00:00 For the first time in decades, Jonathan Banks is preparing to open his roadside fruit stall early.
00:08 Typically we'd open with Gravenstein on the first week in February. I actually picked Gravenstein yesterday.
00:17 The UK-born farmer has grown and sold dozens of apple varieties, along with stone fruit and berries, since buying the 10 hectare Pialago property in the early 80s.
00:28 And this season has been one for the record books.
00:31 It's amazing. The apples are looking beautiful.
00:34 Recent rainfall, including more than 200 millimetres in the past two months, has helped rather than hindered growth.
00:41 What's been nice about it is that we haven't got fungus problems.
00:44 On other occasions, when we haven't sprayed, we've then gone into a disaster of fungus.
00:50 Unfortunately, a different pest has taken advantage of the bumper crop.
00:55 Bats will take off everything. Because we're not netted, the question is can we get them through to harvest?
01:02 And on the whole, we can't at this stage.
01:06 Canberra's wineries are remaining optimistic.
01:09 It's been a little bit wetter than we'd probably hoped and had been predicted, but there's ways we can work around that.
01:15 That means keeping a closer eye on the vines, ensuring they're well trimmed and drained, and being on high alert for any signs of disease.
01:23 We've got a long period of time for the grapes to do all sorts of things, and at this stage they're all looking pretty good.
01:28 And the hope is that they'll stay that way until harvest time in March.
01:33 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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