Completing the Geneva Double-Curtain Trellis System

A number of family and friends helped us construct the trellis systems needed for our two-year-old vines.  More robust varieties require a stronger trellis system.  The one we chose to go with is called Geneva Double-Curtain, which gives vigorous vines plenty of room to grow and lots of sun exposure.  The vines we are putting on these trellises are the Sabrevois, LaCrescent, Prairie Star, Marquette, Somerset Seedless (a table grape) and next year we will add the King of the North. 

The less-robust grape varieties, like Louise Swenson, are growing on a Four-Arm Kniffen system.

Our neighbor, Richard, cut white oak boards for Michael to use for the 4 foot
cross-arms needed for the Geneva Double-Curtain trellises.
 

First completed end-post. 

                                             One row completed with cross-arms and wire!

 Training two-year-old vines up to the high wires
 

Kate worked hard this summer to help us train vines onto the high wires.

 

Kate with an example of a vine on Four-Arm Kniffen.

May 5th, 2012 Planting Party

Over twenty friends and family members came in early May to help us plant phase two of the vineyard--something over 400 additional vines.  The weather held out until after lunch this year. 

A week earlier, Kathy, Tom, Connie, and Hank measure and flag locations for new vines.

Michael and his sister Kathy checking out bare-root vines.

Joanie is ready to work!

                                                         We keep the laborers happy!

                                              Angie and Beth, two friends, came to help.

Dan and friend Jen

Greg and buddy Dean watering the newly-planted vines

 

Two people can water at once!

 

Greg, Jeremy, Dan, and Dean setting out the grow tubes.

 

 

Cathy chills with Dan's dog Lady 

 

 

Two happy grape growers

 

During our lunch break, the rains came---

 

 

                                                              Mission accomplished!

 

 

By the end of the day, new vines were planted, a great catered lunch was enjoyed by all, and (despite the after-lunch 2"+ rain) grow tubes were put back onto all of the vines planted last year.

 

Grow tubes serve as a mini-greenhouse, keeping the newly emerging buds warm and moist.  On the two-year-old vines (which had been pruned back to one-foot height or less), the grow tubes are kept on for only a month or so, until the vines are sprouting nicely.  For the newly-planted vines, the grow tubes protect all the new growth through most of the summer, but were removed in August, so the stems can "harden-off" (get a bit woody) prior to winter.



We've Not Posted In A While...

Much has happened in the past several months--we've sold our Eagan home, moved in temporarily with our son Dan til we both retired, then moved permanently to Lake City.  In the process we closed our Comcast accounts and mistakenly thought we could no longer post to this blog.  We do not have Comcast e-mail addresses any longer, so if you want to contact us, go to either mwittek@bluffstonevineyard.com or cwittek@bluffstonevineyard.com. 

Very soon, we will update the blog with spring planting photos and all the latest on completing our trellis-building plus the beginnings of our home construction.  I also want to create a link to directions in case you'd like to pay us a visit.

Early Spring 2012 Vine Pruning

In March, Kate and Dave helped us prune all the vines.  Since they are "one-year-old vines," they needed to be pruned way back to just the main trunk and three or four buds.  Because it is so early in the spring (we've had May-like weather for a while) and there is a good possibility we could still have a freeze, we were afraid to trim things down that drastically.  So we left more like 10-15 buds on everything (and sometimes three trunks).  We will prune again later when we know the possibility of frost damage is past.

Vines are pruned and looking good!



Burning all the prunings

December 2011: The vineyard is asleep...

 We finally have a few photos with snow to add to the blog from the first weekend of December.  All is well.  We've staked out rows for next spring and figure we will put in something in the neighborhood of 400 more vines then.  Michael is in the process of determining which varieties those will be.

Michael and our tractor

Con is sowing wild flowers on the west side of the barn.  It's best to do it on frozen ground just before it snows.  It began snowing heavily just as Connie finished spreading the seed.

Michael plowed for the first time -- using the bucket.  Once was enough.  We are picking up a plow blade for the three-point hitch at the end of the week.








October 7th Entry

It has been several weeks since I've done an update.  The vineyard is no longer "growing."  The western edge appears to have been touched by a little frost.  However, the rest still looks green, yet like it is getting ready to bed-down for the winter.  The vines somehow look a little less vigorous, and there are no new shoots. 

Two weekends ago we took some lovely pictures to the south, the west, the north, and the east at sunset.  Also, Kate and Dave surprised us with a wonderful Bluffstone Vineyard sign that they had made at the State Fair a month ago. 

Looking to the west at sunset

North at sunset

East at sunset

Looking South through the vineyard at sunset



Greg and Michael with our new sign from Kate and Dave



Last weekend, on Sunday October 2nd, we co-hosted a neighborhood potluck and pumpkin party.  We even had a great big farm scale to weigh the entries in the two "largest" categories -- one for mega pumpkins and one for regular Halloween-type pumpkins.  We also had a "weirdest-looking" category and a "best carved/decorated" category.  I forgot to get folks' permission to include their photos, so I'll just include the one that doesn't have humans...

"Double winners" of the best carved/decorated pumpkins contest.

Loading up the feed scale after the pumpkins were weighed

Fall, 2011

I wrote this entry a few months ago, but just added the photos today.  The "living quarters" is very livable.  We still want to put in a kitchen backsplash and some blinds on the windows.

The bathroom is very comfortable.  We especially love the tiled shower stall (though we couldn't get a good photo of it.  You'll just have to come see it in person!) and the heated floor.

Michael has finished up the baseboard and trim.  It's our home away from home.



Our kitchenette



The dining area

...and the master suite!

The vineyard is sleeping...  The vines have dropped most of their leaves.  One can see next year's buds all over the plants.  The part that's difficult to believe is that we will be cutting off all but the lowest part of each vine come February -- leaving only two or three buds per plant!

We watered all the vines twice over the past two weekends, as the ground was so dry it was rock-hard.  There's a funny video below from our watering experience last Saturday.  Check it out!

Handling many hundreds of feet of hose (that had water in it) was a challenge for the two of us.  Thankfully, Michael did most of the really heavy hauling.  Eventually we got smarter and used the 4-wheeler and trailer to assist with the transporting of hoses from row to row.

Connie's sister Joan (right) and friend Cathy had both helped on our planting day last May.  They came for a Saturday visit this fall, and guess what?  It rained again!  (Don't know if we'll invite them next May...)



Mary Jo and Angie, two more of our May planters, returned this fall for a Friday morning meeting with Michael.

 Lily and Alicia spent a weekend with Grandma and Papa.  They decided to walk out to the gate to "visit" the cows.  The two of them began "mooing" and all these cows came to see what was going on!

Cuties!

After a hard day of playing at the farm...