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Knowing when to harvest enhances apple crop

Media contact:

Robert E. Thomas
Information Specialist
University of Missouri Cooperative Media Group
Phone: 573-882-2480
E-Mail: thomasr@missouri.edu

Published: Monday, September 28, 2009

Story source:

Michele R. Warmund, 573-882-9632

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Knowing the right time to harvest apples enhances and preserves their flavor and quality, said a University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.

“The most important factor influencing harvest is temperature throughout the growing season,” said Michele Warmund. Unusually cool temperatures have slightly delayed this year’s harvest.

Other factors include the number of apples the tree produces. The fewer apples on the tree, the more rapidly the fruit matures. A heavy crop will delay the harvest date.

“Fruit harvested too early is small with hard flesh and will taste starchy,” Warmund said. “Overly mature fruit will have a dark, dull color with a greasy peel.”

The time to harvest apples also depends on their intended use. Homeowners can leave their apples on the tree longer than those harvesting for a retail or wholesale market.

Apples that stay on the tree longer are sweeter and softer. Fruit to be shipped long distance require earlier harvesting so that the apples are firmer and less susceptible to bruising during transport.

Nursery catalogs often list the days to maturity for peak bloom and may have charts that present a range of harvest dates based on location.

Another indicator of apple maturity is peel color, which changes from green to yellow as the fruit matures.

For apples that are primarily red in color, look for the color change on the side of the apple that has not been exposed to sunlight, Warmund said.

Nitrogen also can influence color, so use color change in conjunction with other indicators such as flesh firmness and sugar and starch content.

Evaluate firmness and sugar and starch content by tasting the fruit. When the peel starts to change from green to yellow, pick two apples on opposite sides of the tree at about shoulder height. As you bite into the fruit, assess the flesh firmness and sweetness. If you detect starchy flavors, sample the fruit five to seven days later.

When the taste is acceptable to your palate, harvest the apples and refrigerate them immediately.

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For more information, see the MU Extension publication “Home Fruit Production: Apples” (G6021), available for purchase or free download at http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6021.