Southeast Kansas vineyard

[user 32114]

Yes, Manhattan Ks! lol NY! Ivy, I been growing concord, cataba, frontenac, norton and the latest one is verona. A spraying incident a couple years ago, hurt my concords bad, and killed some of my older verona vines. The farmers around here seem to spray everything, and only care about their grass, so it's a battle to try to keep grapes going here. The last two years, now being the secondk , we had cold springs, with weather in the twentys, well after bud burst. Not sure yet how bad it is this year, but some of the buds are toast. Last year, it hurt production by way over half, so I hate the ught of another year like last. My poor concord vines were weakened by the spray, then were gereen when I pruned in early march. By the time the freezing weather was done, I lost at least six vines, and a bunch had one or both cordons dead. Another ten came, back from the ground, and I ended up not having enough to pick.Now in the process of tying up and retraining a bunch of vines that were at their peak before the spraying. Dang spray plane banked and turned right over my vinyard, saw him do it! They were spraying 24D mixed with toredon.

around my neck of the wood row crop farmers, the government bought hill land gave to the bottoms farmers used crop dusters and nailed mine and several neighbors gardens and some fruit trees, funny thing the very next year 2 crop dusters got shot down, and several of them hundred of thousands of dollars tractors burned to the ground, them farmers are polite now
one got my neighbors garden last year, the pilot told the farmer and that farmer came right up and gave carl a signed blank check, carl didn't figure no time or trouble he just went and replaced every plant he lost, ,, when they come up to deer hunt or cut hay which they call maturase, on lay out ground, of which tax payers bought for the, then they sell hay, more then one way to skin a cat,
Dawg

 

[Ivywoods]

Treesaver I know what you mean about the spray planes. When we lived up in the NE corner of Kansas we were surrounded by corn fields. We had spray planes banking ring over us. I always tried to stay inside when they were spraying. The wind can carry that stuff a long ways.

Frontenac is one of the varieties I'd like to try. I may have to expand my vineyard to do it so it might be a while.

 

[treesaver]

Ivy, where up state did you use to hail from? I'm about an hour and a half from KC. If you want some frontenac cutting to start next spring, just holler. Could have fixed you up this year, but just a bit to late, they been laying by the burn pile a little too lobg, and mixed up with everything else as well! You get up this way, look me up, always happy to have visitors of like mind!

 

[Ivywoods]

Thank you so much Treesaver. I grew up just south of Salina, but lived at Hiawatha, KS for a few years before moving to SE KS. The house we are remodeling and moving to (where this vineyard is located) is just outside of Independence, KS.

 

[treesaver]

Yep, I'm about an hour west and a we bit south of Hiawatha. I have quite a few friends that live in and around Independence. I used to pipeline for a living before I retired, and worked all over Ks, Mo, Ne and a little in Ia. Even a few jonts into Ok. Loved the job, but hated living out of a suitcase! Best of luck with your new place, and stay in touch!

 

[Ivywoods]

Thanks treesaver. Will do!