62 | HORTICULTURE Bay Orchard Shelters T T Kim Newth Helping growers and farmers to thrive Bay Orchard Sheters has supplied and installed many greenhouses across the Bay of Plenty and Waikato through the decades. Operating out of Te Puke, Bay Orchard Shelters is a family-owned business that provides complete artificial shelter and greenhouse solutions for farmers and growers throughout the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions. Owner Ivan Harding is proud to represent his family as the second generation in the business, which was founded by his parents in the 1980s. Their vision was to offer a versatile alternative to planted shelters in the form of robust artificial shelters that could be used to protect horticultural crops and orchards from wind, as well as hail and/or frost (when set up to form a roof over crops). From the early 1990s, Bay Orchard Shelters also began supplying and installing high-quality Redpath greenhouses, made in New Zealand. As agents of Redpath Greenhouses, Bay Orchard Shelters confidently stands by what it offers. Redpath has been designing, manufacturing and installing industry-leading commercial greenhouses since 1984. Offering a controlled growing environment, these greenhouses provide the right balance of ventilation and warmth needed for crop cultivation, flowers and seedlings, allowing for a longer growing season, while also providing protection from the weather, pests, disease and soil erosion. “Redpath Greenhouses are structurally strong and stand up to wind very well,” says Ivan. “Redpath has invested a lot in developing them over the years to provide just what New Zealand growers need all year round. “The biggest greenhouse we’ve put in was just over a hectare in size. These greenhouses are also modular, so a grower can keep adding more and more over time to expand their operation. We can help guide people through all the options.” Myles Carter, Bay Orchard Shelters’ administrator, says the team has supplied and installed many greenhouses across the Bay of Plenty and Waikato through the decades. In past years, Calla lillies were a popular greenhouse plant. “Today, it’s passionfruit that’s the crop of the moment.” Artificial shelters, with a pole and cable structure, continue to be a mainstay for Bay Orchard Shelters. Popular with growers, such as kiwifruit orchardists, these versatile windbreak shelters can be built quickly, and be easily moved or placed over crops to protect against frost damage. Bay Orchard Shelters is also seeing rising interest from the dairy sector for their standoff shelters, used to cover existing stand-off pads and feed-pads. These shelters use a clear roofing material (Duratough) that helps promote a drier, cleaner floor environment. “Over the past few years, we have also done quite a few projects in the Port of Tauranga, which has put in just over one kilometre of shelter for dust control. It seems to have worked well for them, particularly around their log storage areas.” Another recent project for Bay Orchard Shelters involved providing a robust shelter solution for an all-weather golf driving range by the Bayfair Shopping Centre in Mount Maunganui. Bay Orchard Shelters offers free site visits/ quotes and takes care of everything from purchase to completion. Their team also services and maintains greenhouses, from conducting external cleaning to providing ventilation maintenance. “These greenhouses can be clad in either clear or shade plastic (greenhouse film) that does eventually need to be replaced,” says Ivan. “Usually, that needs to be done every 10 years or so, and we are very experienced in providing that service.” Operating alongside Bay Orchard Shelters is sister company, BayTurf, an agent and supplier of TigerTurf. This is the only artificial turf made in New Zealand and BayTurf offers total artificial turf solutions from base construction and laying to maintenance. “We install artificial turf as part of landscaping for residential and commercial properties and also offer a versatile and durable range of artificial turf for sports surfaces,” says Ivan. “We can do it all, including full tennis court builds for clubs or rural properties.” are proudly supporting
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