Adding Vineyard to Hops operation

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RockHillFarm

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We are starting the installation of Vineyard Trellis in a few open areas of our 23 acre farm. Because these open areas are subject to extremely brutal high/cold winds of Coastal Northern Maine we became concerned with the spacing of the posts. I installed a small section of posts with 10 foot spacing to start with and it was suggested i open the spacing up to 15-20 feet. The worst season of the year for these high winds is during the winter months when the vines would be defoliated and wouldn't act as a sail, but on occasion we get squalls off the bay of fundy that cause wind damage during the growing season. My Question is: In your opinion do you think 10 foot spacing would be OK? They are set 3 feet deep in hard clay base with good drainage, and will have 24 inches of growing soil added to the row, bordered by mulch to assist drainage. Picture attached shows a small section i started this week of the 6 acres total to be installed.
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A couple notes for you. 10 feet apart is way too close. Figure your vine spacing and then make your spacing in increments of that. Say you have 6 foot spacing, put 3 vines between the posts for a spacing of 18 feet or 4 for 24 feet. 3 feet even with high winds will be OK. Second note, you have the posts upside down. Put them in with the large end down to help keep the frost from working them up.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'll take the intermediate posts out and replant them in the next row. 20 foot spacing sounds O.K. I have 3/16 Stainless Steel wire that should add some strength between posts. As far as the posts goes the taper is so small i can't see the frost heave letting them raise up out of that hard clay. It's the type of gray Glacier clay that hardens when the air hits it and i would need a tractor/loader to get them back out now. But i'll flip the rest as i set them. I Normally set them butt end down when doing Hops Poles, but with the clay in this area i wasn't worried. I'll have to pile my growing soil either in box frames or trenches bordered by heavy mulch. Theres no way the clay will grow anything. It took me 5 years to get grass to grow there. Thanks
 
I would add a bamboo support for each vine. 1/2 inch or larger should work. this will aid in training the wine to top cordon, hold the grow tube in place and in the long run aid in stabilizing the vine against wine damage.
 
I Planned on setting a bunch of long rebar i have leftover from a big project for vine supports. I thought about welding tabs to it to help support the Trellis wire. Yesterday i reset the posts to 20 foot intervals and it gave me enough posts to finish one side of the road and install a whole 200 foot section on the other side. I'm going to make a visit back in my woods here whenever it decides to stop raining and cut some more posts and start skinning them so they will cure faster. All i need now is 20 to finish the first acre and a half.
 
Well i got the spacing straight after our monsoon rains. Waiting for the auger anchors to get here. It's getting hard to find decent Galvanized stuff anymore. I found a set of 8 Galvanized auger anchors 5/8" x 30 inches for $39.00. I'm going ahead with running the stainless wire i have and get everything done.
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I Got a good start on the other side also:

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I Do have one question about the subsoil. I need to build up the rows between the posts because that whole area is lower than the surrounding grade and is slow draining. So what i thought i would do is build up just the rows itself with piled up composted manure to help the water to drain away faster and after the manure has a chance to settle and pack down i can add my amended soil and till it all together then check the PH and adjust it before i plant the Vines.
And if the drainage isn't right, i thought i could just tile between the rows later with 4 inch perforated drain tile.

Does anybody foresee a problem with a raised growing bed? The area between the rows will probably be filled in with several loads of bark mulch later as i can get it.
 
My latest vineyard is on raised beds about 6 inches high. The only problem I have is keeping the grass at the edge mowed. The bed interferes with the mower deck riding level and it leaves a hump of grass at that area. I try to mow just to it now but that is tricky. Of course if you have no grass between the rows that won't be a problem.
 
Thankfully i can get lots of wood chips and mulch to border the rows. I may have to eliminate the grass between the rows like i have done in the Hops Yard.
 

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