JD, the three rows are each 540' long, 46 trees in each row (plus room to turn on ends with tractor). The T-posts are made of steel and are what are typically used for cattle fencing and vineyard trellises (the ones I bought were unpainted and exactly what are used in hundreds of thousands of grape vineyards in the state). I painted the T-posts to reduce the temperature of the posts on hot days (just needed for a couple of years and they'll be shaded by then). The wire is also what is typically used in wine grape vineyards and wrapped around the end posts which are supported by braces to prevent leaning in, using special couplers that make the process easy (see http://www.gripple.com/products/catalogue/agricultural/products/gripplepluswirejoinerstensioners.html).
Paully & Sophie, I don't know if I'll ever open up the orchard to the public but will just have to wait to see how it goes with other efforts to market fresh figs. Maybe I'd do something like offer tours for $20 with all the figs a guest could eat (plus sell more to take home). There comes increased insurance needs with U-pick plus increased damage to trees and potential off-hours visitors and theft. That's down the road. I also grow pomegranates and chestnuts so a tour could get pretty involved. It's just me and a farmhand but my wife might retire from her off-farm job before long. I may do some mail order fresh figs (will experiment with some small shipments) and also maybe the farmers' market scene and maybe market to restaurants.
Henry, thanks, but I'm afraid of clicking on that link....don't want to get olive fever also! lol
Kevin, the reason for suspending the irrigation line is for a few reasons. It won't stay on the ridge very well without some constant support. I have had rodent damage to microsprinklers but not on drip which I'll use for this orchard. I've also had coyote damage but this won't stop them. With drip suspended it is easier to hoe weeds and weedeat, etc. One other possible benefit I see is that suspending will give a slightly larger distribution of the water. Sometimes I have drippers on the ground and the water seems to go straight down a crack. Being suspend and in a windy area, the water will probably drip over a 6" or larger area. The one drawback is increased difficulty in stepping over the line but I'll probably mostly be harvesting one side of a tree (and the adjacent tree row) at a time. The expected training method of the trees will make it difficult to cross over anyways.
Pete, I've seen some photos of your fig training and it helped convince my that I'm not completely crazy for giving this method a shot! :)
Rewton, I'm not planning on any groundcover for now. I use a mixed grass groundcover in my chestnut orchard but want to keep temperatures elevated in my fig orchard and a groundcover reduces temperatures. If I put a groundcover in it will most likely be to remove excess moisture. This orchard is planted at about 5' below sea level with drainage ditches needed to collect river seepage which is then pumped back into the rivers which are held back by levees. There is a strong possibility that this orchard will not be irrigated once it is established except maybe to apply water soluble fertilizer.
Thanks, Vince!
Regarding the planned training of the trees on wires. I wrote Ken Love to ask about the purposes and benefits of the methods used in Japan. He indicated that these methods were originally used to help limit damage from strong winds during typhoons but that growers also saw stabilized good yields as a result of using a disciplined pruning method. I also suspect that horizontal branches may fruit a little earlier in the season (they do in some other tree crops).