From: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
To: NAFEX List <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [NAFEX] Picking apples
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 2009 11:02:50 -0500
I just picked my late apples, so it won't apply this year, but I was
wondering how other people do it (specifically, those with backyard
orchards). This is my first year with fruit, and we're getting unusually
cold weather this weekend. The forecast was for temperatures dropping to
the mid-20s, but you never really know if the forecast is going to be
accurate.
So I went ahead and picked my late apples on Friday, though one variety
(Goldrush) seems to be pretty green yet. Well, I tend to like green
apples even better than ripe ones, so that's no problem. And I don't yet
have a ton of fruit, anyway. But I want to store what I do have, and I
was worried that it might get cold enough to damage the apples. As I
say, you never really know how could it WILL get.
And will apples continue to ripen on the tree if the leaves have been
frozen? Or at that point, would they ripen just as well after being
picked? Admittedly, apple leaves seem to be able to take pretty cold
weather (judging from my experiences last year, when the leaves lasted a
long time).
Anyway, I'm not sure what I'm asking here. Just wondering how other
people decide when to pick late apples, when the weather doesn't seem to
be cooperating (these were probably slower than usual this year, due to
our remarkably cool weather the last few months).
Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)
--
Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo's birthday. - Malia
Obama
[NAFEX] Picking apples,
William C. Garthright, 10/10/2009