New York Muscat grapes

[Racer]

I started out being reactive to the pest,be it disease or bug. But found out that in this area you are in for alot of trouble if they do show up. I've learned to watch out for the bugs that have a habit of returning each year and only spray when they are expected. As far as disease goes a regular program has to be used during certain portions of the season or I can get into real trouble. Some diseases dont have a good organic eradicant solution yet. Like black rot, phomopsis, anthracnose. So a preventitive program needs to be used if problems are to be avoided.

 

[St Allie]

I have quite a few apple and pear trees and no issues with other insects.. we do get codling moth though .. so you have to be super vigilant about removing and destroying affected fruit and leaves, or they will overwinter.

Allie

 

[Racer]

I'm going to have to read up on codling moths it sounds like. I've had problems with grape berry moth with my grapes before and think I have finally found the right timing to spray for them. I hope you don't have anything like them there where you are. I spent hours a few years ago picking "shot" berries off of clusters because of them. The larvae eat their way into the grape berries and wreck them on you. Man what a pain in the a-- that was.

 

[St Allie]

We don't have fruit fly here, in Australia they have a fruit fly that gets all soft fruits including citrus, they get codling moth too..

In NZ with grapes , it's more likely that birds will get at them ... oh and wasps. Good netting keeps the birds off and we leave out wasp traps anyway.

you can buy pheromone based codling moth traps if they actually are a pest in your country.. you hang the trap in the trees and it entices all the males to get themselves stuck on a sticky mat inside the trap. Solution being.. no breeding.

Allie

 

[Racer]

Has the weather been good enough for you to get the vines in the ground yet St Allie?

 

[St Allie]

The trellising isn't done.. so the vines are in separate buckets with a lil water in the bottom til the posts are in.. putting them in first and then trying to faff about with posts and wires would just be annoying.

weather is great though .. so hoping to get them in this week.. ground is warming up.

Allie

 

[Racer]

I think you have a good approach there, getting the trellis up first like that. I've done things both ways as I have expanded my plantings over the last 7 years now. It can get really fun when the trellis wires slips from your hands and quickly looks like its going to maul all the vines in the row when you wait till after the vines are planted to finish the trellis work. I still have 2 rows of 1st year vines that need all trellis work done for them.

 

[Racer]

Here's a couple of pictures of some of my valvin muscat as the season starts to come near an end here.

 

[St Allie]

That looks well organised.

what have you got planted underneath them?

Allie

 

[Racer]

Its both vineyard and garden at the same time. Besides the usual weeds that get a good foot hold late in the season you are seeing 1 variety of sweet potato low to the ground. The white blossoms in the foreground are my leeks I still have to dig up as I need them.Living in a bigger city has its draw backs but I'm fortunate to have the lot beside my house for this garden space.

 

[St Allie]

heheh.. my leeks don't get a chance to flower.. I didn't realise they had such a showy flower.. very like onions I suppose. I plant gherkins under everything.. it keeps the weeds down and we get a prolific amount of gherkins for the kitchen cupboard.

how big is the lot?

Allie

 

[Racer]

The lot measures 50' x 130'. The garden space is 30'x 60' approximately.
I have over 40 vines with 6 different varieties right now. Next year will be 7 different types as I'll finish removing the chardonnay and will have the space replanted with prarie star and petite pearl. I'll have all hybrids with 1 exception. I'll try and see if auxerois will live thru my cold winters or not. so far I haven't found 1 viniferas type vine that can tolerate my winter time low temps.

 

[St Allie]

Do you grow any other fruits?

Allie

 

[Racer]

We used to have over a dozen red currant bushes but they were pretty old when we moved in here and slowly died off 1 by 1 probably over 20 years ago. We did plant 2 apple trees this spring. I cant seem to get my wife to want other fruit trees around for some reason.

 

[St Allie]

We used to have over a dozen red currant bushes but they were pretty old when we moved in here and slowly died off 1 by 1 probably over 20 years ago. We did plant 2 apple trees this spring. I cant seem to get my wife to want other fruit trees around for some reason.

hehehe.. suggest buying a large property with the intent to plant vines and fruit and watch her freak?

( ok that was naughty of me.. I just smacked my own hand..)

Currants need specialist pruning every fall or the plants will die.

I have put black, red and yellow currants in this year.. I think my climate won't be perfect for it.. but we have a lot of hard frosts .. so we may have enough accumulated cold to allow for fruit set.

Allie

 

[Racer]

hehehe.. suggest buying a large property with the intent to plant vines and fruit and watch her freak?

Funny you should say that. We've been paying on a land purchase in North Carolina for about 5 years now. Our intention is to try and move there in about 8-10 more years.We will be planting a vineyard there, somewhere between 2-4 acres.

 

[St Allie]

heheh..

well that's enough for a homewinery set up.. I have 8 acres here altogether and hubby dragged me out to look at glasshouses recently. I don't want one.. my shadehouse provides all I need. Can't see the point in growing stuff out of season. Makes more sense to grow things that need little to no maintenance seasonally.

Why buy a glasshouse for 4k to grow $300 dollars worth of out of season veg a year? He was saying to the guy that sells glasshouses.. "oh I think a higher wall height would suit me better" ( $1500 more exp!).. at which point I said to hubby.. "and how much glasshouse gardening will you be doing?" his response ...

" oh no, that's your domain.. I'll just be delivering your cup of tea"

$1500 extra so he can deliver the cup of tea without bending down to get into the glasshouse?..

I wonder sometimes...

Allie

 

[Racer]

Well what can I say to that. I've gardened for over 20 years now and just in the last 2-3 years My better half is starting to see the difference in home grown organics and grocery store produce. Just like making wine I guess some patience is required.

 

[St Allie]

hehhehe.. well he does the hard landscaping and the chainsaw work for the property..so I can't complain.. dunno where this glasshouse idea came from..

He is interested in the garden though.

Is north carolina quite a distance from you?..

Allie

 

[Racer]

We currently live near the northeast edge of Illinois right now. So yes it is quite far away from North Carolina. Its also 3 hardiness zones difference between the 2 locations.With winter just ahead of us I'm already dreading -10ºF temperatures I'm sure we'll see here. The piedmont area of North Carolina only sees temps get down to 10ºF.