Mid-March in Lana.
Around 6 °C, a light fog that hangs in the groves but then quickly lifts. Otherwise fresh and green, the grove now lies fallow. It is sleeping, taking a rest. Only for a little while longer, as here and there the first small buds are peering out from the twig ends and the grass on the ground is already adding a dusting of soft, light green to the grey landscape. And something else is popping up in the middle of the field, moving back and forth among the young trees...
Grey boots, grey trousers and a green jumper. The perfect camouflage, but his movements gave him away. Hannes is fixing a cross anchor in place as a support frame for the young saplings. He’s re-tensioning a cable here and looking for loose stakes there. Now, after pruning, is the perfect time for work like this. At least for Hannes, who farms the 7.5 hectare apple grove alone. During the growing season, there isn’t much time for such work; above all, because Hannes cultivates a total of 7 varieties of organic apple: Gala, Granny Smith, Natyra®, Story®, Golden and Red Delicious as well as a few Braeburn. Each variety has its own unique flavour, and each one has its own particular character. Some require more care and some less, and each variety has its own rhythm over the year.
Grey boots, grey trousers and a green jumper. The perfect camouflage, but his movements gave him away. Hannes is fixing a cross anchor in place as a support frame for the young saplings. He’s re-tensioning a cable here and looking for loose stakes there. Now, after pruning, is the perfect time for work like this. At least for Hannes, who farms the 7.5 hectare apple grove alone. During the growing season, there isn’t much time for such work; above all, because Hannes cultivates a total of 7 varieties of organic apple: Gala, Granny Smith, Natyra®, Story®, Golden and Red Delicious as well as a few Braeburn. Each variety has its own unique flavour, and each one has its own particular character. Some require more care and some less, and each variety has its own rhythm over the year.