# Dry Creek Overlook



## dragonmaster42 (Jun 25, 2009)

Thought I'd share a few pics I took around the place of the future/developing wine garden, hopyard, and thanks to rrawhide syrah/ merlot vineyard that I decided to call Dry Creek Overlook. The place is mostly a steep hill and trees about 4 miles west of Waldo in Benton, AR. There's a pretty good size sunny patch I'm taking advantage of and have a chainsaw that I can make more with. 


Looking down the back couple acres at Dry Creek from the upstairs porch. Yes, it's mostly trees this time of year, but there really is a creek down there. 







One of a dozen or so Syrah cuttings. They've been in the ground just undera month now, planting was delayed by the 20" of rain we got in May. Haven't done the trellis yet or adrip line for watering. 






One of about 20 Merlot cuttings:






Hop vines on an experimental low trellis system. They're 11 ft high with a 4' cross at the top (all PVC) with 2 vines per string. The two that are going strong are Cascade (first pic) and Willamette (second pic). There's also a Magnum and Kent Golding which only have a couple vines on them. 






Here you can see the trellis system better. I planted a Saaz rhizome one one of them to try out but it never came up.Might try another one next year. Most of the other green stuff visible is weeds and the corner of the raspberry patch (the tall stuff in the bottom left). This was taken before I cleared the rows for the grape cuttings. 






Planted a small patch of red, black and whitecurrants this year, 3 of each. Here's one of the black currants. One reds didn't make it and one black ones got weed whacked by mistake. It's coming back strong though.








Also put in a raspberry patch. Seems to be devoping awhite cottony looking fungus(?) on it that's been killing back some of the vines so I need to spray them. 






Also plantedthis spring were some sweet and tart cherry trees and 5 chokecherry trees. A deer has found the cherry trees though, so not sure how those will fair. All but one has been completely deleafed at least once, most of them twice.... Come this fall, he better watch out!! 


Tony


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## Waldo (Jun 26, 2009)

What a view that will be in the future. My vines I got from JW are doing good so far. I jut hope they continue doing so


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## grapeman (Jun 26, 2009)

You really do have a lot going on there in that little patch in the woods. It must be hard beating back all the vegetation. I can see why you had one victim of the weed whacker and more with the deer. I can't wait to see more.


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## gaudet (Jun 26, 2009)

Dragonmaster,

That deer better look out, otherwise, he'll become your silent partner in the Dry Creek Outlook Winery's subdivision The Dry Creek Outlook Venison Sausage Co. 

Mmm Mmm that does sound good already.


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## dragonmaster42 (Jun 26, 2009)

mmmmmmmm.... venison! It's what's going to be for supper!!


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## R Ziegler (Jun 26, 2009)

hey dragonmaster42,
I lived near Bentonville, AR for a few years and found there are a number of wineries east of Fort Smith and that they were very helpful w/ questions I had when going there for tasting and other events.


The wineries are as follows:





Altus , Chateau Aux Arc, (pronounced "ozark") ,Mount Bethel Winery, Post Familie Vineyards &amp; Winery, Wiederkehr Wine Cellars and Vineyard 






Also, you might want to try growing some Cynthia/Norton - I haev heard it makes pretty good wine and it is a native grapevine of the US. I was going to try it myself, but it is much to cold for it to survive the wintershere in Central MN.



BTW - Venison goes great w/ wine


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## Travisty (Jun 29, 2009)

dragonmaster, that view is incredible! Even better when your own vineyard is in it I'm sure! Good luck and enjoy the venison!


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## dragonmaster42 (Jul 13, 2009)

Here's a more recent picture after a couple days of pulling weeds. They were getting ahead of me quickly! The pile behind the 5 gallon bucket in the background are the weeds that got pulled out.... 
It's difficult to see, but there's 3 rows (above the row of beans at the bottom right) each ending at a hop vine post. Each has 7 or 8 grape vines in them. All but a half dozen or so of the cuttings are growing. About time for the trellises and a heavy layer of mulch around everything now that it's cleaned up. 








Found this little box turtle crawling around in the weeds, too. Better than finding a snake! One of many critters out here in the back woods.


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## rrawhide (Jul 13, 2009)

Wow DM42 - looks like a lot of fun and work to be coming down the pike. I'm glad that the grape vines are growing nicely. Lookin' good.


Thanx again for the 'care package' today - love the 'overlook' labels too.How about that '03 Burgandy? Need help on the first 2 words tho - how do you say?


Anyway, thanx again


rrawhide


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## AlFulchino (Jul 14, 2009)

looking good....you reminded me of two things..i am due to start going thru the vine yard as my barber called it and pull the weeds that escaped the round up..they tend to be near a trunk

and you also reminded me that i have seen some turtle eggs this year right in the sandiest of areas in the vine yard...i almost cultivated them up one day but some earlier rain had uncovered one enough for me to see from ole johnny deere...always a fun job...hope you enjoy it more than i do


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## dragonmaster42 (Jul 14, 2009)

Al - can't say I enjoy pulling the weeds, but they seem to grow faster than everything else at times. The growing area is borderline being too small to use roundup (except carefully in certain places) and the weedeater and too big to pull everything by hand. 


Rick - If I remember correctly, it's Wodens Daeg - which isthe old english of Odin's Day (or Woden's Day) which is the origin of our "Wednesday". Forgot who did the painting, but it is of the Norse god Odin and I bottled it on a Wednesday, so that's where it all came from. 


I'd be interested in seeing what you think of it. It was a concentrate that I over oaked accidentally and really didn't like for a couple years. The past few bottles I've had have mellowed out quite a bit though. One of my early experiments.


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## grapeman (Jul 14, 2009)

I just love pulling weeds so much I do it by hand whenever I get a chance!










Actually I have been on weed patrol the last couple days among other things. I pulled enough Galinsoga today to bury your vineyard 3 feet deep. It is the worst stuff on me since I am highly allergic to it. When I got done I took a shower and a Benadryl and am sneezing my head off! It forms a solid mass of weeds and grows about 2 feet tall. YUCK!!!






Your vineyard looks great being nice a weed free. Did you throw that rack of venison on the barbeque yet?


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## dragonmaster42 (Jul 14, 2009)

Sounds like nasty stuff Appleman.






Haven't seen that deer around lately and several of the cherry trees are showing the appearance ofrecovering so maybe it's moved on (or the local dog packs scared it off). I think two are goners and one is a maybe. These three trees were completely deleafed at least twice.


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## grapeman (Jul 15, 2009)

I hope they come back for you- the trees that is not the deer.


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## dragonmaster42 (Jul 15, 2009)

Me too. Well, the deer is invited back later this year when deer season opens






When would be a good time to start trimming the multiple vines that are on some of the cuttings down to a single one? Wasn't sure if I should wait and let them get bigger so the roots get more established or not.


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## grapeman (Jul 15, 2009)

Let them grow the first year and trim back to a couple buds on a single stem (cane) at that time. This allows the roots to get a larger food store for winter and prepare for better growth next year.


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## dragonmaster42 (May 26, 2010)

Since things are turning green and growing, thought I'd share a few pics.

Here are the rooted merlot and syrah cuttings from rrawhide that I planted in Spring 2009. I'll need to move a few to a new row to increase the space between them next year but wanted to see what survived last winter first. Pretty much all but 2 or 3 came back. 





Hard to see, but here are some of the elderberries put in a couple months ago. Still small, but growing.





The aroma hops are growing well and the bittering hops aren't (haven't figured out why). The big two in this pic are Cascades and the smaller one in front is a Magnum (one of the bittering hops). The empty one in the very front actually has one small Nugget vine (another bittering hop) and will probably be replaced next year. It didn't do much of anything last year either. The other aroma hop (Kent Golding) you can just see in the left side of the pic of the grape vines and is rivaling the Cascades in growth. 





Only two of the tart cherry trees survived the deer (4 were eaten). They're in the picture above, down the hill behind the hops - one on the left side of the pic and one (out of focus) on the right side. The others I replaced - one tart and three sweet - and are okay so far. We'll see what happens.

5 of the chokecherry trees planted last year survived. Still small, but they weren't much more than little twigs to begin with. Here's one of them:





Tony


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## Runningwolf (May 26, 2010)

Tony, thanks for the update, I love the pictures. As mike said in another post it is a continuing education for some of us!


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## grapeman (May 26, 2010)

It is always good to see things greening up. Good luck with all of them.


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## gaudet (May 26, 2010)

Were the deer in turn eaten as well Tony?


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## xanxer82 (May 26, 2010)

The pictures are great. Glad to see vines taking off.


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## dragonmaster42 (May 27, 2010)

Gaudet - the deer survived as far as I know, however I did manage to get a picture from the back porch of the culprit standing next to one of the trees that didn't make it. As Homer Simpson would say: DOE!!!!!!


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## gaudet (May 27, 2010)

MMMMMM she looks delicious....... Glad all I have to fight off is the birds down here.......


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## Waldo (May 27, 2010)

Everyhing is looking really good Tony


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## dragonmaster42 (Mar 31, 2011)

Went out into the garden and saw some weird looking things on my grape vines. Think I should be concerned???? 






(the dandelion in the background is gone now)


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## Flem (Mar 31, 2011)

Ahhhhhh! Springtime!!!!


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## Waldo (Apr 1, 2011)

Well Bud , not sure what that is. I have a couple of buddies on here thoughthat may be able to identify what it is.


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## grapeman (Apr 1, 2011)

Budbreak! Welcome to spring. Only be concered if it is apt to freeze hard soon.


Welcome to spring.


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## Wade E (Apr 1, 2011)

Oh chop that off and cut the vine down before it spreads or your going to need more carboys!!!!!


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## dragonmaster42 (Apr 2, 2011)

Good one Wade. This will be their third year, so it'll be interesting if I get anything other than a lot of vines and leaves.


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## OilnH2O (Apr 3, 2011)

I'll bet you'll be pleasantly surprised at what you get the third year! Wish we had that, but then we have a "winter weather advisory" tonight! Ah... spring!


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## dragonmaster42 (Apr 30, 2011)

Survived the storms with not much damage even with one tornado passing within a mile last week. The only thing I've seen out in the vineyard, beside tree branches, is a majority of the tips of the new growths coming out on the vines were broken off (first 3-4 inches). Considering portions of some towns are gone, I'm not complaining at all.


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## Wade E (Apr 30, 2011)

Glad you didnt suffer too much damage over there!!!


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## dragonmaster42 (Jun 5, 2011)

Thar be grapes!!


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## grapeman (Jun 5, 2011)

I don't think I will ever get used to seeing Muscadines in their loose clusters more like clumps of grapes! Good luck with them! I figured they would be farther along there by now.


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## dragonmaster42 (Jun 6, 2011)

Actually, those are either the Syrah or the Merlot grapes - the cuttings got mixed up when I planted them. The loose clusters are odd, but all the storms etc blowing through when they were just flowering out the past few months might have something to do with it. Can't say for sure. The vines were pretty beat up. But considering most "experts" say they can't be grown down South, I'm just rather pleased to see something on there other than leaves.


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## Waldo (Jun 7, 2011)

May have something to do with our soil dragonmaster as mine are looking the same as yours


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## grapeman (Jun 7, 2011)

Darn Dragonmaster, here I thought you had nice big bunches of small muskies



It's cool that you guys are even able to grow them at all there in the south.


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## Waldo (Jun 7, 2011)

Move over Napa Valley
The South is gonna rise again


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## ibglowin (Jun 7, 2011)

Bwahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!


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## dragonmaster42 (Jul 31, 2011)

Grapes aren't ready, but I did pick about 2 lbs of Cascade hops this morning. The past few years I cut all of the bines down to pick them, but today I just picked what was ready - mainly up at the top. The lower 1/2 to 2/3 are still covered in immature cones and the bines are still putting out new laterals covered in burrs. Fingers crossed, I might get a second harvest at the end of August into September.


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## paubin (Jul 31, 2011)

What.....no pic's of dem purdy grapes and such?..lol

Pete


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## dragonmaster42 (Aug 1, 2011)

Oh yeah... almost forgot


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## grapeman (Aug 1, 2011)

You must be a hoppy camper about now! Nice hops.


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## ibglowin (Aug 1, 2011)

Sweeeeeeeeeet!


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## Waldo (Aug 2, 2011)

Looking good buddy


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## paubin (Aug 2, 2011)

Time ta brew up a batch I'd say

Pete


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## John Prince (Aug 2, 2011)

Waldo and Tony. We need to get together. I live in Hot Springs. Trade a bottle over lunch. 
501-622-9772


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## DBell (Aug 15, 2011)

So Jealous! I planted some hops this year. Can't wait... I love IPA


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## dragonmaster42 (Aug 20, 2011)

Well my 3 small clusters of grapes have been harvested. Unfortunately not by me. Checked last week and they were deep purplish red and starting to sweeten. Today I found grape stalks.


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## gaudet (Aug 20, 2011)

Told ya you should have made deer sausage when you had the chance. Well better luck next season.....


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## Randoneur (Aug 20, 2011)

Deer are only one of the pests, squirrels can eat an amazing amount of grapes, then there are the opposums and racoons. Netting is not effective for anything except birds. I have started trapping to get then thinned out.


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## dragonmaster42 (Sep 8, 2011)

Cut the Cascade vines last night and ended up with another half of a 2.5 gallon bucket full of hops. Pretty good year for them, considering the weather. Probably about 8-9 oz dried total for this year from the two clumps. The other varieties didn't do anything.


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## DBell (Sep 14, 2011)

Sounds like some good IPA material! Sucks about the other varieties.


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