When to Harvest Pears

Pears are a tasty pomaceous fruit, often compared with apples. Pears differ from apples, though, in the way that they are preferably harvested, as most varieties of pears ripen when they have already been removed from the tree to maintain the best quality of the fruit possible.

So then, knowing when to pick pears may not be as easy as some other popular fruits. When determining when to harvest pears, you want to keep the date in mind. Although the prime time for when to pick pears varies by location, climate, and species of pears, so you want to do some research as to when the best time to pick your particular species of pears in your area is.

As well as knowing the date of when to pick pears, it's also important to notice the physical signs pears show when they are ready to be harvested. While growing pears, you want to keep an eye on your fruits and notice when the stem of the pear begins to separate from the spur of the tree. When you first notice this to happen is when you might first be able to pick pears. So, when the stem starts separating from the spur, lift the pears into a horizontal position and tug the fruit lightly. If the fruit does not separate from the tree with ease, it is not time to harvest the pears just yet.

Some other tips to keep in mind, though, are that pears typically are starting to show signs of changing in color from green to yellow when ready to be picked and that some species of pears, such as the popular Bosc pears, may need a bit more tugging than other varieties of pears that should break off the tree with just a little tug. Once the pears have been harvested, you should mark the date down for future reference. Harvesting dates often change very little from one year to the next.

As previously stated, pears are not ready to be eaten immediately after harvesting, like apples and many other fruits are. Instead, you have to allow the pears to ripen. To do this, most varieties of pears should be kept at room temperature, where they will ripen within just a few days. Though, the aforementioned Bosc pears, as well as some other varieties, need a bit more time - about a month or so of storage in a refrigerator to ripen.

Enjoy growing, harvesting, and eating your pears!

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Sources:

http://freshdirt.sunset.com/2010/08/when-to-pick-pears-and-how-to-ripen-them.html

http://www.pickyourown.org/pickingtips.htm

http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/tree004/tree004.htm

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=1003&storyType=garden