How do you pick the apples off your apple tree??

[melrose]

We have a very large Bramley in the garden, laden with apples, taht are beginning to fall. I can pick from the lower branches on a step ladder but any advice for how to get the higher ones down?

with a fantastic gadget

a spiral metal thing on a stick

you put it over the apple and twist

Oh I like the sound of that,, what is it called, where from??

like this

I remember my grandad had a homemade version - a large empty tin can with the top taken off, nailed to a long length of 2" by 2". You lifted the 'device' until the apple was in the tin and then twisted. It was brilliant - I remember using it when I was about 9 or 10 so not too difficult to operate!!

Take the apple in your hand and twist. Happy harvesting.

you can store apples in a plastic bag if you suck all the air out of the bag and tie it up.
A vac pack bag would be good, as they punch holes in all the bags now.
Try not to bruise any apples - treat them like eggs.

well,...
my dog loves chasing tennis balls, So I stand at the top of the garden and smack the tennis ball into the apple tree with a racquet..loads of apples fall off

Can you get/borrow an extending ladder? We have an apple and pear tree, both of which reach about 30 feet. At full extension our ladder extends about 15 feet, so DP (6'1") has been able to get almost all the fruit except from the very top branches of the pear tree. Problem now is what to do with hundreds of apples and pears!