We spent part of Thanksgiving weekend digging fence post holes and holes for the initial phase of the orchard. The machine also had an attachment for trenching so the bulk of the trenching for the water system was also done.
The new fence line at the base of the hill proved to be trouble for post holes. even the machine had issues getting through the ground there. There was lots of rock as well as some sandstone spots that were encountered.
Some of holes drilled for the trees also did not want to happen. It was good to find that out well in advance rather than as we were planting trees. In the cases were there will be four trees planted closely together (an alternative to having four grafted to a single trunk), the higher elevation of the uphill trees will be used for the entire group. That should help potential drainage and issues with rock. Things seemed a bit better as we got further from the road, but still there was a lot of smaller rock in the soil.