Starting a vineyard

[HammerOne]

I live in NE Georgia and have a back yard with plenty of sun exposure. The plan is to have 8 vines some table and some wine. I 'm planning on getting vines from TY TY Nursery. I've never had a vineyard before so I am open to any advice before I start. I'll probably be getting vines late October.

 

[sly22guy]

Go out and get the book "From vines to wine" by Jeff Cox. Really wish i wouldve got that book and read it before i got my vines and planted them. Make sure you check with your local ag to see what varities do good in your area. check your soil. you should have your rows layed out and dug a year ahead of time. (something i wish i wouldve done!) They say to take a backhoe and make your rows 3ft wide by 6ft deep and just use the backhoe to turn up the soil good. If i had it to do again i wouldve rented a backhoe, and then set all my posts before planting. also save your stones and use them for in between the vines to keep weeds down. Good Luck!

 

[DesertDance]

Vines in October?

I live in NE Georgia and have a back yard with plenty of sun exposure. The plan is to have 8 vines some table and some wine. I 'm planning on getting vines from TY TY Nursery. I've never had a vineyard before so I am open to any advice before I start. I'll probably be getting vines late October.

That surprises me because every nursery I looked at would not ship vines till spring. They are just starting to go dormant at the end of October, and will stay that way all winter. I'd plan on putting them in the ground after the last frost has past because you don't want them breaking bud only to be frozen. Not good!! Little green leafs get distorted, and refuse to grow, causing a huge setback to your vines. The buds are the life of your vine, which is why we always leave some buds when pruning, because each one has clusters, shoots and leaves, and if you prune off the buds, guess what? No grapes that year!! If you freeze off the bud's new growth, same result.

Do some research on reviews before you purchase from Ty Ty. It has a pretty bad reputation, but you might get lucky!!

Here is a list of gozillians of varieties. When you click on one, you will find out where it grows best, and where you can purchase it. http://ngr.ucdavis.edu/varietylist.cfm?setdisclaimer=yes

Good luck with your vineyard!
Suzi

 

[HammerOne]

Thanks for the info. I will do some research on Ty Ty and see whats up.

 

[HammerOne]

Woh!...Thanks for the heads up on TyTy Nursery, They have 112 complaints with the BBB this year! With a little more research I found a Georgia Nursery thats only about an hour drive. www.johnsonnursery.com they don't start selling grapes untill December that gives me plenty of time to get the ground and trellis right.

 

[countrygirl]

everything i've read are spot on with the above advice. i have done alot of homework for varieties in my area (western ky) and found a nursery in new york (grafted grape vine nursery LLC) for the vidal blanc and southeast missouri (ripley county farms, rolla, MO-this was suggested by one of the missouri members here) for cynthiana/norton. these are not your everyday table grapes, but have proven themselves reliable in hot southern weather. my husband farms and is going to prepare the ground and trellises this fall and we'll take a soil sample to our local extension office. the vines will come in the spring. also check university of georgia cooperative extension service! good luck!

 

[vtwinemaker]

Vine Sources

Here is a link to Double A Vineyards:

http://www.rakgrape.com/

A local vineyard and winery owner gave information on Double A and said that he purchases all of his vines from them.

Good Luck

VTwinemaker

 

[mmdavis4]

I have purchase all my vines from Double A and highly recommend them. They really know their stuff, grapes vines are their main business (maybe their only business), their service is excellent, and they ship at the right time (the spring). They carry a wide selection of vinifera, hybrid and native vines.

 

[Racer]

I completely agree about Double A vineyards. They have always been great to order from. I am still a small time backyard operation and any time I call and talk to Sue I get treated like I'm a big time grower too. They have really done a great job with good quality vines everytime I've ordered from them.

 

[sly22guy]

X3 on Double A vineyards that is where i got all of my vines from and the look great and they are awesome to deal with!