Starting my vineyard

[ebbutler]

Went to a garden seminar a week ago yesterday and one of the workshops was on growing grapes. Talked it over with my wife and visited with a couple that have a vineyard and winery and here we are.
I've cleared most of the vineyard site, just waiting for a dozer to come in this summer to clear a draw.
Planning to plant 1 1/4 acre of Alwood and Golden Muscat next spring 2013. That gives me time to build the trellis with hedge posts.

 

[ibglowin]

Looks like a very nice site. This will give you time to plan a bit more and do some research on varietals that do well in your area. Looking forward to updates.

One last thing, welcome to Wine Making Talk!

 

[ebbutler]

I ordered 210 Cayuga White and 348 Vidal Blanc vines today for spring 2013. I have another patch that I want to put 489 Concord vines in after I get the others planted.

I also ordered 2 Mars, 2 Reliance and 2 Vanessa which will be shipped next week I will be planting these seedless vines away from the other vines by at least 300 feet.

Will also be adding 2 peach and 2 cherry trees to the already started 2 plums, 2 pears and 3 apple treas.

 

[grapeman]

Good luck with the vineyard!

Out of curiosity, why are you seperating the seedless grapes from the others? You can plant them right next to them and you won't get seeds, because they are seedless...........

 

[ebbutler]

I would prefer to plant them next to the others. I was told that the seed grapes would turn the seedless to seed ones.

 

[grapeman]

While that might be true of vegetables you keep the seeds from to plant later, crossing the vines with seedless and seeded does not give seeds.

 

[bob1]

Did you mean planting them close to each other or crossing them?

 

[ebbutler]

While that might be true of vegetables you keep the seeds from to plant later, crossing the vines with seedless and seeded does not give seeds.

Thank you for the info. I will plant them in the same vicinity now.

 

[winemaker_3352]

The site looks awesome!! Looking forward to seeing more as it comes along.

Good choice on the Vidal vines - that makes a great wine!!! I am currently aging my Vidal Blanc..

Welcome aboard!! Another fellow Missourian!!


What part of MO are you from??

 

[bob1]

Grapeman I am still curious about your statement

crossing the vines with seedless and seeded does not give seeds.

Did you mean on the original vine?

 

[krafty_kraut]

From what I’ve read about Vidal Blanc, it is an excellent vine.

Here’s what the Michigan State University Extension says about resistance for winter freeze damage, disease attack, Phylloxera and sulfur-induced freeze damage.

On a scale of 1-10. 1 = most susceptible and 10 = most resistant.

Winter freeze damage 9
Spring Frost 10
Black Rot 8
Downy Mildew 6
Botrytis 9
Phomopsis 9
Crown Gall 7
Phylloxera 10
Sulfur damage ‘No’

 

[krafty_kraut]

The Vidal Blanc late harest wine here sells for about $45 a bottle.

 

[grapeman]

Grapeman I am still curious about your statement

Did you mean on the original vine?

I mean that placing seeded vines next to seedless does not cause the seedless to develop seeds just because they were pollinated with seeded pollen. The resulting seeds could result in the offspring having seeds- EXCEPT YOU WON'T GET ANY SEEDS!

Sorry it took me a while to respond, I have to work sometime!

 

[bob1]

oh duh I hate it when that happens. I was thinking the other way around.

 

[ebbutler]

Planted my 6 seedless vines last week. 5 show sign of life, patiently waiting on the 6th. Finished putting in posts, bottom wire and grow tubes this morning for the first trellis.
Lessons learned:
May need to move the wire to the other side of the posts so the grow tubes are straight up.
The wire was a pain to unroll, must come up with an unrolling contraption. Any one have one?

 

[ebbutler]

Forgot! Got my soil samples back. Took samples for each area planned to plant in, average ph is 4.5. That sound bad to me, needs lots of lime they say. What do you think?

 

[Brew and Wine Supply]

For unrolling wire, a 'Spinning Jenny' is what you need. Keeps it from coming off like a giant slinky. You can get them at a farm supply store, different sizes run anywhere from $50 to $100. also check amazon. I am needing one also, checking Craigs lits too.

 

[CARBOY]

Homemade spinning jenny

At first I was going to buy a spinning jenny from Tractor Supply...but then; I made this from a "Fisher Price" Sit-n-Spin and a few scraps of wood and some leftover deck screws. No brake on it (yet)...works great, getting ready to go through another roll of wire. Probably about $30.00 invested. My three year grand-helper didn't mind (sort-of). See pics.

 

[grapeman]

Forgot! Got my soil samples back. Took samples for each area planned to plant in, average ph is 4.5. That sound bad to me, needs lots of lime they say. What do you think?

You are right, that is awfully low pH. French American Hybrid Grapes want a pH of about 5.8-6.0 so yes you need a lot of lime. Go by the recommendations. They probably tell you to apply a split application which will be hard for you with a small plot.

 

[ebbutler]

Yesterday I picked 75 pounds of plums off my tree. It is the first time since planting the tree 14 years ago that I got a good crop. Today we canned 32 pints.