My three trees (Boskoop, Pippin, Fameuse) are ripening nicely and are dropping at a rate of 5-10 per day. Normally we wouldn't harvest this early, but I'll be away from Sept 10-20 and I'm getting concerned that there could be up to 100 apples on the ground by the time I get home (getting help from a neighbour not really an option). Should I start picking and storing now? Suspend a tarp to lessen the damage when they fall?
Suspend a tarp, I'd guess. Doesn't look to be too much point to attempting to harvest early, if the extension sites are any indication.
