It takes a machine to dig up 35,000 roses. But when the ground is soggy, it's all down to the farmhands

Farmhands are digging up tens of thousands of rose plants by hand at a South Australian nursery after heavy rain has made it impossible for a machine to do the job.

Key points:

Much heavier than usual rain has fallen in South Australia’s south-eastThe rain has made the ground very muddy at a rose nurseryThe plants have to be dug up with shovels instead of with a machine

The rose plants destined for garden centres around Australia are normally dug up by a cutting machine.

However, after heavy rain over the past two weeks, the ground is too boggy for even a tractor to go through.

Instead, local and overseas workers are digging up about 35,000 rose plants at Wagner’s Rose Nursery in Kalangadoo using spades.

Nursery owner Brian Wagner said the farm in the state’s south-east had received about 125 millimetres of rain over the past two weeks — twice the normal amount — so the roses had to be dug up by hand.

“I’ve never done it before, so it’s a new challenge,” he said.

“I’ve got a group of Irish guys working for me this year. Actually, it’s a bit of a mix of male, female — and we’ve got most probably about a week-and-a-half or two weeks of digging left.

“It’s really uncomfortable. It’s not very nice.”

Brian Wagner says he has to try and save his roses.(ABC South East SA: Eugene Boisvert)

The farm is also pumping water out from lower areas to make them dry enough to walk in.

More rain is expected this weekend.

“A few of my staff looked at me sort of thinking, ‘Why are you bothering?'” Mr Wagner said.

“Like I said, ‘Well, I’ve got to make an attempt’.

“I’ve got to try and get rid of some of this water, so let’s just hope that we don’t get the rain that they’re forecasting, but it certainly looks like it’s going to be wet over the weekend.”

The rain has made the ground too wet for even a tractor to pass through.(ABC South East SA: Eugene Boisvert)

After the rose plants are dug up, they are graded and packed, then sent to retailers or online orderers.

Roses are generally planted in winter.

Tough and muddy work

Like most of the other workers, Irishman Ben Shanahan is working in Kalangadoo to fulfil a visa requirement for a minimum of 88 days working in a regional area.

He is also hopeful it will not rain any more.

“It’s an interesting job and a tough one, but probably not the worst job I’ve ever had,” he said.

“We’re just grateful we have a job and grateful we have consistent work.”

Irishwoman Alana Healy works on bundling the roses.(ABC South East SA: Eugene Boisvert)

Alana Healy, also from County Cork in Ireland, has been bundling roses.

She said the work was not normally too dirty.

“The last two weeks, because of the rain, they’re just covered in mud — and these really large bits of mud in the roots,” she said.

“So I’m covered head-to-toe in mud this week.”

Wagner’s Rose Nursery expects to sell 110,000 rose plants in more than 800 varieties this year.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : ABC News (AU) – https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-06-23/heavy-rain-causes-muddy-rose-harvest-kalangadoo-rose-nursery/102516678