CARDROSS grower Daryn Gardner has been dubbed the “King of the Currants”, having taken out this year’s DriedFruits Australia Top Crop Award.
In what was described as a challenging year for dried fruit growers, Mr Gardner managed to produce 14.469 tonnes to the hectare of Carina currants.
Mr Gardner said the age of his vines hasn’t effected the consistency of yields.
“The vines are 20 years old now… my secret is water,” he said.
“When flowering I water every day to make sure they set well … I haven’t worked the soil for over 15 years.”
Mr Gardner produced close to 14 hectares a tonne of currants the previous year, and had gotten close to 18 hectares a tonne annually in ideal conditions.
The Top Crop Award was established in 2022 to recognise the highest value dried fruit crop based on final yields, grades and any deductions and publicly known base level pricing.
This year Ashley Johnstone won two category awards for his Selma Pete (9.547t/Ha) and Sunglo (8.978 t/Ha) crops.
Rowena and Warren Smart won the Sunmuscat category, with 10.809t/Ha.
Special mentions went to David Lyons (10.363 t/Ha) and Ashley Johnstone (10.441 t/Ha), who were close behind the Smart’s Sunmuscat result.
Stephen and Malcolm Bennett took out the sultana (and other sultana types) category, with 6.659 t/Ha.
Growers gathered on Mr Gardner’s property this week to discuss new varieties and harvesting innovations, before inspecting Mr Gardner’s crops.
He said the success of his Carina currants and Sunmuscats will see him change up his cropping arrangements.
“The long rows down here, they’re sultanas, this (yield result) signed their death wish,” Mr Gardner said.
“Those nine acres produced 17.9 tonne this year, and the currants and three rows of Sunmuscat next door here produced 17 tonne, and that’s off just three acres so the proof’s in the pudding.
“They produce so much fruit it’s ridiculous and they’re consistent, they have been for a long time.”
