There are different Tasmania harvest jobs you can do. Harvesting fruits that you have grown is one of the most rewarding gardening jobs. A lot of joy comes with picking fruits. But knowing when to harvest is key if you want to enjoy your fruits in their best condition.

If you harvest your fruits too early then they won’t yet have developed their best flavour and can be bitter or have a very unpleasant texture. On the other hand, if you wait too long to harvest your fruits, then the fruits will spoil quickly and won’t keep well. Some of them may even have poor flavour or maggots in them. Using this guide, you will learn when and how to harvest your fruits.

Know when your fruits are ready

You can know the best time to harvest your fruits by learning how to spot a ripe fruit. Some people go by the season but this is not a reliable way of knowing when to harvest your fruits because the time a fruit is considered ripe can vary depending on the climate and how the weather has been in the preceding seasons. You should instead learn how to determine if a fruit is ripe or not using your senses such as touch and taste.

Different types of fruits might have different signs of being ripe but most of them show similar clues and people who do harvesting jobs are well aware of these signs.

Generally, fruits shouldn’t taste bitter or sour when they are ripe, although there are very few exceptions to this. You can test their flavour by choosing a few fruits from different parts of your garden or tree and tasting them.

If the fruits are all ripe then you can harvest them with confidence. You can also check for fruit ripeness by feeling their texture and how firm the fruits are. Plums should be soft when they are ready for harvesting whilst pears and apples should be firm.

How to harvest fruits

When you decide that the fruits are ready for harvesting, you should know the details of harvesting before proceeding. Here are some tips for harvesting fruits easily and effectively.

Choose a suitable day with favourable weather

You should try to harvest your fruits on a dry day. If you gather your fruits when it is raining, the fruits are susceptible to fungal diseases when you finally store them. Working on harvesting fruits during rain will prove to be a soggy and miserable experience. Choosing a suitable day that is calm and not too windy will make it easier to harvest fruits and will lead to less wastage.

Use the correct tools and equipment

You should have the right tools for Tasmania harvest jobs. You might need to use special equipment. The equipment you use depends on the type of fruits you are harvesting. For gathering fruits from a tall tree, you will need a fruit picker that has a long handle. You can also harvest the fruits by hand or use a step ladder.