Mangakino Orchard

Gardener:McLittin's Garden

Date:07 Sep 2021

Blog Type:Vegetables

The section we purchased is what used to be the orchard on a small farm. Well at least that is what we were told. 

As a gardener this was really exciting as the last two places we had I had planted small urban orchards but never really got to reap the rewards. Having an established orchard was a real bonus until it became clear that the fruit trees were on the build platform so most of them had to go. 

It was going to be costly to have them removed (about $6K) and after much discussion, my wife agreed to me purchasing a good chainsaw, chaps and safety helmet for a total of $600 and we did the work ourselves. 

The first photo is before but doesn't really show how overgrown the grass was. Second is the after. Third is the wood from the macadamia nut tree that just had to go. It literally bled which almost made me cry as it really drove home the fact that we were kiling the tree. 

We managed to keep 3 plum trees, an orange and a massive macadamia tree and we have already planted a lemon, lime, lemonade and feijoa. Eventually there will be more trees than we took down but it was still hard to see the established ones go. 

Mangakino Orchard