Autumn apple picking this year might be more challenging than usual, due to a late frost this past April.

“All of the growers in this area suffered from that frost, and as a result, they have a much lighter crop of apples than they normally would,” said Cheryll Green, who works at the family-owned Hartland Orchard in Markham, Virginia.

The unexpected frost in the last week of April damaged apple crops in Fauquier and Loudoun counties.

“It happens when the apple trees are in bloom; it kills the blossom — the part that becomes the apple,” Green said.

While supply was down for apples that are picked and eaten earlier in the season, late-season varieties, including Fujis, should be plentiful.

“We’re seeing that with more Granny Smiths on the trees, as a result of them coming on maybe a li

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