Orchard Update.

We have been very busy in the orchard over winter with much needed maintenance.




The end assemblies were finally finished and we were able to start on replacing the old wooden structures with Ag Beam. I was used as the gopher and had to haul the Ag Beam from where it had been delivered up into the orchard. It was in 8 metre lengths and quite heavy so it was a long slow progress until Marty had a brainwave and discovered with careful balancing we could load it around the driver on the tractor. I much preferred this way.



All the old timber, which was well passed its use by date had to be taken out. Marty chain sawed it into moveable pieces and I pulled it out and loaded it onto to the tractor to be taken to the burning pile.





We had a couple of vine lifters made so that we could lift the vines up enough to put the ag beam in place. They were invaluable.



We enlisted the help of our neighbour to speed up the job. Being younger he got to do any digging to correct post angles and anything else not suited to the over 50's.





The Ag Beam had to be joined using specially made joiners.





The final stage in the operation was the dumping of the old wooden structures onto the burning pile. I missed major injury when a 6 inch nail caught on my trou when I threw a piece onto the pile.



Time to start the next big job. This involved putting up netting along the easterly end of each block. This is to help reduce wind damage and increase temperatures under the canopy. His and hers vehicles were required for the job.




Marty had to do this by himself until the last block as I had to work. Earn real money!! By this time he had it down to a fine art and i was only needed to go back to the shed to get stuff we had forgotten or run out of.

First the netting had to be laid out allong the row.



Then one end was secured to the post and the wire threaded through. This was done by putting the wire on a spinning jenny, attaching it to the pre-threaded cord and Marty using brute strength to pull it through.






The next job was to lift the netting up onto the posts. It was quite a heavy job!





The final job was to attach to the end posts and staple the netting onto the posts in the rows.



Job done.