June Healthy Harvest Habits

In the early summer, fruit trees are in full swing, and growing vigorously! Blossoms have dropped, and you will start to see fruit forming early in June.

Most fruit trees produce more fruit than the tree can actually support. Your fruit tree will shed some fruit during an early summer drop in June(ish) for this completely normal reason, and this shedding is called “June drop”!

Fruit thinning eliminates diseased or insect-infested fruits, reduces limb breakage and stress, increases fruit size, and improves the colour and quality of remaining fruit. If too many fruit are left to mature, blossoms for the following year will be weak. After a fruit tree tree has finished naturally dropping fruit, help the tree stay healthy by hand thinning the fruit where needed!

How to thin an apple, pear, plum or peach:

1. Wait until the point that your young fruits are about thumbnail sized and/or have completed the June drop.

2. Remove any damaged or diseased fruit from the tree.

3. Most fruit grows in clusters, so select the biggest or best looking fruit from the cluster to keep.

4. Thin the rest of the baby fruit off the cluster by cutting with pruners rather than pulling by hand.

Further reading:

Thinning of tree fruit | Province of Ontario

How to Easily Thin Apple, Pear, Peach, Plum, and Apricot Trees | Fruit Thinning 101 (Video)

The benefits of fruit thinning and some helpful guidelines

A reminder of the Healthy Harvest Habits we cultivated in May:

From below of cherry tree branches with beautiful white blooming flowers on sunny day of early spring

1. Monitor your fruit tree blossoms and the pollination process

A worker clearing autumn leaves with a blower in a scenic park during fall.

2. Practice “No Mow May” and/or “Leave the Leaves” initiatives for pollinators

3. Watch for Codling Moth & Apple Maggot

Head to the May Healthy Harvest Habits blog post to keep reading!

Looking for more information on caring for fruit trees and growing fruit from a recommended source? 

Join Not Far From The Tree, home growers, arborists and small scale orchardists from across North America and around the world in 5-star-rated organic fruit tree care education with Orchard People’s interactive, instant access courses. 

Find courses like: Certificate in Fruit Tree Care; Fruit Tree Pruning Masterclass; Managing Fruit Tree Pests & Disease; Soil Essentials for Fruit Trees; and so many more!

Or, tune in to the Orchard People podcast! Join live and submit your questions to an expert guest, or catch the show later on your favorite platform. 

Further Reading

Sign Up For Our E-Newsletter

By clicking confirm/subscribe, you consent to receiving commercial electronic messages from MakeWay – Not Far From The Tree, and any partners, sponsors or other related businesses.