Harvesting cherries from a mature, tall tree presents unique difficulties for maximizing yield and ensuring personal safety. The fruit at the canopy’s peak often receives the most sun exposure, leading to the best flavor and sweetness, but reaching it requires planning. This guide provides steps for safely and effectively harvesting cherries from the highest branches.
Preparation and Timing
Determining the optimal time to pick cherries is based on visual cues, texture, and flavor. Sweet cherries, such as Bing or Rainier, develop a deep, uniform color—dark red or a golden blush—when fully ripe. A gentle squeeze should reveal firm, not soft or mushy, flesh, indicating the fruit has reached its peak sugar content. Before bringing out equipment, clear the area around the base of the tree of debris or obstacles to ensure a stable, level surface for positioning ladders. The highest, most sun-exposed branches often ripen first and should be prioritized for initial picking sessions.
Essential Tools for Height
Telescopic Pickers
Successfully bridging the vertical distance to the highest cherries requires specialized equipment to avoid dangerous climbing. Telescopic fruit pickers, which feature a long pole and a small basket or claw at the end, allow for harvesting from a distance. These tools are effective for reaching the very tips of branches without placing weight on them, minimizing the risk of breakage, but require careful manipulation to pluck the fruit without bruising or detaching the stem.
Ladders
When a ladder is necessary, specialized orchard or tripod ladders offer increased stability on uneven ground compared to standard household models. These ladders feature a broad base and often a single rear leg, which can be securely placed among roots or slightly sloping terrain. Always select a ladder with a non-slip base and an adequate height rating, ensuring it extends well beyond the highest point of access.
Collection Systems
For collecting the harvested fruit, a secure system is necessary to keep hands free while climbing. Buckets equipped with specialized hooks can be clipped directly onto the ladder rail or a sturdy branch for easy access. Alternatively, a canvas shoulder bag or apron allows the picker to move more freely while maintaining three points of contact on the ladder, significantly reducing the number of trips up and down.
Safe Climbing and Picking Techniques
Ladder Safety
Safety protocols are paramount when accessing the upper canopy of a tall cherry tree. When using a ladder, set the base at an approximate 75-degree angle from the tree trunk for maximum stability and place it on cleared, level ground. Maintain three points of contact—two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand—with the ladder at all times when ascending or descending. If a cherry is out of reach, safely descend and reposition the ladder closer to the target branch rather than overextending.
Picking Technique
The physical technique of picking cherries directly influences their post-harvest quality and storage life. Cherries should always be removed from the tree with their stems intact (“stem-on” picking), as removing the stem accelerates moisture loss and provides an entry point for spoilage pathogens. Grasp the fruit gently between the thumb and forefinger, snapping the stem cleanly from the branch spur, not pulling directly from the cherry itself. Once picked, lower the cherries carefully into the collection vessel to prevent compression damage, as bruised fruit can prematurely ripen and spoil surrounding healthy cherries.