| Clementine Cottage is situated
on a working fruit farm in the fertile Franschhoek Valley. The
farm is 20 hectares (+-50 acres) of which are planted with plum
varieties, soft citrus (Satsuma’s and vines. It is hoped
to establish a winery in due course. Water
for irrigation is provided from a large dam on the property
as well as by borehole.
Seasons on the farm
November
to February is harvesting season for plums
which are picked then delivered to the pack shed and exported
overseas to the UK, Europe and the East. The grapes (Viognier
and Shiraz) are harvested in January and March respectively.
March
to May is cleaning up and maintenance period
and preparation for winter as well as the staff have a well
deserved rest.
April
is harvesting season for the clementines (also called easy
peelers/satsumas). The plum trees, being deciduous loose their
leaves in winter and effectively go into a dormant stage and
rest, awaiting the spring. Land preparation is also carried
out for the planting of new orchards.
July
to August is pruning season for both the plum
and citrus orchards as well as the vineyards. Pruning is the
cutting back of the old growth and stimulating new growth
for the trees.
August
and September is when the trees are in blossom.
After a ‘rest’ the orchards are transformed into
a winter wonderland by the blossoms while the bees are at
work which are used to pollinate the blossoms.
August
to November is ‘thinning’ were
fruit is deliberately removed from the tree while still very
small in order to produce fewer fruit but of a better quality
and size. Summer pruning is also done at this time to increase
sunlight into the trees. |
