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<pre>> Mike, I had already anticipated your response to my "low care" claim. I
> said in the article that Australian growers would treat this remark with
> a "hollow laugh" but I still think it is justified in the long term
> based on Mediterranean experience. There is light at the end of the
> tunnel. Here olives are considered low care - admittedly some of the
> alternatives are much more care than in Oz which makes comparison
> difficult. For example sheep in North Africa and West Asia are taken out
> to graze every day not left in the poddock to fend for themselves but
> even then compared to other tree or vine crops olives are much less
> work. Even the pruning can be postponed for a year.
>
> Cheers Brian Chatterton.

Brian,

I also should have noted that there is no established tradition of Olive
growing in our area (expect for a dozen or so trees owned by Don Francois)
and that with hindsight as to the suitability of planting in what is
regarded as a "high disease pressure" area for grapes, perhaps we should
have been expecting a few problems with the olives. However, as somebody
once said, "Life wasn't meant to be easy."

Regards.

Mike.
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<pre>Mike, I had already anticipated your response to my "low care" claim. I
said in the article that Australian growers would treat this remark with
a "hollow laugh" but I still think it is justified in the long term
based on Mediterranean experience. There is light at the end of the
tunnel. Here olives are considered low care - admittedly some of the
alternatives are much more care than in Oz which makes comparison
difficult. For example sheep in North Africa and West Asia are taken out
to graze every day not left in the poddock to fend for themselves but
even then compared to other tree or vine crops olives are much less
work. Even the pruning can be postponed for a year.

Cheers Brian Chatterton.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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