The apple picking season is in full swing and everything is ripe for a good harvest this year.

A C Goatham and Son and their 20 partner farm growers will supply around 150 million apples this season. They grow one in every four and a half British apples and pears which are sold in the UK and supply Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.

Partner Ross Goatham said: “The last few weeks of the summer are for us spent waiting patiently and watching the weather until the right moment to start picking the early varieties. We then move from farm to farm to pick and place the fruit into cold storage as quickly as possible, which is very labour intensive as it literally is a race against time.”

The company drafts in 300 casual workers in addition to 230 full-time staff to help with the harvest period.”

Its cold storage technology enables it to supply supermarkets with fruit for about nine months of the year, extending the British apple season.

“We are delighted Sainsbury’s are so supportive of British growers like us as the figures published show and also to the Great British customer who votes with their shopping trolley and buys British apples and pears,” said Mr Goatham.

“Whilst we can invest in the latest technology to store and pack our fruit, the one thing we have no control over is the British weather. We hope that the summer continues to be kind to us to allow us to successfully complete this year’s harvest.”

Over the next 20 years the company hopes to double their annual fruit growth by planting 268,500 new fruit trees in Kent.

Rainham Community Orchard in Bloors Lane is inviting people to come and pick their own cox and russet apples on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, between 10am and 4pm.

The orchard was the idea of businessman and Kent Wildlife Trust ambassador Hamish Mackay Miller.

The trees have not been sprayed with chemicals for years so fruit-pickers may find the odd pest. All profits from the apples will be donated to the Kent Wildlife Trust.

There will also be a pruning training day in November for volunteers which would like to help with the major task between November and March.