Looking at your plan - are the Apples on the south side of the vineyard? If so, are they in a position where they might block the sun on your vines?
Help with small vineyard planning
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VinesnBines
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See if there is a Vineyard Association or check with your local ag office. There may be hands on classes/workshops available. Some vineyards will offer mini courses to get you interested in their wines. Google is your friend.
Love the layout!
Pruning is probably the most important. There are a lot of good YouTube's. Watch a bunch because - here's a shocker - every grower has an opinion about the "best" way. But there ARE some basic techniques they all use.
I try to stay organic throughout the gardens and yard. Japanese beetles are my main pest and traps work for me. And the organic fungal sprays seem to work.
Good luck!
VinesnBines
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It looks like some of your apples are on the east side too. You want to get as much sun as possible in the morning. Trees to the north won't be as much problem; no shading.
Yeah the tree placement gave me a little grief. Two of the three north of the garden beds are existing. And the line Of trees southeast of the vines is at the bottom of a 10% slope. Of course they are all semi-dwarf, maybe 15 feet tall max, so they don’t provide a lot of shade. I would worry more about the large ash outside the fence but emerald ash borer is here so they are going to become firewood.
I would have liked to put the apples where the berries are but that’s on top of the septic drain field and trees are a no-no. I don’t want to put them along the north fence. I’m leaving a 20-foot buffer there because they spray the field.
Given the restrictions I think it’s the best place for the apples. There is also the weedy area just south of the house. I never planted grass there because it was so rocky. I could put some there but there’s lots of shade from the woods.
I would have liked to put the apples where the berries are but that’s on top of the septic drain field and trees are a no-no. I don’t want to put them along the north fence. I’m leaving a 20-foot buffer there because they spray the field.
Given the restrictions I think it’s the best place for the apples. There is also the weedy area just south of the house. I never planted grass there because it was so rocky. I could put some there but there’s lots of shade from the woods.
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And thanks everyone for the vine-care recommendations. I am completely organic with my veggies and would like to keep chemicals to a minimum with the vines and trees.
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You layout looks well thought out, I am in lake geneva area, if you are interested in tasting my blend of marquette, petite pearl and verona, please stop by.
Thanks. I would love to try some wine made from your vineyard. I sent you a private message.
I'd definitely suggest the Kiger book. He takes a very pragmatic approach to being organic and growing grapes.
franc1969
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great plan, what did you use to make it?
From what i have heard, an Tom Plocher grapes are excellent. I would try the wine offered, and plant.
ArcMap. I have it at work. There are some free/public GIS based programs out there but ArcMap has all the bells and whistles.
always try the wine offered! And I’ll probably plant a dozen petite pearl this year as well
franc1969
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I am going to have to try that program. I hadn't really wanted to learn, but everyone tells me it will do what I want.
GIS is an amazingly powerful tool for mapping and spatial analysis. I mainly use the mapping tools and barely scratch the surface with what I can do.
VinesnBines
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Good luck on the organic approach. I'll encourage you but will not judge if you turn to the usual chemicals. I use manzate, captan, sulfur, sevin and a couple others, even on hybrids. I'm in a spray cycle and it works. I don't like the chemicals but I don't want to lose my vines. I've seen the results of no spray.
I’m just starting to learn about vine care from what I read. I’m not going to be a purist about it. I’ll do what I need to when it comes down to it.
VinesnBines
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I was confused and overwhelmed about spraying at first. As time goes on, I 'm learning more and getting more comfortable with vine care. You get a lot of information and can get overloaded in a hurry.
I’m going to be planting my first vines this spring. Do I need to spray this year even though there won’t be any fruiting?
VinesnBines
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Downy mildew and powdery mildew will weaken the vines so you should spray the first year vines. Look at the Double A site here Organic Spray Programs/Schedules - Grower's Guide I use neem oil when I can. Don't use sulfur on your red hybrids. Neem oil is good if you don't see any signs of mildew. Look at pictures on the internet of grape diseases. Once you get a disease, you will know!
BigH
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Any direction you pick will have some pros and some cons. You have to decide which pros and cons matter the most
1. NW to SE following the slope. Nice morning sun exposure and limits evening sun a bit. Downside is erosion concerns
2. N/S rows give equal sun exposure with a downside of more trellis cost and some oddly short rows.
3. E/W rows will have uneven sun exposure. Your trellis choice might be able to mitigate, and south facing slope helps.
Since you like the idea of E/W rows and you are thinking about a GDC trellis, search these forums for GrapeMan's modified GDC. He invented a GDC like trellis that is tilted so the North side gets more sun. Might be a good fit for your location.
H
1. NW to SE following the slope. Nice morning sun exposure and limits evening sun a bit. Downside is erosion concerns
2. N/S rows give equal sun exposure with a downside of more trellis cost and some oddly short rows.
3. E/W rows will have uneven sun exposure. Your trellis choice might be able to mitigate, and south facing slope helps.
Since you like the idea of E/W rows and you are thinking about a GDC trellis, search these forums for GrapeMan's modified GDC. He invented a GDC like trellis that is tilted so the North side gets more sun. Might be a good fit for your location.
H
BigH
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The varieties you plant will matter. I did not spray my first year vines, but that is mostly because I didn't know any better.
My recommendation is to figure out how what equipment you are going to spray with, and at least put some manzate on every couple weeks, and be ready to go to war with Japanese beetles come July. Someone else mentioned powdery mildew. I would probably just scout for that and see how much of a problem it has the potential to be.
You mentioned being organic. Between Japanese Beetles and fungus, that is really difficult. The beetles seem to prefer grapes over all other plants, and will fly from miles away if you don't control them. Have some gameplan for dealing with them.
H
