Apple is the most widely produced and traded fruit in the world after bananas. Due to their variety richness, harvest time is spread over a wide time frame. While early varieties begin to mature as of June, varieties such as Pink Lady stand out with their harvesting time stretching till November. Moreover, apple is one of the rare fruit species that can be found in abundance throughout the year thanks to its long storage period.

There are a number of criteria for determining the harvest time of the apple. The first thing to note is the number of days that must pass between flowering and harvesting. For example, the Golden Delicious variety matures 135 to 150 days after flowering, while the Granny Smith variety must be harvested 165 to 180 days after flowering. In order to determine the appropriate harvest time, some criteria such as the number of days between flowering and harvesting, as well as the hardness of fruit flesh, starch-sugar conversion rate, the amount of water soluble dry matter should also be considered.

When plucking fruits at harvest maturation, the ovules of the fruit should not be damaged. Fruits should not be squeezed during plucking. Since, this condition causes damage on the fruit called finger bruise. Apples should not be harvested early in the morning either. In apple harvesting, buckets lined with fabric or waist-worn cloth bags should be used, and filled buckets should be poured slowly to avoid damage to the apples while being emptied into the crates.

The harvested fruits must be put in cold storage on the same day. If the picked fruits are kept out of cold storage, the storage time decreases in proportion to the waiting time. If harvested on time and stored under appropriate conditions, apples can be stored for 6 to 8 months in normal storages and 10 to 12 months in controlled atmosphere storages.