Gardeners with apple, pear or plum trees are being urged to check their fruit now, as an unusually hot July and August may have speeded up ripening. Expert Sam Green says fruits can ripen surprisingly quickly at this time of year, and waiting too long can leave half the crop on the ground.
Why fruit may be ready sooner
In a TikTok video, Green explained that apples are not usually ripe until September, but the summer weather could mean they ripen earlier than expected. She recommends a simple test to check readiness.
“What we're going to do is the twist test,” she said. “That is when you grab an apple, you twist it, and it comes straight off. That is ripe.”
Green cautioned that not all fruit on the same tree may be ready. “When you twist these, they give a resistance,” she noted. “You'll then know that they're not quite ready yet.”
How to handle windfalls and storage
Green also warned that windfalls are more likely to bruise and should be eaten, cooked or preserved quickly. Fruit picked straight from the tree while still blemish-free can last much longer, with apples and some pears storable through autumn and into winter.
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) offers similar advice online: “Pick apples regularly as they ripen, once fruit have swelled up to a good size, started to colour up and taste sweet. If you see windfalls on the ground, it’s also a good sign that the fruits are ripening.”
The RHS suggests cupping an apple in your hand, lifting gently and giving a slight twist, so it comes off easily with the stalk intact.
Tips for tall trees
For fruit out of reach, the RHS advises care when using a step ladder and notes that long-handled or telescopic fruit pickers are available but can be difficult to manoeuvre. Alternatively, gardeners can wait for out-of-reach apples to fall, but they will need to be eaten promptly as they may be damaged.
