Recent content by roostertail

Quite an accurate assessment on the farm's suitability for an orchard, seeing as the only remaining commercial apple orchard in the county is on the same side of the same ridge, one mile away ;) In reality though, any time I want apples, I just go get a truckload of "deer apples" from them...

I pinched off almost all the clusters, I literally left about 4 clusters total out of the 100 vines, just so I can hopefully eat a handful of grapes this fall, and to see what fungus problems show up. Also, the vines in the first couple pics are own-rooted hybrids, that's why they look so deep...

Yup, I got most of them before the flowers opened. I left a single cluster on a couple vines, just to see what kind of fungus problems I'm going to have to deal with next year. Do you have any recommendations for a catch-all spray program? I've read "From Vines to Wines," was thinking of just...

June

Well, it's only been 11 months since my last update! Vines were planted at the end of April, and have been making steady progress. May

I started a batch of tomato wine a few days ago, about 2 gallons of tomatoes, half red and half green. I did the usual adjustments, added about 1/2 gallon of sugar water to bring the acid down, ta was .085, potential alcohol right at 12%, added tannin and nutrient according to whatever the...

Ordered vines yesterday, went with 10 each of Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Chambourcin, Chancellor, Seyval, and Vidal. The turnips and radishes are growing like weeds, the next step will be setting end posts, which I hope to get done this fall. I'm going to...

The number one hybrid in my area is Chambourcin, just about every commercial vineyard is growing it. As for other hybrid recommendations, others on the board are far more knowledgeable than I, but I've heard good things about Marquette, Frontenac, Baco Noir, Chancellor, etc. Pinot Noir has a...

Climate wise, and with excellent site selection, Cabernet Franc probably will, maybe Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot probably not. I'm in the eastern panhandle, and all three as well as many other vinifera are grown in the Shenandoah Valley area. The thing that would concern me the most about where...

Yeah, electric fence is about the only way to go. I have a small garden that I protect by spraying a mix of milk, water, and garlic powder, but it has to be done after every rain and with the number of vines I'm going to have, it just wouldn't be practical. Got the rows tilled, going to seed...

Yeah, just over the mountain WVMJ, very cool. Thanks BigDrum! I have the post locations marked, I'm going to rototill the planting strips and seed radishes and turnips for a cover crop this fall. I heard the roots help to break up soil compaction and bring subsoil nutrients to the surface...

I've been to a couple so far, mostly in the upper end of the Valley around Winchester, Front Royal, Berryville, etc. Whereabouts in WV are you? I'm in Berkeley Springs

Here's some shots of the vineyard site, it's going to cover most of the closely-mowed area. The last shot shows the field on the other side of the pond, a healthy 5 acres. Someday...

Norton is something I've thought about, it's pretty popular in the region, but for now I'm going to concentrate on the classics and see what I can do with them. If I decide to expand later down the road, Norton will most likely be one to add

Hello there, first post, and happy I found this forum, a wealth of knowledge to be had here for sure! I'll be planting a moderate size test vineyard in the spring, and would appreciate any and all input and suggestions from the board. I'm located in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, just...