Starting in June, us gardeners start getting a little impatient—and for good reason! The harvest season is finally kicking off. Strawberries usually lead the pack as the first treat of the summer, but it won’t be long before cherries, berries, and eventually pears and apples join the party.
If you want to get the absolute best harvest possible, there’s one trick you need to know: thinning. Here’s how to do it.
Why You Should Thin Your Fruit
The truth is, fruit trees often bite off more than they can chew. After a heavy bloom without any late frosts, trees tend to get overloaded with more fruit than they can actually nourish. Most pome and stone fruit trees will naturally drop some of their unfertilized fruit during the summer—a process often called the “June drop.”
However, nature doesn’t always go far enough. To get those prize-winning harvests, you should step in and help. This is especially worth it for high-quality varieties on dwarf or semi-dwarf trees (like apples, pears, plums, and peaches). By removing some of the excess, the remaining fruit grows much larger, and you’re actually helping the tree set better flower buds for next year.
When and How to Thin
You can start thinning once the fruit is roughly the size of a walnut. The technique is simple: hold the fruit between your thumb and index finger and give it a quick snap or snip.
Here’s a quick guide on how much to leave behind:
- Apples and Pears: Aim for just one fruit per cluster. Always keep the biggest, healthiest-looking one and ditch the rest.
- Plums: These don’t need as much space; just removing every second fruit is usually enough.
- Peaches: These guys need room to breathe! Try to leave about 4 inches (10 cm) of space between each peach.
The sweet spot for timing is usually late May, just before the natural “June drop” begins.
Don’t worry if you miss that window, though. Even if you’re late to the game, it’s still a great idea to go through your trees two or three weeks before harvest to remove any wormy, damaged, or diseased fruit. Your tree (and your taste buds) will thank you!
