Fruit Storage

Late apples and pears keep best at near freezing temperatures. So store them where this can be best  approached. For small quantities, peach baskets are  excellent containers because easily handled and well  ventilated. For larger amounts bushel onion crates  are as good. They stack up well. Examine the fruit  twice a month and remove any decaying specimens.  Grapes may be successfully stored until St. Valentine's Day or, some varieties, even until Easter. 

Success, however, depends upon the following points:  The varieties chosen must be naturally good keepers.  The fruit must be ripe, free from rot, mold or mildew, carefully picked and handled on dry, cool days.  Crushed and split berries must be removed, the clusters placed carefully on slat-bottomed trays not more than 4" deep in any tray. Before placing the fruit,  the trays should be thoroughly sprayed with copper  sulphate solution to kill disease germs. After filling,  the trays should be placed on racks with spaces between in a room previously cooled and kept as cold  as possible without freezing by opening windows at  night and closing them by day.

Copyright Information: Gardening Short Cuts

See also: Fruit Thinning