to day when to pick apples for the winter, one should not forget about the weather. Autumn harvesting work is carried out only in dry weather. In summer it is possible some time after the rain.

But these are all the “correct” rules. For winter varieties they are immutable. For autumn ones, they are desirable, if you have experience, they can be adjusted. For summer, this is more of a recommendation, since at the beginning of the season, when something is just appearing in the gardens, most people check the ripeness of the fruit by taste. And what is most correct, everyone decides for himself.

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The shelf life of apples depends primarily on the variety. For example, Antey and Belarusian sweet can last until January, Alesya and Pamyat Kovalenko - until March. But Imant, Verbnoye and Belorussky sinap can be eaten in June.

But these terms may vary depending on the time of harvest and storage conditions. If you pick apples ahead of time, they will lose their presentation much faster, if later, they will spoil faster. Therefore, it is very important to determine the correct period. This is not so difficult to do: as soon as you see that normal, non-wormy fruits begin to fall off the trees, prepare boxes, baskets or bags.

By the way, this time comes differently in different years. For example, this year we will have to pick apples later than usual: due to the cold, long spring, the fruiting dates have shifted slightly.

STAY IN TOUCH

When to pick apples this year

Late summer varieties (Kovalenkovskoe) - in early September. Autumn (Glory to the winners, Luchezarny, Orlik) - from September 5 to 10 Autumn-winter (Antonovka, Uelsi, Belorusskoe sweet, Antey, Minskoe, Nadzeiny) - from September 20 to 25. Late winter (Belarusian synap, Imant, Charavnitsa, Memory of Kovalenko, Memory of Subarova, Memory of Sikora, Zaslavskoye, Oryol garland, Verbnoye) - late September - early October. These dates are approximate. The harvest time also depends on the region (in the south of Belarus the harvest ripens earlier) and on the soil on which the trees grow. For example, apples ripen faster on light soils than on loams.

And don’t forget to collect carrion and rotten fruits.

Otherwise, the codling moth caterpillars from the wormy fruits will move “for the winter” into the soil or bark, and next year they will lay larvae, which will again begin to attack your trees.

By removing rotten fruit, you will reduce the risk of fruit rot.

To combat scab, you will need to spray the trees and fallen leaves (when they fall off) with a solution of urea (ammonium nitrate). To do this, 5 g of the product is diluted in 100 g of water.

CUT AND SAVE

How to collect?

To keep apples longer, they need to be picked together with the stems, and then carefully placed in boxes or baskets so that they do not break. During storage, apples with “bruises” will keep worse, but the most important thing is that the fruits that you are going to store for several months do not have skin damage. If such damage occurs, rot will certainly develop.

What should the temperature be?

Close to zero (approximately +1 degree) is considered optimal. If the room is warmer, the varietal shelf life will be shortened - at high temperatures, the overripening of fruits will accelerate. The best place is the basement.

NOTE FOR Cottage owner

How to feed trees

In autumn, fruit trees need to be fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. On average, you need 17 - 20 g of fertilizer (matchbox) per square meter. Take a close look at how developed the root system of your trees is. It is always wider than the crown.

By the way, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are good because you can’t overdo it with them. Even if you take more than you need, the trees will take exactly as much as they need, and leave the rest “in reserve.” Unlike nitrogen, for example. It is advisable to carry out such feeding once a year.

BY THE WAY

It is advisable to periodically check the soil for basic indicators: phosphorus, potassium, humus and acidity. This can be done in the laboratory of biochemistry and agrochemical analyzes of the Institute of Fruit Growing. They will determine what your soil lacks and tell you what fertilizers it needs. Such an examination costs about 12 thousand rubles, and for one element - about 3 thousand. For examination you need to bring about half a kilo of soil. Laboratory phone number: 506-62-19.

We thank the head of the fruit growing technology department of the Institute of Fruit Growing, Nadezhda Grigorievna KAPICHNIKOVA, for her help in preparing the material.

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This can be done in the fall using the preparations “Clearat” and “Storm”. It is better to do this at the end of October, when the grass dries and the minks are visible. In these holes or, for example, under a piece of slate, you need to put the dose indicated on the package. The same method can be used to fight water rats.

I just can’t keep track of the mint, it “scatters” all over the area...

Some herbaceous plants, such as ornamental pineapple mint, quickly grow in all directions. To limit growth, they are planted in a large tub or pot. A drainage hole is made in the bottom of the tub, then it is buried in the ground so that the edge of the container is flush with the soil. Fill the pot with compost or soil, compact the substrate and pour a layer of soil on top, hiding the edges of the container. You can do it even simpler - dig a 30 cm wide strip of galvanized sheet around the bush.

Harvesting apples and pears

, occurs depending on the variety and the period of their ripening, from our article you will learn:

• When to pick apples

• When to pick pears

• How to preserve fruits longer

• Table with shelf life of apples

need to pick apples

The easiest and surest way to determine when to pick apples

, is, of course, a taste test of the fruit; this works great with early varieties of apples, but it will be problematic to determine the ripeness of winter varieties by testing. The problem with determining by taste is due to the fact that the entire gamut of taste in winter varieties of apples, such as Jonathan, is fully revealed only after storing the apples in a dark, cool place. In this regard, apples of late varieties are divided into 2 categories:

• Apples suitable for picking

When to pick pears

Pear cleaning

, also a very imprecise matter,
the ripeness of a pear
depends on many factors, primarily on the weather; in dry and hot summers, the fruits ripen faster. As a rule, pear fruits are picked while still green and firm, and stored in a cool place or refrigerator, at a temperature of about 2°C, where they ripen and become soft. Pick pears of such varieties as green:

• Ilyinka
• Moscow
• Venus
• Elegant Efimova

prominent pear

Late ripe "Velas pear"

How to preserve apples longer

In order to store apples, you will need a dark, cool place with a temperature of 2-5C. Where to store apples? As a rule, apples are stored in wooden boxes, place the apples there carefully and leave them a little space, do not place them too closely, for storage choose only healthy, undamaged fruits that are a little greenish, below is a table, from which you will learn when to pick apples in what container and at what temperature to store.

Harvesting pear apples depends on the variety and the period of their ripening; from our article you will learn:

• When to pick apples

• When to pick pears

• How to preserve fruits longer

When to pick apples

Unfortunately, it’s hard to guess exactly when to pick apples.

It’s quite difficult, because it all depends on the variety and what kind of apples you like, a little sour or sweet. If you pick apples a little earlier than their ripening time, nothing bad will happen, but if you delay and let the apples begin to rot, it’s already bad. Because if there is a delay in assembly, storing apples or transporting them becomes problematic. Also, delay in harvesting can lead to problems with the next harvest because this can lead to inhibition of the formation of fruit buds. Early varieties of apples begin to be harvested already in July, and this process can continue until the last days of October.

The simplest and surest way to determine when to pick apples is, of course, to taste the fruit; this works great with early varieties of apples, but determining the ripeness of winter varieties by testing will be problematic. The problem with determining by taste is due to the fact that the entire gamut of taste in winter varieties of apples, such as Jonathan, is fully revealed only after storing the apples in a dark, cool place. In this regard, apples of late varieties are divided into 2 categories:

• Apples suitable for picking
• Apples suitable for consumption

When it is impossible to determine the ripeness of a fruit by taste, it is determined by the color of the apple. It is easiest to determine ripeness in red varieties; if you are not sure of the ripeness of the apple, try to remove it from the branch, this is done easily, this is a sign that the fruit is ready for harvest. Another good way to determine when to pick apples is by the color of the pits; ripe apples have brown pits.

When to pick pears

Harvesting a pear is also a very uncertain task; the ripeness of a pear depends on many factors, primarily on the weather; in dry and hot summers, the fruits ripen faster. As a rule, pear fruits are picked while still green and firm, and stored in a cool place or refrigerator, at a temperature of about 2°C, where they ripen and become soft. Pick pears of such varieties as green:

• Ilyinka
• Moscow
• Venus
• Elegant Efimova

For late-ripening pears such as: “ prominent pear

“The methods for determining ripeness are similar; the pear gives a signal that the time for picking the fruit has come by yellowing the skin. But with this variety of pear, the approach to harvesting is different; you cannot harvest the fruits all at once, since this variety does not last long.

Late ripe "Velas pear"

can boast of its exquisite taste, which is in no way inferior to southern varieties of pears, and it can be stored longer, up to 3 months. In hot weather, this variety does not feel very good, so if there are problems, you can safely remove the pears and put them in storage.

How to store apples

In order to store apples, you will need a dark, cool place with a temperature of 2-5C. Where to store apples? As a rule, apples are stored in wooden boxes, place the apples there carefully and leave them a little space, do not place them too closely, for storage choose only healthy, undamaged fruits, a little greenish, below is a table, from which you will learn when to pick apples in what container and at what temperature to store

Apple storage table

Apples are recognized as one of the most beneficial foods for human health. It would be great if we could consume them not only in late summer and autumn, but throughout the entire calendar year. Healthy foods become especially important during vitamin deficiency in winter and spring. But in order to preserve fruit for such a long period, certain requirements must be met.

Variety selection

Winter apple varieties have a persistent, rich aroma and pleasant taste. Such fruits ripen in mid-autumn, when the harvest of other fruits has already been harvested. These apples have good shelf life and can remain fresh and tasty until spring. Late-ripening varieties contain many useful substances, including B vitamins, pectin, vit. C and other compounds necessary for the body. Varieties for winter storage:

1. Simirenko - light green skin, the flesh is somewhat hard after harvesting. But after 2-3 months it becomes softer.
2. Bogatyr is a light green apple with a scarlet “blush”. The skin turns yellowish during storage.
3. Sinap Orlovsky has a greenish skin, but over time, when fully ripe, it turns a little pink.
4. McIntosh are fruits with soft pulp, so their shelf life is lower than that of other varieties; they are stored until mid-winter.
5. Jonathan - deep red, elongated fruits, this variety is also called the “Oslam apple”.
6. Antey is a variety of Belarusian selection, a green apple with a “blush”, covered with a coating similar to wax. Lasts until spring.
7. Red Delicious – Intense red skin, does not lose freshness in the cellar until spring.
8. Alesya is a Belarusian selection, the fruits are similar to the Antey variety, the keeping quality is high, they can remain fresh until summer, full maturity occurs 2-3 months after harvest.
9. Antonovka are tasty fruits, but they cannot last until spring. There is no point in sending a lot of them for storage, since their maximum freshness period is until mid-winter.

On a note! It is important to harvest the apples on time so that the harvest period is not disrupted. During the winter, the tree must have time to accumulate nutrients, and the fruits hang on the branches until mid-autumn. When harvesting is delayed, next year the harvest volume may decrease.

When to remove apples for storage?

The freshness of apples is influenced by many factors:

• weather during the ripening period;
• age of fruit trees;
• variety;
• growing conditions;
• harvest time;
• storage conditions.

It is very important to choose the right varieties of apples, and not rely on the fact that any apple will be able to preserve well. If the rules are followed, the fruits retain their quality characteristics from three to nine months.

In this regard, Antonovka vulgaris, Melba, Autumn striped, Wellsie, Izanninitsa, Penin, Mayak, Aurora Crimean, Orange, Bogatyr, and Olimpiyskoe have proven themselves well.

One of the most important requirements is choosing the optimal harvest time. Apples picked on time are not only fully formed, but also more resistant to diseases and can be stored for a long time. Readiness for harvesting is determined visually.

Picking maturity is determined by the clearly defined color characteristic of each variety and the achievement of maximum fruit size. During this period, the skin of the fruit and the pulp become less dense, the aroma and taste intensify. Apples can be removed from the branches without any difficulty. The first fallen apples are a signal of full ripening of the crop.

Collect starting from the lower branches, gradually moving to the upper ones. Fruit must be picked in stable, dry weather. At the same time, the stalk is not removed and the natural wax coating is not erased. The picked fruits are not thrown away, but carefully placed in containers prepared for this purpose. Picked apples should not be kept in the open sun; they should be placed in a cool place.

Falling apples are already overripe and are unsuitable for long-term storage. They should be consumed fresh as soon as possible or dried or subjected to any preservation methods.

Harvesting

There are varieties that are harvested at the beginning of ripening and varieties that are harvested after ripening. The first include: Melba, Anthea, Banana, Mantet, Belarusian Raspberry, White filling. The following varieties are harvested when ripe: Antonovka vulgaris, Boyken, Kastela. Fruits of early varieties should be picked gradually

.

How to preserve apples longer? Preservation of the natural waxy coating is one of the important conditions when collecting. For harvesting, you need to choose dry, not rainy days. You need to start collecting from the bottom tier of the tree. Without touching the fruits themselves, they must be removed using “unscrewing” movements, preserving the stalk.

Sorting and sizing are important for good preservation

. Each variety has its own storage characteristics, so you should put the sorted fruits in different boxes. You can stick pieces of paper on the boxes with the name of the variety.

The larger the fruit, the more ethylene it emits, thereby accelerating the ripening and spoilage of small fruits, so calibrated apples are also placed in different containers according to caliber.

Fruits should also be sorted by quality. Set aside damaged, wormy, bruised or spoiled apples. How to store apples in winter

? Cover the boxes with paper, place the sorted and calibrated apples with the stems down to avoid scratches and damage. After picking and placing in containers, the fruits should be allowed to cool for 12-24 hours.

Then you can bring them into a pre-prepared room. Boxes can be placed in plastic bags. Polyethylene does not allow moisture to pass through, almost does not allow oxygen to pass through, and carbon dioxide passes through well, so the fruits do not lose weight for a long time.

Apples cannot be stored together with other fruits or vegetables.

: potatoes, onions, carrots, etc. This causes apples to spoil faster, acquire a starchy taste, and potatoes sprout due to excess moisture.

Where is the best place to store apples? If you don’t have a basement, the following method for storing apples will do. Place the sorted fruits in 1.5 kg plastic bags. Dig a trench or hole to a frost-free depth. Usually this is about 50 cm. Bags of fruit should be placed in a hole, covered with earth, and marked. Cover with branches and leaves. According to reviews, the fruits are preserved very well this way.

In a city apartment, where there is neither a basement nor a small plot of land

, there is the following method. You need to fill a plastic bag to the middle with apples, tie it tightly and cut a hole 10 cm in diameter in the middle of the bag. You can store it in an apartment, in a warm garage, on a balcony or in a storage room.

Place and conditions

To preserve fruits at home, cold storage rooms, cellars, attics or basements are used.

The room in which you plan to store the fruits should be prepared. It is important that the room is perfectly clean: it is recommended to disinfect and whitewash the walls in the cellar or basement. Shelves, drawers, containers, pallets must be thoroughly washed and dried before placing fruit in them. There should be no foreign odors in the storage, as apples absorb foreign odors. To the point that the storage of apples and pears should ideally be isolated from each other.

The room is ventilated for several days in advance. According to GOST, there should be an optimal temperature in the range from -1 to +4 degrees with a relative air humidity of up to 95%. The high level of humidity in storage prevents intense evaporation of moisture from the fruit.

If there are only a few apples, you can store them in the refrigerator at home. There they will remain fresh for a long time. Before putting them in the refrigerator, fruits should not be washed, this will protect them from mold. To protect apples from premature spoilage, healthy fruits should not be stored together with damaged ones. It is necessary to place fruits away from other foods so that they do not absorb odors.

It is best to package them in 1-5 kg ​​bags in cling film, making sure to make holes in each resulting bag so that the apples can breathe. If it is necessary to ripen unripe apples as quickly as possible, they are placed in a paper bag. One package should contain apples of only one variety and ripening period.

For farms specializing in growing fruit crops, or for large farms, it is ideal to use refrigerated containers for storing fruits. Such equipment not only maintains the required temperature and humidity. Such containers ensure gentle transportation even over very long distances.

Home conditions

? For good preservation of apples, it is necessary to create optimal storage conditions, follow the rules for picking fruit and the rules for storing apples. The storage area should be dark and cool

. It must have optimal temperature and humidity.

It is the maintenance of constant temperature and humidity that distinguishes storage in industrial storage facilities from. Under no circumstances should there be differences in these indicators.

The optimal storage temperature is different for different varieties. It is necessary to ensure temperature support from 0 degrees to +5 degrees, and air humidity at 85-95%. The room should be well ventilated

. This is necessary in order to ventilate the ethylene gas released by apples, which accelerates the ripening of apples and reduces shelf life.

Even before storing apples, you need to take care of preparing the premises and containers. The walls need to be whitewashed, and the floor should preferably be treated with iron sulfate. Choose containers that are clean, dry, and free of foreign odors.

. What is the best way to store apples? Wooden or cardboard boxes, wooden containers, wooden racks are suitable.

The optimal volume of such containers is 20-25 kg. If the container is too bulky, the upper layers of fruit put pressure on the lower ones, thereby reducing their quality indicators.

Technology and other subtleties

For long-term storage, clean, blemish-free, medium-sized fruits with a rich color are selected. It should be noted that larger fruits ripen faster: they can be stored for no more than one to two months. When putting it into containers, this should be taken into account and the fruits should be packaged, distributing them by size.

In preparation for laying, it is necessary to carry out treatment to prevent the occurrence of rot and mold. For this purpose, use aqueous solutions of iodinol or salicylic acid, keeping apples in them for some time. A protective film for fruit can be made using glycerin. A cloth napkin is soaked in this product and the apples are wiped with it.

Effective treatment of fruits with a composition that includes the following ingredients:

• water (35%);
• crystalline iodine (2.5%);
• potassium iodide (7%);
• starch (53%);
• baking soda (2%).

Apples are immersed in this mixture for one to two minutes and then dried. This composition forms a thin protective film that completely covers the fruit.

To keep the fruits until spring, they can also be treated with chemicals. The most popular in our time is sodium pyrosulfate, which, thanks to the emitted sulfur dioxide, protects fruits from spoilage.

In winter, it is advisable to keep fruits in medium-sized wooden boxes or cardboard boxes. The gaps between the slats of wooden boxes should be minimal. It will be correct to arrange the fruits with different materials. For this purpose, dry shavings of deciduous trees, oak leaves or dried moss are used. Modern technologies for this offer cling film or special packaging wrapping for products. Fruits with particularly thin and delicate peels can be wrapped in paper napkins, which are pre-soaked in Vaseline.

Under no circumstances should apples be covered with straw, since when the apples begin to spoil, the straw itself will become moldy and give the apples an unpleasant taste.

It is possible to place apples on shelves or racks in 2 layers. In this case, the layers are covered with matting, dry peat chips, sawdust or wood leaves.

For long-term storage, dug holes are also used. Their approximate depth is 50 cm. In severe cold climates, the hole should be made deeper. The apples are placed in plastic bags and carefully tied, then placed in a hole. To protect the fruits from rodents, the pit and bags are lined with spruce paws or juniper branches, after which the pit is buried.

To preserve the pure apple flavor, apples should not be kept near vegetables.

For the first 10-20 days, the storage should be ventilated so that carbon dioxide released by the fruit does not accumulate. The apples are periodically inspected, sorting out spoiled specimens.

Before consumption, apples are brought to a warmer place and the ambient temperature is slowly increased. This will keep the apples looking beautiful.

Procedure for removing apples from a tree

• Apple varieties intended for winter storage are removed from the trees very, very carefully, avoiding pressure on the fruit and bruising it. Make sure that no mechanical damage occurs on top of the skin.
• If possible, the fruits are removed from the trees with the entire palm, and the fruit is not pulled down, as many are accustomed to doing, but as if unscrewed, turning it around its axis.
• If you are going to store the apples longer, then the fruit must be burned to retain its stalk. As soon as the fruit is in your hands, do not rush to throw it away, but carefully, gently and softly place it in a basket or bucket, in the container that you have prepared for collection.

Important! When placing apples taken from the tree into a basket and subsequently transferring them to a permanent storage place, under no circumstances should you pour the fruits; do it manually in the same way as you removed them from the trees. This procedure is necessary in order not to beat the apples and not damage their peel. It is also worth noting that the waxy coating on apples does not need to be removed, because it will preserve your fruits for longer, preventing it from becoming moldy and rotten.

In the process of re-transferring apples for winter storage, we recommend inspecting the fruits a second time. Undamaged fruits, clean and dry, will last much longer than beaten fruits and damaged by diseases and pests. When using a special tool (fruit picker) to remove apples from trees, be extremely careful with it, since although this tool is intended for removing fruits from trees, it can still damage the delicate skin of the apple. On our website you can also find varieties of winter apples, photos with names and detailed instructions for growing them.

Storage space for winter apple varieties

If you have a large country house, then, as a rule, winter varieties of apples can be stored in basements and cellars. It is worth noting that the room where the fruits will be stored must be dry, free of odors and mold, and at least somehow ventilated.

It is best if the apples are stored in places where there are no vegetables, potatoes for the winter and various pickles. The most optimal room temperature for long-term storage is considered to be from 0 to 2 degrees.

If you have a large storage room, then apples can be stored on shelves, in drawers or special racks. In this case, apples must be laid in rows in one layer. When laying out any cushioning material, the fruits do not require any; the only thing you can do is separate them from each other, for example, using tabs made of cardboard. If opportunities allow, you can wrap each fruit in special paper.

Interesting: How to store apples in the basement

Factors influencing the shelf life of fruits

• Autumn types of apples are removed from the trees when their skin begins to acquire a characteristic color for the variety or when the seeds turn dark brown (usually this occurs at the end of September, beginning of October). If the fruits are removed from the tree very early or, on the contrary, late, they will be stored worse and become more mealy.
• Winter types of apples are usually picked at the end of October, mid-November. The harvest time coincides with their maturity. During this period of time, late varieties will be still tough and, one might say, tasteless (unedible). After storage time, the fruits will “reach” and become fully ripened; it is at this moment that the apples will acquire their characteristic taste for the variety. One of the signs of the onset of fruit removal of late varieties is when in the morning under the tree you find from 4 to 6 apples on the ground, without any damage - pest diseases.

If you have a large country house, then, as a rule, winter varieties of apples can be stored in basements and cellars. It is worth noting that the room where the fruits will be stored must be dry, free of odors and mold, and at least somehow ventilated.

Common problems

Most often the following happens:

• the fruits of many varieties of apple trees are exposed to various diseases during long-term storage;
• if the temperature regime is not observed and stored at high temperatures, apples develop bitter pitting;
• high humidity in storage, too late harvesting can cause metabolic disorders and lead to browning of the pulp;
• During long-term storage, internal decay occurs, intercellular connections are disrupted, and the apples become lethargic and loose.

One of the common causes of these and other diseases is a lack of calcium in fruits. This can be prevented by treating fruit trees in advance with an aqueous solution of calcium chloride.

Before storing for storage, it is possible to treat the fruits themselves with the solution. To do this, the fruit is immersed in a solution (10 liters of water and 400 g of calcium chloride) for 1 minute and dried thoroughly.

Having apples in our diet all year round is quite possible if all the suggested recommendations are correctly followed.

To learn how to store apples for the winter, watch the video below.

There is no crop more popular among gardeners than apples. It’s rare that a garden doesn’t grow these bright and juicy fruits, rich in vitamins and microelements. It would seem that harvesting apples is a simple matter. But in order for the fruits to be stored longer, you need to properly harvest the apples and take into account a number of features. I'll tell you about them.

Characteristics and description of the variety

The Bogatyr variety was registered in the State Register in 1971. It is zoned in the Central, Central Black Earth, North-Western and Volga-Vyatka regions. The variety was bred from Antonovka vulgaris and Reneta landsbergensis. Refers to late winter, apples can be stored until mid-April. Table purpose.

Description of the Bogatyr variety:

• tall tree (above 4 m);
• the crown is round or conical, sparse but spreading;
• Fruiting occurs on ringlets, less often on last year's growth.

Apples of the Bogatyr variety are medium and above average in size, weight 126 g (some are 300 g), flat-round shape, wide base, highly ribbed surface. The funnel is very rusty. The peduncle is strong. The skin of apples is greenish-yellow when picked, light yellow when stored. Under the skin there are large grayish-white subcutaneous dots. The apple pulp is dense, crisp, fine-grained, white, slightly juicy. The taste of the fruit is sweet and sour, marked as good.

The characteristics of the Bogatyr apple tree indicate:

• average winter hardiness;
• low precociousness;
• annual high yield;
• fruit uniformity;
• average resistance to scab.

The yield of 9-14 year old apple trees is 60 kg, 12-17 year old apple trees are 80-100 kg. You can pick apples in late September - early October. Shelf life is until the middle of next spring. The Bogatyr variety is self-sterile; pollinating apple trees should grow next to the tree. Spartan, Northern Synap, Melba, Zhigulevskoe and Streifling are well suited.

When to Harvest

It is customary to divide apple varieties into three groups:

• summer varieties;
• autumn varieties;
• winter varieties.

When it's time to harvest your apples depends on the variety of apples grown on your property. In addition, it also depends on your goals. Thus, the harvest of summer varieties is consumed immediately. Apple picking begins in mid-August, and their shelf life is low, no more than a month. Autumn varieties are harvested from late August - early September; the harvest can be stored for up to 4 months. True, by the end of the storage period the apple pulp becomes loose. Winter varieties are the most shelf-stable. They are collected from the end of September - mid-October; they are not suitable for food straight from the branch. The harvest of winter varieties ripens as they are stored and can be stored until spring.

Long-term storage - how to choose the “right” apples

Not all apples are suitable for storage, especially long-term storage. This depends largely, of course, on the degree of maturity of the fruit, which is discussed in the next chapter, and, first of all, on the apple tree varieties themselves.

Summer apple varieties are not suitable for storage

And they, as you know, are divided into 3 types, the names of which and brief descriptions, including an assessment of suitability for storage, are as follows:

• Summer varieties. Most apples are fully ripe in August. Then it is possible to eat already ripe fruits. Apples of these varieties are not suitable for storage. Their huge harvest is always processed in all known ways.
• Autumn. The period of full ripening occurs in September. Suitable for storage, but not for long - 2-3 months. Moreover, only those fruits that are harvested slightly unripe will be stored. They will acquire taste and aroma as they sit. From mid-winter, stored apples usually begin to spoil.
• Winter. The ripening period occurs in October, but due to lower temperatures and shorter daylight hours, the fruits may not have time to ripen. They will remain excessively hard and sour, making them unsuitable for consumption, but they can be stored well. After two months of storage, they acquire the aroma and taste characteristic of the variety. If you create optimal storage conditions for apples in winter, they can even last until next summer. In the southern regions, where they ripen earlier and completely, when these varieties need to be stored, they are collected very unripe, so that they are still hard and sour.

As can be seen from the above description, only late varieties of apples are suitable for storage: autumn and winter. And they all gather in the fall. Some of the most popular and most widely grown fall and winter varieties are listed below. A short description will also be attached to them.

How to determine the ripeness of apples

The indicated periods are very arbitrary. The ripeness of apples is affected by air temperature and humidity, tree care, and summer aridity. Therefore, it is necessary to be able to correctly determine the ripeness of apples. I'll teach you how to do it. If harvested early, the taste of the apples will deteriorate. If apples are left on the branches too long, they will taste mealy and the flesh will turn brown. There are several ways to determine the ripeness of apples:

• Carrion. If there are large apples among the fallen apples, the harvest is ripe.
• Press down on the apple with your thumb. If the dent disappears, the apples are not ripe. If the skin splits under your finger, you are late in harvesting. If the dent does not level out, start picking the fruit.
• Tasting. The ripe fruit is bright and even in color, without darkening on the skin. The pulp is light, sweet and sour. The seeds are dark brown.
• Chemical method. Prepare a solution of water, potassium iodide and iodine. Drop the solution onto the cut of the apple and observe the reaction for a couple of minutes. Iodine reacts with starch, which is abundant in unripe apples; the amount of starch decreases as they ripen. If the cut turns blue, the fruits are not ripe. A yellow cut indicates that the harvest has been over-exposed. Blue border of the cut with a yellow core - start harvesting.

There are specially prepared chemical kits on sale for conducting a test based on the latter option.

How to harvest

Any gardener knows how to properly harvest apples. The second half of the day is suitable for this work. Wait for warm sunny weather, without precipitation. It is important to follow this rule when collecting winter varieties. Start picking apples from the lower branches, gradually working your way up. To reach the apples growing on the upper branches, special devices will help, for example, a hook for bending branches or a special structure for collecting apples, similar to a net. On the southern side of the tree, apples will ripen faster by two to three days. Pick the apples carefully, including the stem, and try not to damage the tree branches. Remember that only healthy fruits are suitable for storage, without dents, damage or wormholes.

How to store the harvest

To preserve your apple harvest, prepare wooden boxes with ventilation holes. Treat them with a solution of potassium permanganate and dry thoroughly in the sun. Then place clean sheets of paper on the bottom. Place apples in boxes immediately after picking, without leaving them in the sun. The fruits should not be washed in order to leave the matte film intact, protecting them from rotting. Leave the boxes in a cool, ventilated area. Maintain the temperature to 5 degrees, do not allow freezing. Systematically sort through the apples and remove rotten and spoiled specimens.

I hope in this article I answered all the questions about the fall apple harvest. Have a bountiful harvest!