Getting ready for Spring 2012

[BobF]

I'm tired of depending on wild berries and the weather. This year the blackberries were looking great ... until they died from lack of water. I'm doing something about it.

http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/album.php?albumid=273&pictureid=1653

All together this area will have 150' of Navaho blackberries, 150' of Elders, 6 cherry trees, 50' of black raspberries and a few black currants.

2013 harvest should include blackberries, black raspberries, the red raspberries that are already producing and 30 Elders previously planted.

 

[winemaker_3352]

Very nice!!! I bet it is hard to find wild berries - especially when the weather/varmints/birds/etc do not cooperate.

 

[BobF]

Thanx Jon. Weather and rednecks are the biggest problems here!! ;-)

 

[winemaker_3352]

Bob - did you get any grapes this year?

 

[jtstar]

Looks like you went in there with a tractor and plow that will be a great area are you going to include irrigation also

 

[BobF]

Bob - did you get any grapes this year?

No, I ended up not getting the Chambourcins. The vineyard contacted me and said they were going to harvest early at around 18 brix. I opted out.

I already 3 freezers full of stuff to ferment, including some Chambourcin from last year.

 

[BobF]

Looks like you went in there with a tractor and plow that will be a great area are you going to include irrigation also

Yep. Disk this weekend, amend, till, and cover until spring.

Irrigation is planned. Trickle permanently laid in for everything except the cherry trees.

 

[winemaker_3352]

No, I ended up not getting the Chambourcins. The vineyard contacted me and said they were going to harvest early at around 18 brix. I opted out.

I already 3 freezers full of stuff to ferment, including some Chambourcin from last year.

Sorry to hear that - I ended up harvesting my Chardonel at 24 brix TA was .725 and my Seyval at 19.5 Brix and TA was .7.

Looking at getting my Vidal this weekend - brix is also right at 19.5.

The birds did a number on the vines this year - not sure if it was b/c of the heat or the drought - but they took a butt load of them off the vines.

 

[BobF]

Sorry to hear that - I ended up harvesting my Chardonel at 24 brix TA was .725 and my Seyval at 19.5 Brix and TA was .7.

Looking at getting my Vidal this weekend - brix is also right at 19.5.

The birds did a number on the vines this year - not sure if it was b/c of the heat or the drought - but they took a butt load of them off the vines.

Sounds like a good harvest despite the bird's best efforts to set you back

Is netting not feasible for you?

 

[winemaker_3352]

Sounds like a good harvest despite the bird's best efforts to set you back

Is netting not feasible for you?

No - It isn't my vineyard - the vineyard i go to doesn't have bird netting - they have the automated hawk screecher thing - not sure what it is called.

I wish it were my vineyard - I would invest in netting.

 

[Wade E]

Which Currants did you get, they say to get at least 2 different kinds to help self pollinate each other. I have Consort and Titania. Hopefully we dont get killed this winter with snow like last year as the plants git crushed under all that heavy snow falling off my roof and also as my neighbor had no where else to blow his snow. That pretty much set me back farther then when I git them!!!!

 

[BobF]

I got 3 Ben Sarek this past spring. They were bare root, so I potted them with the intent of setting them out next spring. These are supposed to be self-pollinating - we'll see.

Honestly, currants are a 'wait and see' thing for me. The row I'm putting them in will have room for adding more if I decide to later.

http://www.jungseed.com/dp.asp?pID=30151

 

[J-Gee]

Bob...what type of netting system will you use with the berries? In the past,I've netted,but the last 3 years I didn't and had very good harvests.This year I didn't,but got hit extremely hard by the birds.I guess it's back to netting next year.

 

[BobF]

I'll play the bird problem by ear. So far with wild blackberries, sour cherries, elderberries and raspberries, birds haven't been a real problem. I have some netting on hand, but I'm hoping not to have to use it

The REAL problems are jap beetles and june bugs. Stink bugs are a moderate problem with the raspberries and I will be dealing with them next season as well. I estimate ~10% damaged berries from stink bugs.

 

[BobF]

The blackberries are already in, planted a couple of months ago.

Elderberries have been ordered. Skipping the black raspberries as there aren't any varieties that do well here.

I did find http://www.missouribotanicalgarden....der/plant-details/kc/m110/ribes-odoratum.aspx are available when ordering the elderberries, so I added a bundle to the order. What the heck - $8 for 25.

I sure hope they make decent wine!!