I spent most of today using an excavator to clear the bottom corner of the orchard. This had been behind one of the large timber sheds and there had been a build-up of debris over the year. This combined with the old tree stumps and associated roots made it too hard to clear by hand. I have touched any of the wall or the shrubs that adjoin the road, but I have cleared the land.
Unfortunately, one of the hydraulic pipes on the excavator burst and had to be repaired and this meant that I lost 3 hours out of the day. Still, I think half a day was enough to have cleared this part of the orchard. I have never driven an excavator before so this was a real voyage of discovery. Many thanks to Richard Battye at HD9 Construction who showed me how to use it!
The next step is to sift through all of the debris that is now piled up. The soil will be spread onto the various “dips” around the property. The stones will be used to rebuild the walls and the stumps will be put on the bonfire.
This is what the corner of the orchard looked like before it met with the machine!
There was only just enough room to swing the bucket here, but this machine made quick work of removing the old tree stumps.
The main objective here was to remove the old roots and tree stumps from this corner of the orchard.
It looks a bit of a mess, but all of the roots and stumps have gone. The soil has been loosened up and it is a case of sorting out what is left.