WINE GARDEN

[NorthernWinos]

We hope to get a few grapes this year and have more orderly looking vines...hopefully next year they will produce more.

There was an old Beta vine that was stretched out 15 feet to each side of the old woody trunk....I cut it back to the old trunk as well as a couple new shoots from the root...Clipped it's 'wings' to about a 5 foot wingspan...So, that old guy will have a shock when it finally wakes up....hope it lives through this.

Some of the others should have pretty good roots by now. About 4 years ago the old vines all died back except for the old guy...so have been replanting since then....so the vines vary in ages. Then last year I put young cuttings out between the posts...So will have more plants and hopefully more fruit. Those young cuttings were pretty shaded last summer by their overgrown companions, so am just happy that most of them looked alive and will have some sunshine on them this season.

This is a growing experience...It just started out as 5 vines planted in 1999 and 2000 for breakfast grape juice...Now look what's happened...we started making wine and entered a whole new world.

 

[grapeman]

The vines in my Champlain Valley Vineyard post from last weekends pruning are going to start their 4th season. See how large they are and growing well. Here is a link to my little forum I have started on growing cold hardy grapes. We went to another vineyard in the north side of the county the next day to see how to try to prune vines that were never trained much-minimally pruned. It shouldn't be too hard to see the difference proper pruning and training makes. The genleman is growin Valiant, Edelweiss, Concord and a few other cold hardy varieties I don't recall. Don't be afraid to prune- they will respond well and reward you in the future.


http://www.champlaingrapes.com/grapeforum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=15&sid=b9bf70d1921d2b8f5fed0eff0f4dd235

 

[NorthernWinos]

Good information there and gives me a little better feeling about having placed a new plant between the older ones....started to think that 5 feet apart was too close.

Kind of embarrassed to show these poor old vines. The Old Guy has some serious wood on it...so am glad to have some younger canes coming into production from the base. The old vines that died were this thick in girth with peeling bark....it was an open winter after I had removed the mulch due to fungus problems on one of the varieties...so I think they died from having shallow roots exposed to an open winter. I still need to go back out with a saw to do some trimming on the big wood.

It's mate...I have left for dead...I thought it might have had some new growth last year, but upon pruning found most of the new vines had come 10 feet from the other vine. I have left this one stay for now as some vines at the base may be alive...If they are not alive will likely set out a new plant this spring in it's place...These were the first Betas we had planted.

This is one of the first cuttings I set out after the winter kill...so they are coming along.

This is such an exciting time of the year...time to see what survives and what will produce...the season of promise.

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[NorthernWinos]

Due to over crowding in the sun room and under the grow lights I had to move some plants out to the greenhouse....The weather has been pretty fickle, but is tending to be more spring like.

Here are the little Black Currant cuttings and 2 Louise Swenson grape vine-lings that I grew during the winter...They have now made the first step out into the real world...frist stop an unheated greenhouse...tonight I plugged in a couple heat lamps to keep all my babies warm.

 

[grapeman]

How are your currants doing in the Wine Garden? Mine are starting to open buds - hope they don't freeze when we get another frost! I can't believe what they did over winter- never seen anything like it before(unless I just didn't notice it last fall). They say that they push new growth from low on the stem or underground every year. Well mine were buried in snow all winter. I checked them out Sunday again. They have pushed all sorts of new stems a few inches long, looking like little fuzzy fingers with leaves on at the base of the stems. Pretty cool looking.

 

[NorthernWinos]

I just came in from a cruise through the Wine Garden....

I had made cuttings last summer from the PixWell Gooseberry and Red Lake Currants and set them out very late fall....put chicken wire around them and fluffed straw over them...I think they all made it, even the ones about 4" tall have little green sprouts.

I had made cuttings last spring from a leggy potted plant of Consort Black Currant that a friend gave me...those are getting leaves, as well as all the Ben Sarek Currant plants...I didn't pull the straw away to look for sprouts, will check it out.

The Juneberries are getting buds...damn fools...we have a few more weeks that we can get frosty nights.

The Nanking Cherries and Sand Cherries, are getting buds....they usually bloom before they get leaves. The single plants of Nero Aronia, Hinnomaki Gooseberry and Josta Berry are all showing signs of life. Garlic is coming up through the straw....Rhubarb is growing red knobs on the crowns....no asparagus yet.

Everything seems to have made it...don't think there was any frost in the ground...lots of straw mulch and lots of early snow that stayed all winter...no open spots except over the sewer drain field...will put a row of Nanking Cherries there in hopes of catching snow in future years. I have moved a lot of shrubs and roses with no signs of frost.

Getting near the time that the Counties have their bare root trees ready for pickup...I ordered Nanking Cherries, Sand Cherries and Nero Aronia [Chokeberry]...a friend in another county ordered Juneberries and Elderberries [unknown name, but black]...we are going to trade some...I also ordered a couple more Adam's and York Elderberries...Now comes the hard part...figuring out where to plant all this stuff.

These old bones are really getting a work out...I feels so good after being 'dormant' all winter.



Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[NorthernWinos]

Finally the day arrived...the County trees were available for pick up.....

Got them bright and early....got home in time to do my 'wifely duties' and run back to town for planter parts.....got home and ran back to town for more parts....

Then the fun began....Installed the Nanking Cherries where we wanted a hedge to gather snow...

Then the Sand Cherries....will have Elderberries at the end of this row....

This is an area between the yard and a semi wild area that only gets mowed with the brush hog....trying to get it a little more civilized out there...

Tomorrow will install the Aronia [Chokeberries]

As well my replacement grapes arrived...I had called Jung's on Sat with the bad news they had shipped the wrong vines...Here it is Wednesday PM and they are here from Wisconsin...Great service.

The magic of spring is in the air.

 

[grapeman]

You really must have had some cold snowy weather the last while. I don't see much for leaves on any of the trees yet. I see you don't want to weed around those plantings, putting down mulch/ground cover. Is that stones around them too? Sounds like a fun filled day down on the farm.

 

[NorthernWinos]

Are trees suppose to have leaves????? It's been a long time...seems I remember leaves.....They are budding....Finally.

Those trees around the pond are mostly dead.....A huge storm blew most of them down a few years ago...Now there are no trees to soak up the water...so most of the remaining trees are dead and blow down because the soil is moist.

Some of them will [might] have leaves this year...I hope.

Yes...that is stones around the base...might keep rodents away....

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[NorthernWinos]

Did a walk about the yard and Wine Garden this morning....Talk about slow...

May 3rd 2007.....[Last Year]

May 13th 2008...

Last year the Nanking Cherries were blooming...it was cold and bees were scarce....This year the buds are tight...

Looks like the Pear bud on the top is even giving me 'the finger'....

Juneberries are in about the same shape as last week....

Gooseberries and Black Currants have leafed out...and are at a stand still...

Look how slow the grape buds are...

The Aronia plants are set out and protected...have to get out there and mulch them...

Guess all we need is some heat at this point....It's going to be a short growing season this year.

Hope we get some fruit this year....but there is always Vintners Harvest Wine Bases....

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[grapeman]

I'm hoping for a few Black Currants this year- a few million by the looks of it!
This is five Titania Black Currants. I also have 10 Prince Consort that are a bit smaller.

Look toward the top of this photo near the center. That's a bumble bee causght in mid flight. Tons of all bees today. It was in the 70's, bright sunshine and calm winds. I will post more photos tomorrow in my post.

Edited by: appleman

 

[NorthernWinos]

You tied your Black Currants to a wire...is that what we are suppose to do???? Or...just that variety???? Mine are like a bush.

Are those apple Blossoms????? It's been so long I forget what things are suppose to look like.

How close together are your grape vines?????

Guess our stuff will come on once we get some heat....

Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[grapeman]

The Titania Black Currants grow to 4-5 feet tall. I planted them at the end of a row of grapes, so I just continued the trellis wire on. Yes I did tie the currants to the wire- not needed all the time, but since the wire is there, I will use it to keep those tall ones upright.


Yes those are apple blossoms- you will see them some day. Last year you were ahead of us, this year the other way around.


The grape vines you see are seven feet apart in rows 9 feet apart.


I have a bunch more apple blossom pictures and some grape vines starting to leaf out some with small shoots. I took them this evening after being at Willsboro and I just don't feel lively enough to battle the download. It takes about 2 minutes per picture right now for some reason.

 

[farmer]

NW Looks like I have my work cut out for me to get my new trees to look that good . Mine are plantedacross last years soybeanstubble.


The plastic looks like a good idea, I have done alot of hoeing in the past around new trees.


I am still thinking about ordering some black currents is there a big difference in the varieties?

 

[grapeman]

From what I am seeing there can be a big difference int the currants. I only have two kinds of black ones and the differences are huge. The Titania are a LOT bigger than the Prince Consort. The bushes are twice as big after just one year in the ground. The Consort bushes have maybe a dozen blossoms per 18 inch high bush. The Titanias are just covered with blossoms and have a lot of new shoots pushing out the ground for next years crop and areover 4feet tall. Another big difference is the disease resistance. The Titania stay clean very easily and the Consort get plastered with mildew very easily. The only negative I see so far is the smell. The Titania have more of the Black Currant smell others tell me is normal for black currants. It's a good thing the wine tastes better than the smell.

 

[K&GB]

Appleman,


What can I say? WOW!!! Nice photos. Thanks for sharing. I really enjoy them.


NW,


I love the title "Wine Garden". I really hope things warm up for you this week. Thanks for the pics. They fuel my dreams for the future.


Ken

 

[NorthernWinos]

Finally the Wine Garden is coming to life...

Red Currants are blooming....

Black Currants...

Aronia....

Juneberries....

The Wild Plums strong fragrance is attracting most of the bees....the only bees I saw today were Honey Bees....that is a good thing...

Wish all my tiny bushes were producing....give them a few years and there will be many different wines....

A strange thing has happened this year....The Nanking Cherries which are usually the first thing to bloom, only bloomed along the bottom, like below snow line. Not just mine but the fellow in town with the hedge of them also has only flowers along the bottom of his hedge....there will be no Nanking Cherries this year...

Will have to make do with other fruits, or....the Bumper Crop in a Can...Vintners Harvest Fruit Bases.


Edited by: Northern Winos

 

[grapeman]

Glad to see things bloomin' there now. I see some dandelion wine in that next to last picture!

 

[NorthernWinos]

We could have vats of Dandelion Wine going if we were so inclined....a bumper crop of those around this yard.

Guess we will make do with what fruits we do get this year....probably down the line will wish I would be making use of all these yellow flowers.

 

[Wade E]

I too have seen quite a few Honey Bees this year despite all the talk. Very glad to see this as last year I dont recall seeing any at all and that worried me.