Introduction- wisconsin

[shaw]

HI, I'm Shaw. Just joined the forum. Looking forward to learning a lot and helping others when I can.
I purchased 20 acres of land last April. Much of it is in walnuts planted 20 years ago, but some of the low land is planted in oaks and maples. I put in two grape plants last summer- a Marquette and a Fontenac. I hope to expand the number of grapes I plant next spring. I also put in 8 hops plants, but plan to expand my hops yard to 50 plants and make this a cash crop to pay for all the toys I want to buy for the farm.
Hope to learn a lot. Thanks. Shaw

 

[pjd]

Welcome Shaw! How to you harvest and store those hops? 50 plants, wow that is a lot of hops! I bet it smells real good during harvest!

 

[sour_grapes]

Welcome aboard! Where in Wisconsin are you located?

 

[jamesngalveston]

welcome aboard...what part of wisconsin.
I am looking at some property in cedarburg...go there in the summer, come here in the winter...
lots of help here from lots of wine makers...

 

[vacuumpumpman]

Welcome Shaw !!

I know several people in this area who are harvesting Marquette and a Fontenac
grapes in the northern IL area

 

[bkisel]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[shaw]

Thanks for the great comments. I live in Onalaska, Wisconsin (suburb of La Crosse), or as we like to call it, the sunny western coast of Wisconsin, along the Mississippi (the Middle Border).
The hops will take several years to reach the size at which I need to worry about a large harvest. I've home brewed before but intend to avoid it if I can. However, I have plenty of friends who do so, and I'll pay for my beer with hops. Maybe I can do the same eventually with grapes.
Shaw

 

[sour_grapes]

That is a beautiful area. I don't know what is nicer, the river valley, or heading inland a dozen miles and enjoying the coulees of the driftless area.