Fortune Fruit assistant orchard manager and packhouse manager Luke St John, of Lowburn, said about 120 staff would be working in the orchard at peak times, about half picking fruit, 50 in the packhouse and 10 on other duties.
All of the vacancies had been filled by word-of-mouth or former staff returning.
Hundreds of people had applied to work on the orchard.
"We turn away a lot of people."
He was looking forward to the workers arriving from December 15.
"I can’t wait, I just want to get into it now."
Strong wind during spring had marked some cherries on exposed blocks in the orchard, he said.
The apricot trees in the orchard were sheltered and the fruit avoided any wind damage, he said.
A lighter fruit crop had been produced this season.
"For the amount of flowers we had, we don’t have that much fruit, that’s for sure."
The cause for the lack of pollination was unknown, Mr St John said.
Ettrick Gardens co-owner Heather Preedy said she had enough seasonal workers, mostly locals.
A lot of backpackers had been seeking work this season, a trend similar to before the pandemic, she said.
No concerns about orcharding kept her awake at night.
"It looks like a good crop for just about everything, but mother nature can change that in a flash. But at the moment, it’s looking pretty good."
