Got our first frost in Utah last week. Looks great, season is definitely closing.
Baco Noir and Seyval Blanc in Utah
Baco Noir and Seyval Blanc in Utah
And so I begin
- Thread starter AmityFlatts
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oregondabbler
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Thanks for sharing your progress. Your vineyard is looking good and is going to be awesome.
If I read you right, you have 8 rows, 40 vines per row? (well not yet but that seems to be the goal) Half Pinot Noir, Half Gris? Quite the project. You have been bitten hard by the wine-bug.
A couple of more years and we get to see the fruit of your labor and you'll be making the wine. Or do you plan to do something else like sell the fruit or shop-out the wine making to a local winery?
By the way, are you making wine now? If not, suggest getting some practice in some kits before you go big-time with your own.
I live just south of you in Corvallis. My vineyard is in the valley clay too. It was a good year! There is always something to do. Nice to meetcha.
Have fun
If I read you right, you have 8 rows, 40 vines per row? (well not yet but that seems to be the goal) Half Pinot Noir, Half Gris? Quite the project. You have been bitten hard by the wine-bug.
A couple of more years and we get to see the fruit of your labor and you'll be making the wine. Or do you plan to do something else like sell the fruit or shop-out the wine making to a local winery?
By the way, are you making wine now? If not, suggest getting some practice in some kits before you go big-time with your own.
I live just south of you in Corvallis. My vineyard is in the valley clay too. It was a good year! There is always something to do. Nice to meetcha.
Have fun
WineandVinestudent
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Your best bet before planting is to always go to the local wineries and talk with the winemakers. These people will be your primary contacts and partners (because they will be purchasing your grapes).
AmityFlatts
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I guess I am officially done babying them for the season, they looked cold this morning.
AmityFlatts
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A couple weeks ago I planted the post. I enjoyed the how to angle your post thread, it was very timely. I over dug my holes and just angled them in the oversized hole as opposed to trying to dig a non vertical hole.
I set 8ft, 4 to 5 inch diameter wood post for ends, and 8 foot metal line post which I drove in the ground with a post pounder. I was tired at the end of that day. I didn't put in any deadman anchors on my end posts, I am hoping I wont need them, mowing will be much easier without an anchor in the way.
Yesterday I strung the wire, it was easier than I anticipated. Twisting the 12.5 gauge high tensile wire wasn't bad, it was tougher wire than I was expecting. I had to buy a 100lb spool of wire, which was enough for 3 wires per row, not sure I needed the third wire, but I am guessing more is better than less.
A few pics of the finished process
I set 8ft, 4 to 5 inch diameter wood post for ends, and 8 foot metal line post which I drove in the ground with a post pounder. I was tired at the end of that day. I didn't put in any deadman anchors on my end posts, I am hoping I wont need them, mowing will be much easier without an anchor in the way.
Yesterday I strung the wire, it was easier than I anticipated. Twisting the 12.5 gauge high tensile wire wasn't bad, it was tougher wire than I was expecting. I had to buy a 100lb spool of wire, which was enough for 3 wires per row, not sure I needed the third wire, but I am guessing more is better than less.
A few pics of the finished process
Very nice job indeed. Looks almost too perfect!
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Unless you placed rock in the hole of the angled posts, they will probably pull up to vertical. The plants will put a lot of weight on the wires. If you see it happening, don't wait to long. I've been surprised at how much the wire will stretch due to weight.
AmityFlatts
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Yes, irrigation is laying on the ground.
AmityFlatts
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My animal problems to date have been
Voles moved in, took some effort to burn, smoke, poison, dig them out. Finally got that colony wiped out that set up at the edge of my vineyard. I wanted them dead before winter and they girdled my plants.
I can see deer most days from my property, but for some reason the last couple of years they haven't bothered me. They don't cross the open field and come to my place. I have a couple cherry trees they tried to wiped out in the spring a few years ago.
Raccoons, skunks and opossums visit regular, when I see them, they don't usually get away.
A few coyotes have got within shooting range neighbors goats get out once in a while, they got close once last summer, but I managed to divert that before it became an issue.
AmityFlatts
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I harvested about 75 cuttings from my buddy a couple month ago so I could fill in the holes in my vineyard that didnt survive the transplant last year. Out of 320 plants I had 34 that didnt make it. Some of them had fairly large root structres, I dont know how they didnt survive.
Today I took my cutting out of the plastic bag filled with damp sawdust where they have resided since around February and planted two cuttings per spot hoping one of them will grow.
Several of the cutting have sprouted already, glad I didnt wait any longer.
A few weeks ago i was mowing grass in my rows and found a couple killdeer had set up home in vineyard. It appears they have been busy and are making a family.
They put their nest dead center on top of where one of my 34 grapes didnt make it. I left that spot open and put a few cuttings in pots and when the babies are gone, I will transplant the grapes to where they need to be.
Picture of momma to be on her nest
Today while planting momma to be kept trying to lure me away from her nest. She was 7 feet away in the nest row squaking up a storm
Kind of cool I am about to have a harvest from my vineyard before long, just wish it was grapes, and not baby birds.
Today I took my cutting out of the plastic bag filled with damp sawdust where they have resided since around February and planted two cuttings per spot hoping one of them will grow.
Several of the cutting have sprouted already, glad I didnt wait any longer.
A few weeks ago i was mowing grass in my rows and found a couple killdeer had set up home in vineyard. It appears they have been busy and are making a family.
They put their nest dead center on top of where one of my 34 grapes didnt make it. I left that spot open and put a few cuttings in pots and when the babies are gone, I will transplant the grapes to where they need to be.
Picture of momma to be on her nest
Today while planting momma to be kept trying to lure me away from her nest. She was 7 feet away in the nest row squaking up a storm
Kind of cool I am about to have a harvest from my vineyard before long, just wish it was grapes, and not baby birds.
AmityFlatts
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My killdeer came back again this year, same row, just a couple plants over and nested again. Must be a wine name in there somewhere for the bird that keeps raising her babies in my grapes.
Just a couple photos below, hope to harvest some grapes soon. I have made my fair share of mistakes as I move along. I should have pruned the fruiting vines back and not left them so long, it just meant I had to drop a lot more fruit, it hurts to cut those grape clusters off. I did some weed management not long after taking the following pic
Grapes are doing fine, hope to harvest a round of grapes this year, i have already dropped off over half of the clusters that set this year, and I may not have dropped enough clusters.
Oregon Vineyard Supply has been helpful, though sometimes I think they are chemical salesman first, and want me to buy and spray everything. Lots of different ways to do this that is for sure, everybody has a suggestion that doesnt match up the last guys suggestion
Just a couple photos below, hope to harvest some grapes soon. I have made my fair share of mistakes as I move along. I should have pruned the fruiting vines back and not left them so long, it just meant I had to drop a lot more fruit, it hurts to cut those grape clusters off. I did some weed management not long after taking the following pic
Grapes are doing fine, hope to harvest a round of grapes this year, i have already dropped off over half of the clusters that set this year, and I may not have dropped enough clusters.
Oregon Vineyard Supply has been helpful, though sometimes I think they are chemical salesman first, and want me to buy and spray everything. Lots of different ways to do this that is for sure, everybody has a suggestion that doesnt match up the last guys suggestion
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