Saturday 28 October 2000 13:25 EDT HELP !!,We're ~30 miles SSE of Rochester,N.Y. at ~1100 foot elevation. We still have Empire and Arkblack apples,plus quinces in the orchard. We're expecting low 20sF tonight. Should we harvest the fruit NOW-before the freeze? Please respond ASAP. Thanks,Karl`

-- Karl Bechler (kbechler@frontiernet.net), October 28, 2000

Answers

Karl, don't know about quinces, but get the apples in. If you can't get them all, concentrate on the best ones, and the trees on the upwind or least sheltered side, and the apples on the outside of the tree rather than the ones closer to the main trunk which will have some protection. Those you can't get won't keep as well and may not have the same quality. It also depends on the general overnight temperature. If it is going to be one cold night, you should get the apples in, if it is just going to dip down for a brief spell early in the morning then start warming back up, your risk of losing your apple crop is (slightly) reduced. If it is just a brief dip, and your trees are small enough, you might be able to pin together some blankets and get them over the trees if harvesting is going to be a problem. Good luck, Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), October 28, 2000.