Fruit for ripeness and disease

Fruit picked at the right moment stores and tastes best. Removing rots, mummies and windfalls promptly stops spores spreading to sound fruit and overwintering on the tree.

When

Through the ripening season, late summer into autumn for tree fruit; check every few days as the fruit colours up.

How

1) Test ripeness: cup an apple in the hand and lift and twist, and a ripe one parts easily with its stalk; the pips inside should be brown. 2) Pick pears when the neck yields to gentle pressure, then ripen them indoors. 3) Look for brown rot, shown by spreading brown patches ringed with buff-coloured pustules, and remove any affected fruit. 4) Remove mummified fruit and windfalls. 5) Check soft fruit for grey mould and pick over the plants regularly.

Notes

Never store fruit that is bruised or diseased. Windfalls draw wasps, so clear them up as you go.