Question about picking apples

[MisguidedAngel]

I can't seem to find the answer on line or in my books. We have a lovely Bramley apple tree which produces a good crop every year. Sometimes there are so many apples that three or four are all squashed together. Obviously it would be better if that didn't happen but I'm unsure exactly what to do about it and when. Do I wait until they're actually touching each other and then take some away? Should I just leave one, or try for two?

They will fall off by themselves - it's called the June drop (but may be late this year). I'm waiting for that and then seeing if I need to do anything more. Bramleys are often on pretty vigorous rootstocks and can bear a decent-sized, heavy crop. They're also often biennial - so they will have a really good year, then a more scant year.

So if they don't, what will you do? Last year some did drop, but I still ended up with tight clusters. (Thanks for the quick response by the way).

Some of them will fall, almost certainly! If you want big, high-quality fruits you can then thin some of the others so you have one every 18cm or so. However, I've found that with my (old, vigorous) Bramley this isn't always necessary because the apples are so big anyway. So I tend to let the tight clusters grow and just use those apples up more quickly (as they can be marked) and then keep some of the bigger and more perfect fruits. If your tree is younger or bears very tightly, thinning might be more useful however.