How to plant an orchard...

[897tgigvib]

Hand held power augers take 2 stout people to operate and can be rented. That would be the way to go for any major hole diggings. A 3rd person to switch off and spell, and to pull the dirt back, and make sure the strings still line up...

Course if it was a 40 acre orchard, a pto tractor mounted auger would be needed.

Auger dug holes still need some shovelling, but sheeewwweee would save 10 years on a person's backbone and body!

 

[canesisters]

That comment reminded me of something that I wanted to share.

Many years ago I was working in the little office trailer. The business owners decided to 'pretty up' the place a little and got a bunch of azaleas to plant in front of the trailer, right along the edge of where everyone had been parking for years. They brought in one of those gas augers - the ones with the engine and sort of handle bar grips on top of the bit - and got a couple of the guys to 'go plant them bushes'.
We heard all this discussion of who was going to do what - heard it start up - heard a terrific WHAM on the side of the trailer, followed by LOTS of laughter.
Apparently the guy who was going to be doing the digging got about 6" and hit a big rock. That thing slung him up against the trailer and he nearly augured off his foot while all his buddies fell out laughing at him.
Aside from the bruises, no one was any worse for wear. They decided that maybe they should use 2 people to hold it, and eventually got those poor doomed plants in the ground.

 

[April Manier]

It's true those things are dangerous! Take care when using those kinds of equipment to have a buddy help. If for nothing else to have someone run and call 911 if necessary!
We dug our holes by hand. 100 of them! But we have river loam. Still I hired someone after digging a handful of holes!!!

We have had some deer carnage. I am doing an inventory this week but I believe we will be replacing 13 trees. Some are growing back, even after they broke the tops off, but the form will never work.

I could show you pics of deer damage that would make your skin crawl!!! Thank goodness for rifles..

 

[897tgigvib]

April votes for early deer season I bet!

Yea, those augers need to be manned by guys at least 200 pounds each, 250 pounds is better, and never by one person! It'll throw 2 170 pound guys around in circles! Even if they're lifetime gold's gym members.

 

[April Manier]

We just get a kill permit. They start you with 7 tags. Trouble is you gotta clean them, call in your kill, and deliver to the Mission within 24 hours.

Still, we have never filled all of our tags. Deer go missing out here a lot. So many farms, so many deer, lots of guns....

 

[nelson castro]

Nice tutorial! I can't imagine planting that many trees at once. How did you go about watering yours? New trees usually take so much watering in their first year.

Couldn't agree more! You have a cool blog. And the tutorial is so perfect.