27 JULY
All misshapen and damaged apples and those that have ripened prematurely or are too small are at risk. Koen Martens is about to thin them out, because the best ones need to get every chance to mature into top-quality apples. The Belgica is scrutinised, measured and occasionally one is cut in half as a test. The rejected apples lie scattered on the ground to serve as compost in the future. The misshapen apples are the result of the frost in April. They have only one pip. The ripe ones are spoiled; premature ripening is a sign of trauma. Then there is the predacious mite, which sounds dangerous but is actually very welcome. It is a tiny yellow insect that settles on leaves and feeds on spider mites. A few branches that are blocking the sunlight are pruned away and placed on young trees so that the predacious mite can cross over and eat the spider mites on the new shoots.