Six Weeks Since Planting

On May 14th, 2011, with absolutely no cooperation from Mother Nature, 32 friends and family members helped us plant about 730 vines.  (The following weekend we added another 30 for a grand total of 760.)  As of last weekend, 758 vines had leaves and over half of those have green tumbling out of the grow tubes!  Only two vines look like they aren't going to make it.  You did well, planters!


Michael checks out the vines that arrived from New York.



                                                                        Tom, Kathy, and Kate flagging the vine locations.

                                          In spite of the cold and rain, the crew gets started.

                                           Cathy and Joan came dressed for the weather!

                                                         


Connie's friend HT planting the raspberries



                                                 Newly planted raspberry patch.

Ed placing a grow tube around a newly-planted vine.

Greg playing in the mud--



David installing the rebar




Tom checking over a completed vine




Peter distributed rebar



Cathy and Joan take a break to enjoy a good meal!




Son Dan putting a hog ring on Greg as Greg's wife Connie approves



                                  Giving the vines a good drink of water after planting was finished

Connie and Vineyard Mascot, Hank.

Hank is usually filthy after a day in the vineyard...

The watering tank after planting is completed.

Bluff Stone Vineyard Taking Shape -- 2010

Michael and Connie purchased the property in early 2010.  The previous summer, the eleven acres had been planted in corn and alfalfa.  We decided it would be good if our neighbors, who are dairy farmers, would plant some crops on our land to both prep the soil for the vineyard that would be planted in the spring of 2011 and the crops would help prevent soil erosion until we had a masterplan for the entire plot.  They planted some annual grasses on about two acres at the southwestern corner of our land, where the first part of the vineyard would be.  The remaining nine acres or so were planted in corn -- that grew to be way over Michael's head. 

Once the corn was harvested, we had the road put in, and we began the building permit process to build our pole shed.  (Maren, our neighbor, says it's not a pole barn unless animals live in it...  Well, now that we have a living quarters there, WE are living in it!)  We'll share the year with a few photos--

                                                 Michael and his Kubota Tractor

                                                   Michael and Kate - that corn was high!

                                                    Kate driving the tractor

                                              Michael christening the Kubota

Michael Christening Bluff Stone

                                                   Dan checking out the tractor--

                                        Summer 2010 - Our only shelter from the weather

                                         Michael makes his first turn pulling the 20 foot drag
                                         and clips the corn on the left--

                                                                       Oops!

                                                The grass seed is in!  Isn't it gorgeous?

Sunrise over Lake Pepin from our room in the AmericInn, Lake City.

Fall, 2010   The pole shed is delivered

Filling in the ruts in the new grass after some heavy rains  :-(

Dump it right there!

Framing the pole shed

The living quarters with porch

December, 2010

Just needs the doors!

Our cupola

The well is dug -- 370 feet to the Jordan Aquifer.

                                         Video clip of post pounder installing deer fencing.

Framing in our living quarters.