How-to Guide
How to Store Apples and Tree Fruit Over Winter
The short answer
The three keys to apple storage are quality, temperature, and humidity. Store only clean, unbruised, disease-free fruit at about 32 to 40 degrees F with 90 to 95 percent humidity, in containers that allow air movement. Good late-season keeper cultivars can hold for several months.
Keep apples away from vegetables such as potatoes, because ripening apples give off ethylene gas that shortens vegetable storage life. Move fruit out of unheated garages or sheds before hard freezes, since apples freeze below about 30 degrees F.
Sort and pack
- 1Store only sound fruit — Choose clean, disease-free apples with no bruises; a single bruise leads to decay that spreads.
- 2Keep cold and humid — Aim for 32 to 40 degrees F and 90 to 95 percent humidity in a spare refrigerator, cellar, or cold outbuilding.
- 3Use breathable containers — Crates, slatted shelves, or shallow trays let air move over and around the fruit.
Protect and separate
Store apples apart from potatoes and other vegetables so their ethylene does not degrade the vegetables. Watch temperatures in unheated storage and relocate fruit before it can freeze.
⚠ Apples freeze below about 30 degrees F. Move fruit from garages or outbuildings before extreme cold.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC — Storing Apples — Quality, temperature, and humidity are the keys; store unbruised apples at 32-40 F and 90-95% humidity.
- Iowa State University Extension — How to Harvest and Store Apples — Late-season keeper cultivars store for months; use breathable containers and cold storage.
- RHS — Fruit: storing — Store fruit in trays or boxes allowing air movement; keep apples separate and protected from freezing.