Tips for Harvesting Your Fruit Efficiently and Effectively

Are you a farmer looking to harvest your fruit? It’s easier than you think to get the process started. You just need to learn how to gather your crops properly. Check out these tips for harvesting your fruit efficiently and effectively.

Shake the Limb, Watch the Fruit Fall Off

The first technique is the easiest. You and your friends can catch a fruit-filled branch and shake it into a tarp. This method allows you to carefully and safely collect the fruit without having to touch each piece individually. Make sure you separate the fruit from any debris that falls off the trees. You want to be able to package them up and ship them away quickly.

The Fruit Picker

Using handheld pruners might help you remove fruits that can’t normally be pulled off branches. They can gently hold the fruit as you cut it off the tree, which is perfect for ripe or soft fruits like plums. You can also use a fruit-picker basket that has an extension on it to hold the fruit. Wrap the hooks of the basket around the fruit’s stem and pull. The fruit will fall into the basket, and you’ll be home free. This is a tip for harvesting your fruit effectively that you shouldn’t miss out on.

Additional Tips

Here are some additional tips to help you harvest:

• You need to choose to pick your fruit on a dry, sunny day. If you gather your crops while it’s raining, your fruit could be susceptible to fungal disease.
• Use the right equipment. Don’t just rip fruit off the branch with your hands. A pruner, fruit picker, and a step ladder go a long way in ensuring you don’t damage the fruit before you even have it in your hands.
• Harvest in stages. Some fruits may not be ripe at the same time. Squeeze each fruit and inspect it to determine if it’s ready to be picked. If not, hold off for a few days. If the fruit is a tad soft and squishy, it might be ready to harvest.

In short, harvesting your fruits doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s a matter of simply doing things properly so that you can prepare your harvest for packaging and manufacturing. The rest will be smooth sailing.