Comments posted organically
SelectSmart.com Homepage
Display Order:

Kammy's husband Doug Emhoff: explosive new allegations from his time at top LA law firm
Politics by HatetheSwamp     October 8, 2024 5:21 pm (Rating: 0.0) Last comment by: Ponderer (4 comments) [30 views]


Kamala Takes In and Enjoys the View
Television by Ponderer     October 9, 2024 6:27 am (Rating: 0.0) Last comment by: (0 comments) [13 views]


A powerful ad for Kamala Harris featuring Melania Trump.
Politics by Curt_Anderson     October 8, 2024 5:57 pm (Rating: 0.0) Last comment by: Ponderer (3 comments) [68 views]


Indy!... olde dude...Hope you two are going to be okay...
Science & Nature by Ponderer     October 9, 2024 5:43 am (Rating: 0.0) Last comment by: (0 comments) [7 views]


Does anybody know if Olde Dude is in the path of Milton?
Science & Nature by Curt_Anderson     October 8, 2024 2:39 pm (Rating: 0.0) Last comment by: Ponderer (1 comments) [28 views]


Melania ROCKS The Five
Media by HatetheSwamp     October 8, 2024 3:21 pm (Rating: 0.0) Last comment by: Indy! (2 comments) [45 views]


CBS says Trump is a liar who chickened out of interview because of fact checking.
Fact Check by Curt_Anderson     October 8, 2024 1:16 pm (Rating: 0.0) Last comment by: Indy! (1 comments) [50 views]


The 60 Minutes interview was good advertising for Harris. Bad for Trump.
Media by Curt_Anderson     October 7, 2024 9:46 pm (Rating: 0.0) Last comment by: HatetheSwamp (15 comments) [132 views]


I'll give you my porn when you pry it from my warm, sweaty hands
Entertainment by Curt_Anderson     October 7, 2024 6:03 pm (Rating: 0.0) Last comment by: Indy! (16 comments) [91 views]


Wassupwithdat? Trump’s lead on Polymarket now 5%
Media by HatetheSwamp     October 7, 2024 8:42 am (Rating: 0.0) Last comment by: Indy! (11 comments) [85 views]


How-to selectors, pages, etc.
A fruit collecting contraption for the backyard orchardist.
By Curt Anderson
July 26, 2021 5:46 pm
Category: How-to

(0.0 from 0 votes)
Rules of the Post

SelectSmart.com SelectSmart.com SelectSmart.com


Rate this article
5 Stars
4 Stars
3 Stars
2 Stars
1 Star
0 Stars
(5=best, 0=poor)

In our yard we have a Santa Rosa plum tree. Named for its birthplace, this plum variety was bred in 1906 by the famed California horticulturist Luther Burbank in his Santa Rosa plant research center. Our plum tree is more than two stories tall so there is a good amount of tasty fruit beyond my standing reach. I prefer to keep two feet on the ground. I recently developed a special affinity for maintaining solid contact with the earth since I fell off a twenty-foot ladder last year. That fall resulted in a broken lumbar disc, a dislocated finger and few days of hospitalization.

However, having two opposable thumbs and shed full of miscellaneous hardware I still am able to harvest these egg-sized plums. Years ago I read or heard about using a modified coffee can to collect tree fruit. With tin snips I cut a V-shaped slice into one side of a coffee can. I drilled a couple of holes to accommodate a U-bolt into the opposite side of the can. The cut is rather jagged and sharp which makes it function all the better.

I happen to have an old adjustable-length pole saw which is used to trim tree branches. I removed the curved blade and replaced it with a coffee can which I bolted on with a U-bolt. If you don't happen to have a U-bolt, any method to attach the can to the pole will suffice as long as it's secure and won't wiggle or wobble. A couple of slot slices into the can and a hose clamp would probably work too.

By lifting the can toward a plum and carefully catching the plum in the tapered notch, the can's edge slices through the stem and deposits the fruit neatly into the can. Practically any light-weight and rigid pole and coffee can combination would probably work to collect plums, pears, apples and other tree fruit. My pole and plum catcher contraption extends to about twelve feet which is especially handy.

Inevitably, the pole and coffee can knocks ripe fruit off the tree. So it helps to enlist an assistant during the harvesting operation to catch the falling fruit or at least to retrieve it before it rolls too far.

I considered but rejected the idea of attaching a cloth bag to the bottom of the can to gather more fruit at once. That might work but the weight probably would make maneuvering the pole and can between the tree branches rather unwieldy.

This fruit collecting device not only is safer than climbing into the tree, it does away with the need to lift and reposition a ladder.


The working end: a V-shaped notch catches the fruit and cuts the stems.


A U-bolt holds the coffee can tightly in place. Note the adjustable pole.


Stalking a plum.

Comments Start Below


The views and claims expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of SelectSmart.com. Not every statement made here can be assumed to be a fact.
Comments on "A fruit collecting contraption for the backyard orchardist.":

  1. by Donna on July 26, 2021 10:25 pm
    Way cool!


  2. by islander on July 27, 2021 5:01 am
    What an excellent idea !!!


Go To Top

Comment on: "A fruit collecting contraption for the backyard orchardist."


* Anonymous comments are subject to approval before they appear. Cookies Consent Policy & Privacy Statement. All Rights Reserved. SelectSmart® is a registered trademark. | Contact SelectSmart.com | Advertise on SelectSmart.com | This site is for sale!

Find old posts & articles

Articles by category:

SelectSmart.com
Report spam & abuse
SelectSmart.com home page