THE CATS MEOW VINEYARD

[rgecaprock]

A very Happy Birthday to Waldo and Martina!!!


Best Wishes and may your carboys always be full!!


Ramona

 

[Waldo]

Lets see now.....If my carboys are "ALWAYS" full that means I aint a getting to do no drinking....Not sure about this Ramona

Updated photo of "The Cats Meow Vineyard". The Muscadine & Blackberriescontinue to do well. Have the Muscadinesstaked now and just waiting and watching them grow. Did put some mulch around them to help hold in the moisture.

Edited by: Waldo

 

[grapeman]

Is your soil a little dry there Waldo? Masta and a lot of us would gladly share some with you about now. Actually we have been three days with no downpours now- a record for the year!

Rather ingenious of you to plant the vines in the low area draining to the culvert if the soil leans towards dry. That good ole Arkansas ingenuity.

 

[Waldo]

We could sure use some of it appleman. Has been over a week now since our last rain and things are getting pretty dry

 

[rgecaprock]

Waldo,


I am so amazed at you!!! It hasn't even been a year since you have been making wine...has it? You have come such a long way!! Keep us updated on your vines. Looks great!!


Ramona

 

[NorthernWinos]

We could sure use some of it appleman. Has been over a week now since our last rain and things are getting pretty dry

Pretty dry?????? Been a week since rain???? We have had about 4.25 inches since snow melt in April....evreything is toasting...Our crops are wilted, the lawn is like straw....only things that look good are where the hose is dragged to...the raspberries are getting smaller with each picking....very depressing up here in Northwest Minnesota.

 

[Pepere]

Ramona: you're lucky you got out of here when you did. We're still getting T-storms almost daily. My flight from Tampa on Wed. was delayed two hours because of storms here in this area and it appears we're going to have more today. I just finished cutting the grass and wasn't completly dry but, I had no choice waiting longer and I would have needed a bailer not a mower.

Waldo: your vineyard and berries are looking fabulous. I'm jealous, here at this house I have Maryland clay and at the cabin I've WVa rocks and too many critters. I guess I'll just keep making kits and an occassional lilac wine. I fear any fruit wines will be made from canned or frozen products.

 

[grapeman]

Waldo,
Some new pics of the Cats Meow Vineyard please. It would be interesting to see how vines grow in a warmer environment. Are they showing any fall changes yet, or does that wait until January there?

 

[Waldo]

No fall changes yet appleman. We are getting a good, much needed rain right now. The Muscadines have grown about another 2-3 ft taller snce last photo. I am hoping they will make to wire height before winter. Will get some more pictures soon.

 

[grapeman]

It must be nice to have such a long growing season, but I'm not sure I could deal with the 100 degree days. I need to spend the whole day inside when we get the occasional 100 deg day every 10 years. Of course I won't need to worry about that soon - we get plenty of natures air conditioning up here.

 

[bilbo-in-maine]

Waldo - I think I heard that muscadines are almost completely disease resistant, that true? Tell us what training system you use. The ones I saw in SC looked like they were on the top wire and hanging down.

 

[grapeman]

Waldo, I was just wondering if your vines have started waking up there yet? We don't have a nice long growing season like you do, so we always look forward to hearing of early growth in the spring. It is still winter up here so we need some encouragement that the cold weather will eventually come to an end. I hope your vines grew well last year so that you can get a good crop this year.Edited by: appleman

 

[Waldo]

They are still in hibernation right now appleman and I too am hoping for a good crop this year. We have that mid 50's to low 60's today and back to mid 30's the next day thing going right now so Spring is just aroud the corner for here

 

[Waldo]

Waldo, I was just wondering if your vines have started waking up there yet? We don't have a nice long growing season like you do, so we always look forward to hearing of early growth in the spring. It is still winter up here so we need some encouragement that the cold weather will eventually come to an end. I hope your vines grew well last year so that you can get a good crop this year.

Most are disease resistant Bilbo. I use the single wire system, probably the same as what you saw. It provides more air circulation and light penetration that the Juscadines realy need.

 

[peterCooper]

Any Advice on how to train the Black Spanish grape? They are supposed to be Pierce's disease resistant and I have a couple of vines on their way. I thought a curtain pruning scheme would work with them.

 

[Waldo]

Appleman....The Cats Meow wineyard will require some adjustments this fall. The area I planted my Muscadines in has proven to be a poor choice and the vines have suffered for my decision. It just stays too wet in the early spring. I am getting a few Muscadines this year but nothing near like I should be getting so I plan on trying to move them after they go dormant this fall. The elderberries are doing really good as are the blackberries.

 

[grapeman]

It's good to see those things doing well. Did you get a small crop of blackberries this summer? The elderberries look like you will get a fair amount from them.


So you think the Muscadines are getting soggy feet in the spring? Have you had normal rain these last couple years or has it been wetter than normal. It seems like I recall this spring you guys had major rains and flooding there. Here is a thought for you- since these are a few years old now and are staritng to bear some and won't transplant well- why not plant some new ones in your drier spot and leave those there. You will have the same amount of work to do regardless- actually more if you move them. That way if weather goes back to normal the old ones will do better and you will have the new ones as insurance if it doesn't. If you move them, they will take a few more years to re-establish. Make sense?

 

[OilnH2O]

Sense? SENSE?

You mean we're supposed to be doing all this... to make sense???

 

[NorthernWinos]

Waldo...your Wine Fruits are looking great...

Love the look of your Elderberries.

In your neighbors year is that flowering bush a Buddleia??? Looks like a Lilac but blooms late, very fragrant....Also called Butterfly Bush?????

 

[Waldo]

What you say makes sense appleman. I may do just exactly that. I had not really checked to see if I could move 3 year old plants.
I got almost 1-1/2 gallons of blackberries from the 3 plants I have planted. I only took a picture of one of them. I hope to really do good with them next year. What I did get this year, er uhhh, I made a couple of cpbblers with them...I weakened !!


NW those bushes are in my yard and yes they are butterfly. I sure hope to be making my firt batches of elderberry wine here soon.


Oil....I agree with you, it's senseless to try and make sense out of what i do