Picking Zucchinis
Location: Woorinen South
(15 mins Swan Hill, 10 mins Nyah West backpackers)
Pay Rate: $15.70ph inc tax
Employer loves backpackers
Hours: Winter 5 days a week
Early season: every 2nd day
Pickers: 6
Employer provides:
- pocket knife
Bring:
- gloves
- sharp pocket knife if you have one
- raincoat
Outdoors work:
- Required to turn up even when raining
What to expect:
You start the morning by following the tractor with your car or you get a lift in the work car with other workers to the patch.
The farm I worked at (Mumfords) made this job a pleasure, I've heard terrible stories from other zucchini pickers about getting sore backs, legs and having to carry 20+kg of zucchinis around, but Mumfords has a rotating belt, so as long as you keep up to the rest of the pickers, you can just put 1-2 zucchinis on the belt as soon as you've picked them, and as you are standing up to do that, you're back gets adequately stretched after each pick that you don't get sore.
When you reach the patch, the tractor and belt is setup first, which is a good time to take note of what size you're picking (by asking someone!). Then you go to your delegated 1-2 rows and chop off the zucchinis using the knife you brought or the one provided by the farm. You leave a bit over an inch of 'hard zucchini'. Each plant may have from 1 to 6 zucchinis to chop off. Then you 'wipe' the flower off the plant and place it on the belt. Easy. Anyone would get hang of the job within minutes (unlike broccoli which takes weeks).
I guess the most important mistakes made by backpackers is missing the zucchinis while trying to keep up with everyone else. Sometimes the zucchini is hard to see from above but easy to see from another angle, so it's important to get in the habit of checking the plant thourougly to ensure none is missed, as if they are picked even a day late, they can become too large to sell.
Tips:
(1) Don't miss any zucchinis.. check under the leaves, don't leave any behind.
(2) Stand up often so you don't get a sore back.
(3) Get the cut right the first time to save having to do a 2nd cut
Accommodation:
- Grand Hotel Nyah West(cheapest option - $100pw inc transport)
- Nyah West Backpackers (right next door to Grand Hotel)
- Nyah Village Caravan Park
