Plants A–Z
Apple
Malus domestica · Get to know the fruit, the harvest and the questions that arise along the way.
Tomasgreen · 1 min read
An apple tree gives you something to follow throughout the season. As the fruit becomes tempting, the variety’s characteristics and the apples’ ripeness help you decide when to harvest.
Start with the harvest
Test a few fruits, considering how easily they come away alongside their flavour and pip colour. The guide below takes you through each step and explains why readiness for picking is different from fruit falling.
Get to know your own tree
Write down the variety if you know it, and note when the fruit tastes right to you. If you have several trees, keep separate notes. Next time you reach for the basket, you will have your own experience to compare with.
Sources and images 5
- How do I know when the apples are ready to pick? ↗Reader question and image
- Can the pips tell me whether an apple is ripe? ↗Reader question and image
- Why do apples fall from the tree before they are ripe? ↗Reader question and image
- RHS: growing and harvesting apples ↗Reference
- University of Minnesota: fruit drop ↗Reference
