PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Whether you make homemade applesauce or pies or just take a big bite out of it, nothing beats a fresh apple. And it’s prime apple picking season in our region.
It’s one of the tastiest times of the year: fresh apples right off the tree. And our state has some of the best thanks to our climate. In fact, Pennsylvania ranks fourth in the country for apple growing.
“This cooler weather that we’re having right now, these cool sunny days are just wonderful for apples,” said sixth-generation Shenot’s Farm owner Rob Shenot. “They just love to ripen in this kind of weather.”
But when it comes to growing apples at our local farms: “They’re probably harder than any other crop we have to really consistently do well with,” said Triple B Farms VP Bill Beinlich.
That’s because the weather plays a huge role. Even the exact placement can make or break the apple trees.
“When you’re up on top of the hills, the cold air kind of drains away from the apple trees on cold nights,” Beinlich said.
Apples aren’t like pumpkins where you can plant the seeds and get a crop that same year.
“You can usually start harvesting in about two or three years,” Beinlich said.
There are other challenges too. Diseases and bugs like spotted lantern flies or stinkbugs can harm the apple trees. There are also always new types of apples coming out, which makes it even harder for farmers to decide what to plant.
“You have to be patient and guess what apple is going to be popular five years from now, not what’s popular now,” Shenot said.
Frosts and freezes are very harmful to apple trees, especially in the spring. A lot of the apple buds start blooming around March, but any frosts or freezes can stop them from growing.
Later in the spring, if there’s a frost and the fruit has already started, that won’t necessarily stop it from growing, but it does have an impact.
But this year, with rain later in the summer and cooler temperatures at the start of the season, local farmers ended up with a pretty decent apple crop that was ripe for picking.
“I’m going to give it an eight,” Shenot said.
Even though there are always going to be challenges, our local farmers love seeing everyone enjoy the fruits of their labor every fall by gathering their pecks of apples.
“We just want to share the wealth of all of all this good stuff that’s here to nourish our bodies and keep us happy and healthy,” Shenot said.
