# Starting my vineyard



## ebbutler (Apr 8, 2012)

Went to a garden seminar a week ago yesterday and one of the workshops was on growing grapes. Talked it over with my wife and visited with a couple that have a vineyard and winery and here we are.
I've cleared most of the vineyard site, just waiting for a dozer to come in this summer to clear a draw.
Planning to plant 1 1/4 acre of Alwood and Golden Muscat next spring 2013. That gives me time to build the trellis with hedge posts.


----------



## ibglowin (Apr 8, 2012)

Looks like a very nice site. This will give you time to plan a bit more and do some research on varietals that do well in your area. Looking forward to updates.

One last thing, welcome to Wine Making Talk!


----------



## ebbutler (Apr 30, 2012)

I ordered 210 Cayuga White and 348 Vidal Blanc vines today for spring 2013. I have another patch that I want to put 489 Concord vines in after I get the others planted.

I also ordered 2 Mars, 2 Reliance and 2 Vanessa which will be shipped next week I will be planting these seedless vines away from the other vines by at least 300 feet.

Will also be adding 2 peach and 2 cherry trees to the already started 2 plums, 2 pears and 3 apple treas.


----------



## grapeman (Apr 30, 2012)

Good luck with the vineyard!

Out of curiosity, why are you seperating the seedless grapes from the others? You can plant them right next to them and you won't get seeds, because they are seedless...........


----------



## ebbutler (Apr 30, 2012)

I would prefer to plant them next to the others. I was told that the seed grapes would turn the seedless to seed ones.


----------



## grapeman (May 1, 2012)

While that might be true of vegetables you keep the seeds from to plant later, crossing the vines with seedless and seeded does not give seeds.


----------



## bob1 (May 1, 2012)

Did you mean planting them close to each other or crossing them?


----------



## ebbutler (May 1, 2012)

grapeman said:


> While that might be true of vegetables you keep the seeds from to plant later, crossing the vines with seedless and seeded does not give seeds.



Thank you for the info. I will plant them in the same vicinity now.


----------



## winemaker_3352 (May 1, 2012)

The site looks awesome!! Looking forward to seeing more as it comes along.

Good choice on the Vidal vines - that makes a great wine!!! I am currently aging my Vidal Blanc..

Welcome aboard!! Another fellow Missourian!!


What part of MO are you from??


----------



## bob1 (May 1, 2012)

Grapeman I am still curious about your statement


> crossing the vines with seedless and seeded does not give seeds.


Did you mean on the original vine?


----------



## krafty_kraut (May 1, 2012)

From what I’ve read about Vidal Blanc, it is an excellent vine.

Here’s what the Michigan State University Extension says about resistance for winter freeze damage, disease attack, Phylloxera and sulfur-induced freeze damage. 

On a scale of 1-10. 1 = most susceptible and 10 = most resistant.

Winter freeze damage 9
Spring Frost 10
Black Rot 8
Downy Mildew 6
Botrytis 9
Phomopsis 9
Crown Gall 7
Phylloxera 10
Sulfur damage ‘No’


----------



## krafty_kraut (May 1, 2012)

The Vidal Blanc late harest wine here sells for about $45 a bottle.


----------



## grapeman (May 1, 2012)

bob1 said:


> Grapeman I am still curious about your statement
> 
> Did you mean on the original vine?


 
I mean that placing seeded vines next to seedless does not cause the seedless to develop seeds just because they were pollinated with seeded pollen. The resulting seeds could result in the offspring having seeds- EXCEPT YOU WON'T GET ANY SEEDS!

Sorry it took me a while to respond, I have to work sometime!


----------



## bob1 (May 2, 2012)

oh duh I hate it when that happens. I was thinking the other way around.


----------



## ebbutler (May 18, 2012)

Planted my 6 seedless vines last week. 5 show sign of life, patiently waiting on the 6th. Finished putting in posts, bottom wire and grow tubes this morning for the first trellis. 
Lessons learned:
May need to move the wire to the other side of the posts so the grow tubes are straight up.
The wire was a pain to unroll, must come up with an unrolling contraption. Any one have one?


----------



## ebbutler (May 18, 2012)

Forgot! Got my soil samples back. Took samples for each area planned to plant in, average ph is 4.5. That sound bad to me, needs lots of lime they say. What do you think?


----------



## Brew and Wine Supply (May 18, 2012)

For unrolling wire, a 'Spinning Jenny' is what you need. Keeps it from coming off like a giant slinky. You can get them at a farm supply store, different sizes run anywhere from $50 to $100. also check amazon. I am needing one also, checking Craigs lits too.


----------



## CARBOY (May 18, 2012)

*Homemade spinning jenny*

At first I was going to buy a spinning jenny from Tractor Supply...but then; I made this from a "Fisher Price" Sit-n-Spin and a few scraps of wood and some leftover deck screws. No brake on it (yet)...works great, getting ready to go through another roll of wire. Probably about $30.00 invested. My three year grand-helper didn't mind (sort-of). See pics.


----------



## grapeman (May 18, 2012)

ebbutler said:


> Forgot! Got my soil samples back. Took samples for each area planned to plant in, average ph is 4.5. That sound bad to me, needs lots of lime they say. What do you think?


 

You are right, that is awfully low pH. French American Hybrid Grapes want a pH of about 5.8-6.0 so yes you need a lot of lime. Go by the recommendations. They probably tell you to apply a split application which will be hard for you with a small plot.


----------



## ebbutler (Jun 27, 2012)

Yesterday I picked 75 pounds of plums off my tree. It is the first time since planting the tree 14 years ago that I got a good crop. Today we canned 32 pints.


----------



## grapeman (Jun 28, 2012)

yummy that looks good


----------



## ebbutler (Jul 2, 2012)

Finally got out with the camera and took a few pictures.

I had one vine that took a few weeks longer than the others to grow but it soon cought up.

I put temporary wire cages around as we are having deer in the gardens and the deer like a paticular cherry tree I planted.


----------



## ebbutler (Jul 2, 2012)

I was given a store bought concord vine from a friend and thought I had to plant it but was not sure if I should.

I planted it and it looked pitiful and kept looking worse every day. I tried to buy a grow tube from a couple of vineyards in the area but no one had an extra. I was told to use a milk carton or anything. I didn't like the idea too well but finally found this clear box that my arrows come in. I trimmed all but two vines off and put it in. It has been only a couple of weeks in this box and it has greened up and looking a lot better. I see today it is even growing which I don't think it had since planting.


----------



## ebbutler (May 3, 2013)

Got the trellis up, planted 558 vines and 2/3rd of the grow tubes on. We got rained out yesterday with around 190 tubes to go.

Still have the fence and irrigation system to put in.

Snowing this morning!


----------



## garymc (May 8, 2013)

What variety of plum is that?


----------



## ebbutler (May 8, 2013)

garymc said:


> What variety of plum is that?



Sorry, I don't know. I'm not the most organized person in the world! I just bought two trees and stuck them in the ground. It's a miracle they lived. I've learned to do a little better job now. 5 dollar tree, 10 dollar hole.

I tried to get an Amish man to prune my trees and he gave me a scathing for not knowing the variety. He never did come trim them even though I was prepared to pay his fee and provide transportation. We got a few books and am working on them.

We planted more pears, apples, plum, peach, cherry, apricot, paw paw, persimmon, nectarine, along with gooseberries and honey berries this year. Am making a map and going to laminate it with the varieties.


----------



## mgmarty (May 11, 2013)

Vineyard looks great!


----------



## ebbutler (May 21, 2013)

I walked through the vineyard this evening and there are only 3 of the Vidal Blanc that have not leafed out.

Many of the vines have grape clusters on. The ones I planted last year did not have clusters last year. Should I remove the grow tubes and pick the clusters off?


----------



## Deezil (May 22, 2013)

I dont know about the grow tubes, but the clusters should definitely come off


----------



## grapeman (May 22, 2013)

ebbutler said:


> The ones I planted last year did not have clusters last year. Should I remove the grow tubes and pick the clusters off?


 

Yes, remove the clusters and if you need to remove the tubes, do that to get the clusters off.


----------



## ebbutler (Sep 18, 2013)

Built a deck/arbor this summer.

Planted 8 vines around it.


----------



## ebbutler (Feb 24, 2014)

Started removing grow tubes and pruning today. Going a little slow but at least going!

Last October I herniated a disc in my back and had to be operated on and then one week ago I slipped and fell on the ice and broke my tail bone!


----------



## grapeman (Feb 24, 2014)

Dang you are accident prone! Did you say things are groing already?


----------



## ebbutler (Feb 24, 2014)

grapeman said:


> Dang you are accident prone! Did you say things are groing already?



No, I didn't say they were growing, I said they were going. In other words I was finally moving a little faster than a snail.

Today I got 121 grow tubes removed and 128 vines pruned. Today was around 30 degrees and the rest of the week is to be in the mid 20's so hope to finish this week.

Removing grow tubes probably is easy for everyone else but I put them on with the bamboo running through the holes. Of course the bamboo it wired to the wire and the vine is taped to the bamboo. Instead of undoing everything I am cutting to remove the tube from the bamboo. 

The 550 vines I plant this year, the tubes will just be wrapped around the vine and bamboo, not run through!


----------



## ebbutler (Mar 2, 2014)

Here's a catch up photo.

Paella made on the arbor deck last fall.


----------



## ebbutler (Mar 2, 2014)

Finished removing grow tubes and pruning vines yesterday.

Just in time for the snow last night and this morning!

Upcoming work; build 12 rows of trellis for 550 vines coming in April, put up web wire and electric fence and then finish the irrigation system.

Saved some vine cuttings to try propagating.


----------



## ebbutler (Apr 9, 2014)

Made a woven wire unroller today. I have 10 200 foot rolls to install.


----------



## grapeman (Apr 10, 2014)

Are you from Australia or something? It all looks upside down! LOL


----------



## ibglowin (Apr 10, 2014)

Looks fine to me!


----------



## HillPeople (Apr 10, 2014)

Nothing like a gravity feed to get that stuff unrolled


----------

