want to plant about a 1/2 acre. a few questions

[ibglowin]

So how in the heck did you end up in drafting!

No money in Agronomy?

 

[TimTheWiner]

I will surely have my work cut out for me and will be documenting the process in a separate thread. I encountered many large (100+ lb) rocks within 16" of the surface. Since I will be purchasing the vines from Double A Vineyards with sizable roots in place, I think I really need to till the surface then hand dig EACH ROW down to about the 18" depth or so, so I won't have issues planting and getting them to grow well, plus it will ease in post installation in the spring.

 

[marlegra]

OMG! You are trying to scare h

We put in a 1/2 acre vineyard 5 years ago. Tilling and preparation of the soil was a few hundred. Planting the 392 vines, trellis materials and instillation were around 1600. Deer fencing and instillation was about 1000. The 392 vines were $2.50 each. As we are dry farming, this did not include any irrigation. A 25 gallon sprayer and 3pt carry all for the tractor was about 500. 1700 feet of bird netting was $500. Powdery mildew and botrytis sprays are a couple hundred a year. Time commitment is several hours a week for vine positioning, tucking and spraying.

You might think that a 1/2 acre vineyard is not that big, but if you have a full time job and only have weekends to "manage" the field, you will be surprised how much of your spare time is required. You need to be prepared to be fully committed to the vineyard from bud break to harvest.

 

[winemaker81]

OMG! You are trying to scare h

Welcome to WMT!

You replied to an 11 yo thread, and most of the folks have been absent from the forum for many years.

If you're interested in grape growing, there's a lot of active threads frequented by folks who are growing grapes now. If you have questions, start a new thread.