How to Harvest Oranges From a Tree

Picking oranges can be hard work.

Until you have tasted a fresh, tree-ripened orange, you cannot know how much tastier they are than the ones from the grocery store. Oranges do not ripen after they are picked, so knowing when to harvest is as important as knowing how to pick them. Different orange varieties ripen at different times of the year. Some turn orange and then turn back to green due to warming weather. There is much to know about picking oranges to get the best fruit from the tree.

Things You'll Need

• Gloves
• Long-sleeved shirt
• Clippers
• Orange picker
• Ladder (optional)

Instructions

1. Determine your variety of oranges and when the fruit ripens. Just because a fruit is orange colored doesn't mean it's ripe. Pick a fruit that looks right and taste it if that is the only way you have of knowing.

2. Choose fruit that has firm, fine-textured skin with no noticeable soft areas. The fruit should feel heavy for its size. Scarring from contact with the tree or brown color from rust mites doesn't harm the fruit’s inside.

3. Remove oranges for later use by clipping from the stem so as not to tear the skin. Harvest oranges you will be juicing or using immediately by twisting with an upward motion to remove them from the branch.

4. Use an orange picker, a long-handled tool with a basket on the end, for picking oranges that are higher on the tree and out of reach. Hook the orange so it is in the basket and twist it downward to remove it from the branch.

Tips & Warnings

• Harvest all ripe oranges if temperatures are dipping below 25 degrees Fahrenheit for more than a few hours. While a short freeze can keep oranges on the tree longer so they get sweeter, a hard freeze will ruin

• Orange trees have thorns, so wearing gloves and long sleeves is advised.

References

• University of California; Oranges -- Safe Methods to Store, Preserve and Enjoy; Jennifer E. Snart, et al.; 2006