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good to know. kill the wasps, get more grapes. i can do that.

tree, do i understand you correctly? do wasps attack grapes?

thanks, sal. iif chemicals must be used, i'll use them. i do wish i knew what happebed tho, i noticed wasps on the grapes n wondered id they sucked out the juices or if it was disease.

in its forth year, my unk. arbor grape started about 40 bunches of red grapes. i removed half, as this seemed too much. i only harvested 6 bunches. all the rest shriveled up before ripening. any ideas how to prevent this, this year?

great site, fron. i had no idea that fruit size is determined at the flowering stage. i'll try some fertilizer plus extra water at flower time, next year.

thanks, ibg. i wondered if it could be water.

um, do you have any ideas about small grapes? i pruned about half the bunches before the trouble started.

thanks tons, fron. i'm in new mexico on the high plains but black rot sounds likely. i'll go trim those vines. i suspected wasps because they were at the scene but that's all. i should have had a big crop, but between the small grapes n the rot i've lost most of it.

when i mentioned my unknown vine. i told you i expected a full bushel. of grapes. these are supposed to be large grapes/ they are a pretty purple when ripe. i assume they don't get bigger once they change color? mine are as big as medium blueberries or smaller. i've been eating some. just sweet...

i harvest mint 3 times/season. each time, i take 3/4 of the leaves. i drink mint tea every night, as i don't care for caffeine in the eve.

eels are cool. i object to having them removed from my vinegar. that might be why i buy raw vinegar. the health benefits must come from live eels. i used a friend's family recipe for sima. brown sugar, white sugar, honey , lemon n raisins. it's very nice, but i generally make ginger ale. i...

is it not yeast that makes vinegar? i love working with yeast. it occurs to me that i've made wine before. i made sima, a fizzy finnish soft drink. to the last bottle, i added sugar for the yeast to eat n stuck that in the back of the fridge. i used champagne yeast n it produced lots of...

thanks, guys. so, sulfites are needed mostly for long aging? that's very good to know, as i'm only trying to make a young wine, to be consumed before the next batch. scooter, i followed your advice n now have some wine yeast. i may allow natural yeast to work for a while before adding it. it...

yeah. pills. she might have used bread yeast. do you happen to know grandfather's method? since i'll be doing small batches, i can experiment.

i read with great interest your beliefs on natural wines. it seems clear that there are many problems involved with leaving the well trodden path. in fact, if one spends a great deal of time n money on a home vintage, taking a chance on natural wines seems silly. that may be because your...

thanks, john. i guess i'll plant, for fun.

do you guys suppose that it's to late to put corn in? i'm zone 7 but i hurt my knee at planting time. i'd just like a dozen ears or so.

thanks greg. good to know there's a visual cue. i prune figs in fall, after dormancy. you guys think spring is better?

both rats n rabbits eat young growing shoots, i solved this when i saw a feral cat in my garden. i feed her in exchange for her hunting my garden. both rats n rabbits are extinct in this area. often, you can get barn cats free from shelters. they charge for cuddly kits n house cats, but they...

scooter, the high plains are cattle country . no such thing as fruit stands. no large fruit growers either. i only grow figs because it's not possible to grow them here. i sure wish i had known before that grapes will grow here, with little work. waiting 4 years for a crop is a bit off putting...