How to keep the harvest of autumn apples - 8 important tips from an experienced gardener

It would seem that there is nothing easier than saving apples. But no! This fruit is quite capricious during storage and requires special care. if you do not know the basic rules, you can see how the fruits quickly rot and the entire crop will be lost.

How to keep apples longer? It is enough to follow a few rules that an experienced gardener told me about.

Variety selection

The so-called "winter" or "late" varieties are best kept. These include Antey, Anis scarlet, Northern Sinap, Lobo, Pepin saffron, Idared, etc. All of these varieties will be excellently stored until almost summer.

Neat collection

Harvest in warm, dry weather. The apples should be ripe, but not overripe. For storage, the fruits are picked by hand; it is unacceptable to shake the trees so that the apples fall.

You should not tear off the stalks. Fruit collection begins first from the lower branches, gradually rising upward.

Treatment

The harvested crop should be carefully inspected for scratches and dents. Such fruits are not suitable for storage, as they will quickly deteriorate and render other apples unusable.

It is forbidden to wash apples and wipe. Such actions will lead to the removal of the protective natural plaque, which will significantly reduce the shelf life.

Simple storage

Apples for sale can simply be stacked in boxes, in one row, with the stalks up. Such storage will keep the fruit fresh for 2-3 months.

Long-term storage

To keep the apples until spring, they need to be wrapped in paper (but not in newspaper!) And folded in several rows in boxes, taking care that the stalks do not scratch the fruit.

Also apples can be placed in raw shavings or fine sand. These precautions will protect the fruit from shock and other damage, which will extend the shelf life.

Temperature and humidity

The storage room for the apple harvest should be ventilated, dry and cool. The temperature should be in the range + 2- + 5 ° C. This is the optimum temperature to stop premature ripening.

Commodity neighborhood

It is forbidden to store apples together with potatoes, carrots and beets. Because of this proximity, apples will acquire an unpleasant smell and ripen faster.

Revision

It is necessary to regularly sort out the fruits in order to identify rotten or overripe apples in time. They need to be removed, as they will quickly spread the rot to other fruits. It is recommended to go through it once every 2 weeks, this will be quite enough.

By following these simple rules, you can keep the crop unchanged until next spring.