ONE of the great advantages of apples over other orchard fruits is that many of them can be stored for use after harvest, writes TOM ATTWOOD. However, storing apples needs a good pinch of dedication.

The time of ripening is a good indicator of the storage potential of an apple variety. Very early season apples generally do not keep. They should be eaten straight off the tree.

Mid-season apples usually keep for 2-3 weeks. The best way to keep them fresh is to put 5-10 of them in a polythene bag, make a few air-holes, and store them in a fridge.

Late-season apples usually keep the longest. Most can be stored in a cold place until Christmas, and a good number of varieties will keep well into the New Year.

There is no obvious rule of thumb for which varieties will store best, although you can sometimes assume that the later a variety ripens the longer it keeps - Fuji, Braeburn, Granny Smith being good examples. Traditional cooking apples also keep well, in the days before refrigeration this was an important quality in a cooking apple.

Some tips to help you pick your apples and store them for the winter:

Only choose varieties that are known to store well.

If you are picking with the intention of storing your apples, it is best to pick them slightly under-ripe

Remove any that are damaged, especially bruised apples.

If daytime temperatures are still warm, you will have to put the apples in a fridge. Once average temperatures fall to just above freezing you can move them to a frost free shed/garage. If storing apples in a fridge, put them in polythene bags, 5-10 to a bag, and make a few air-holes. This helps air circulation and counteracts the dry air found in a fridge.

Apples are best stored on trays in traditional wooden boxes, seed trays, or cardboard boxes - good air circulation, ventilation, and humidity is vital.

Check the apples regularly and remove any that are going off.

When using the apples, start with the larger ones (for any variety) as the smaller ones tend to keep longer.

Next week: creating a sumptuous container of spring flowering bulbs

'Tom Putt' growing in our garden