WINE GARDEN

[NorthernWinos]

I don't know...Last year I had only one mature plant...a John's...his mate [Adam's] had died, it had beautiful flowers and I knew he wouldn't produce fruit...should have picked those flowers...but just enjoyedtheir beauty.


Last year I bought another John's and Adam's as they come in a 'team'...my luck the Adam's died.....Today I received 2 sets of John's and Adam's plants and planted them....one of the Adam's plants probably doesn't stand a chance of growing....
Why do they both have men's names????
Will they ever reproduce????


Next time I am going to buy a different 'team'.


This year the mature John's died to the ground except for a couple tall canes...maybe they are a little tender for his zone???


Waldo...as for your question....Cracked Cork is the resident Elderberry man...he has a Web Page and I am sure he would help you out as to when to harvest the flowers.

 

[rgecaprock]

How Beautiful, NW......I can't express in words how I envy you!!!! Reminds me of my roots!! I love your pictures so much!!!


Ramona

 

[NorthernWinos]

Went to a city yesterday and found a potted Red Currant at a little greenhouse set up at the farm store, so it had to come home with me...


It fit right in the 'Wine Garden'

Before it got set out I took some cuttings....

The cuttings [trimmings] off of the first Black Currant bush that got set outseem to be rooting...they are under the jar on the right....they won't submit to a tug...so think there are roots holding them in the potting soil...Hope to get a few more plants ....for free!!!!


Set out the late season cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage plants today...as well as the melon plants....garden is finally coming together....and the greenhouse is getting empty...just replacement plants, plants for friends and a few cuttings left in there....Hope the rains keep coming....Summer is here!!!!

 

[Wade E]

Looking great NW! I wish I had 1/4 of the thumb you have and I think you know what color digit Im talking about!

 

[grapeman]

That garden sure is growing! You must give an awful lot of produce away later on. Even with canning and freezing, I don't think you could ever use all that up. Is the rain fairly spaced out or is it getting wet yet?

 

[NorthernWinos]

We got 3.96 inches in May [that's in our official USDA rain gauge]...most all of it came the last 10 days...It went from powder dry to wet....The showers are small in coverage but heavy....Now it seems to be coming regularly....hope it keeps up.


Was glad to get in the garden and finally get some of the last stuff set out and planted. There is more produce there than we can use, can and freeze....but the neighbors enjoy some too...tho the old people are passing away. Also have to share with bugs, diseases, mice and sometimes Mother Nature takes a share too.

 

[NorthernWinos]

My 'Honey' is trying to get his crops sprayed...it's either too windy or raining....so...he installed the posts for the Frontenac Grape row...and I got them transplanted and mulchedtoday...

I mulch them for the first year or so to conserve moisture and for winter protection...the 'rag' hanging over one plant is to protect it[as it was a larger plant] from wilting in the hot sun....


JW...the beer 'slug traps' are under the ice-cream buckets....protecting the beer from a pending rain storm....


A nice afternoon 'Garden Variety' shower...

A nice 1/4" rain in 15 minutes...

And a small rainbow...just to tell you....

"It doesn't get any better than this"

 

[JWMINNESOTA]

That wire mesh to the left of the JW traps reminded me of a wine rack I saw, good idea I think, could be modified so many ways and made functional I think.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I've seen wine racks made with that wooden X lath panels too...looked nice too.

 

[Waldo]

Awesome NW........Thanks

 

[rgecaprock]

Nice. I like the wire !

 

[NorthernWinos]

Things are progressing in the Wine Garden...


Strawberries are growing...from flowers to fruit..

Raspberries...from tiny blossoms to small fruits...Thanks to the bees...

Wild Chokecherries...

Nanking Cherries....Not pollinated well...was cold and windy at flowering..

Sandcherries...set fruit nicely...

Apples and Crabapples are growing well...a few smaller crowed ones are doing the 'June-Drop'...

Other fruits are doing well...

 

[NorthernWinos]

Wine garden is growing....


The raspberries are filling out and the bees are still working over the last bloosoms...

The early and late apples and crabapples are getting bigger, lost some in the windstorm...

The Juneberries are filling out and taking on color...I hope the applications of fungicide help with the fungus...so far so good...

The Wild Chokecherries are also getting bigger and appear to have hung on through the strong winds...

The grapes are growing like wild...but really took a beating in the wind....all the wildly growing new growth was going in one direction from the winds, and had grown together...untangled a lot of the wines today and tied them up...

I am trying to get a new shoot or two from the base to grow as a back-up trunk as well as some new lateral..just in case I get another freeze out....This is a King of the North vine...it is the most rampant grower around.


Baby grapesare growing...

When do you start canopy trimming???


The new Currant, Gooseberry, Nanking Cherry and Sandcherry area is expanding...a friend came over with a new Red Currant and Juneberry plant for the 'Wine Effort'...

Took a few more cuttings off some of the plants and the older cuttings have rooted and got 4 Black Currants in individual pots now...

The veggie garden took a beating in the wind and heavy rains...the soil is like cement now and many plants are still headed 'down-wind'....planted the late sweetcorn and a few late potatoes today...

All is well on de-tundra.

















Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[Wade E]

Looks just awesome there NW. You have the best of 2 worlds there, a
beautifully maintained yard with an exceptional garden.

Hats off to you. I hope I have the time in my life where I can take the
time and have property big enough to do something like this.

 

[Waldo]

MeThinks NW would put most men today to shame with her work habits. She does more work by accident than most people do trying .

 

[grapeman]

Waldo, what you don't see is the crew of migrant Scandinavians in the background with NW cracking the whip at them!

I bet with a garden like hers she could really use a few of them from time to time.


What she doesn't tell you is that all those boots upside down used to belong to men that she worked into the ground trying to keep up with her!

 

[NorthernWinos]

I don't work that hard....just try my best....and...love every minute of it.


My honey does his fair share too...that's how he wore out so many boots.Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[NorthernWinos]

The heat and humidity sure has things ripening fast.....and sent me out with more bird netting.


The Juneberries are showing an occasional larger ripe berry...The flavor resembles Blueberries...The fungicide has certainly helped, no sign of fungus this year.

The Nanking Cherries also have an occasional ripening berry....They bloomed very early this spring during cold and windy days...there seemed to be plenty of bees on good days...but the crop is very sparse....

Other years..a bumper cop for the birds...the year I want them for wine, no such luck.... I continue to find and dig volunteer plants from the yard...will increase the number of plants.


This is all a learning experience...you have a season to try to grow some plants and if you don't succeed you'll hope for a better crop next year...


Good thing that Vintners Harvest Fruit Bases have a bumper crop in every can.

 

[rgecaprock]

Just got back from the country, Woodville, Tx at Curtis' mom's house. The gave us bags and bags of goodies. It was so nice to get away for a day. Took a few pics.


Various wildlife, plants etc.

I think this is called a Texas star. It gets mistaken for marijuana, the leaves looks just like it. It is a native Texas plant.

A poor little possum that got caught in the live trap.


My bronze muscadine plant that they planted for me in april.

The trees were getting eaten by this caterpillars....hope they don't get to my vine.


Ramona

Edited by: rgecaprock

 

[NorthernWinos]

Nice to see what's up in your neck of the woods...


Greatphotos...You lucky folks to have ripe tomatoes already...guess that's what's stocking the stores up in these parts.


Love the red Clematis!!!!!...Is that a Camillion????