Apple Picking Made Easy - The Repurposed Way

by Mary Ann Goldberg

3 Materials

30 Minutes

Easy

To pick apples you need to be a) very tall, b) have a ladder, or c) be inventive, especially if you go at the end of the picking season and the lower branches are all picked over. Since the first two options weren't available, Option C it is.

The project started with an empty gallon milk container. I didn't consider posting this idea as a project until after I had cut up the container, so I used another similar container for tutorial purposes.

I started by cutting off the bottom two inches of the container. This syrup bottle was made with heavier plastic than the milk bottle so first I cut a short line in the plastic and then used the scissors to cut around the rest of the way.

After cutting off the bottom, cut out a strip of plastic 3"-4" inches long and about 3/4" wide. This was done on the bottom corner opposite the handle.

Because the bottle is clear, I outlined the cut out area with tape to help visualize what had been done.

We went picking at the very end of the season. The only apples left were Fuji, which grow on really short trees.

Above is the carton in action. Slip the apple inside the slit, gently tug and the apple falls in.

Keep working until you fill up the container, empty it into your sack or basket, and continue on!

I took it a step further to make this idea work for taller apple (or other fruit) trees and that's when a push broom comes in. On the one I have the handle screws into the broom base so I unscrewed it . . .

and inserted the handle into the bottle. It would really extend the reaching capacity. The fit was nice and snug but I did tape the handle on to keep it more secure. It can still be removed when I need to use the broom.

Using this version turns out to be better than the milk bottle. The bottle is smaller so it doesn't hold as much but it is a lot stronger.

This is not an apple tree but it gives an idea how far it can reach.

Another "far reaching" photo. (Isn't this color beautiful?)

I won't be able to use this until next year as our harvest season is now over, darn.

And here's the after photo. A happy end for the "fruits" of our labor!

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