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My new vineyard ....

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  • #16
    Bob - Wettable sulphur will be handy, I've used Systhane on the others and it's a bit pricey. I'll pm you for details. I'm trying to persuade some of the agrichemical distributors to sell me some larger quantities of useful chemicals for powdery/downy mildew, but not much success so far - no surprise when you don't want a truck-load.

    Spud_t_b - I've not seen any other plots around here completely devoted to vines, but it's not agin the rules (I checked). I'm told there were some mumblings at the other end of the site that you "have to grow at least 6 different kinds of veg". Well, I've put some spuds and leeks in already as there's not going to be a great deal of vine happening this year. With a sprinkle of radishes and beetroot plus the odd courgette and bean and I'm completely in line . Longer term I guess they'll get used to it - nothing a few bottles given out won't fix though.

    Chris

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    • #17
      Originally posted by fatbloke View Post
      problem being that cider and crab type apples are not so easy to get - eaters and cookers are a doddle.
      regards

      JtFB
      Try Keepers nursery for cider apples http://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/default.aspx it is gining me a few varieties for crab apples try hedging suppliers. http://www.hedgenursery.co.uk/module...asp?rangeid=46

      Otherwise learn to graft & choose your variety

      Mel

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      • #18
        On the subject of getting allotments, has anyone looked at putting themselves down for Hugh FW's Landshare project?
        Landshare Link

        In the meantime I'm trying to persuade my OH to dig up half the lawn for more veggies and fruit bushes...
        HRH Her Lushness

        Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

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        • #19
          Originally posted by Her Lushness View Post
          On the subject of getting allotments, has anyone looked at putting themselves down for Hugh FW's Landshare project?
          Landshare Link

          In the meantime I'm trying to persuade my OH to dig up half the lawn for more veggies and fruit bushes...
          Yes me but as a person with two plots that somebody can grow on. I wish it would go live as it is a shame it isn't being used !

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          • #20
            Update for 2010

            Finally got round to posting something...

            2010 is year 3 for the Rondo, so a light crop is a possibility. The buds burst early in April during a couple of weeks of nice warm weather, then we had two nights with a slight frost. So slight there was none at home which to the south of the slight ridge that runs across the north of the town, but slight enough that the vines suffered some damage to some shoots. Next year they are going to be fleeced, I added some extra wires to the side of the grapes for bird netting and that will do for fleece.

            The frost actually saved me some work thinning the crop and the gaps along the canes was not noticeable as the growing season went on. The shoots that survived the frost produced 2 or 3 sets of flowers and after pollination I thinned to one bunch per shoot.

            All was going well until mid August when the wasps arrived. My allotment neighbour has a plum which he didn't pick and it's right next door to the grapes. We had wasps at home, wasps on my wife's allotment where I have a couple more vines, wasps everywhere. They ignored the traps I put out (they were too late as it seems wasps are programmed to exhaust a food supply once they find it). I destroyed a couple of nests which cut the population but by the time we'd found them the damage was done, lots of grapes with their skins damaged. Come the damp and cold September the mould took hold. I lost about 70% of the crop which had ripened pretty well considering the lack of warmth, and then to add insult to injury hade a serious brain fade and oversulphited what was left by confusing litres with gallons. and double . Luckily I was fermenting all my varieties separately so only trashed part of the total. So it's another blend this year, about 50 litres all told of a mix of Queen of Esther, Boskoops Glory which struggled to ripen in a prime spot, plus some cheat imported Montepulciano from an Italian friend. It's now outside in the freezing temperatures for a bit of cold stabilisation

            A couple of pictures attached taken around early August before the wasps. The one with the rows shows just how it all grows if you compare with the earlier ones from previous years. The one with the grapes shows 2 varieties: Rondo to the right of the post and Queen of Esther to the left. I have just a couple of those at the end of the Rondo rows.

            I'm now looking into 3mm net that should be proof against wasps...
            Attached Files
            Last edited by chris_b; 29-11-2010, 11:23 PM. Reason: Photo description

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            • #21
              2013 crop

              It's been 3 years since I posted here. Much water under the bridge and at one point I thought I might be forced to give up. No grapes in 2011 as July rain made the berries split, and no grapes in 2012 as it was too wet and cold at all the wrong times. 2013 started a month late but we caught up a good part of that with the hot summer down here in Southampton. Flowering happened in ideal conditions - dry, warm and a bit of a breeze to spread the pollen about. Thinking the season would be short I was pretty ruthless about removing bunches, probably half the crop, to maximise the chance of a modest ripe crop rather than a huge green one. That turned out to be a good plan as wasps and falling temperatures meant I harvested a couple of days ago, which is earlier than I would like. Here's the result:

              crop1.jpg

              That turned out to be just under 100kg at 19.5Brix/1.075 or so, pH 3.1 and Ta just under 10ppt. The acid is on the high side but I'll see what happens as ferment continues. It's now bubbling away happily in 4 25l fermenters in the hallway courtesy of Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast. I say to visitors "it might smell like a winery here, that's because it is a winery..."

              So 5 years after planting, this is the first year I've managed to get a decent crop. Now it's down to the wimemaking dept (that's me) not to screw up!!

              I will have to give some serious thought to the wasp problem. I destroyed all the nests on the allotment site and set traps around the vines which many liked (Aldi's jam and diluted fruit juice, a splosh of Tesco value lager and some baking yeast to get it frothing and smelling nice). But still they came and I could see them flying in from outside the site where I'd have little chance of access. The not-so-bad news is that wasps tend to stick with a food source until they exhausted it and they would concentrate on some berries in some bunches and clean the middle out leaving a dry shell - nothing for moulds to grow on.

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              • #22
                Hi Chris,

                Love your vineyard. I will be planting mine in my garden in Sholing this coming spring. What do you do about spraying, because it seems all the effective fungal chemicals can only be accessed by commercial growers?

                David

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                • #23
                  You can reduce the need to spray by planting resistant strains.
                  Most professional vine merchants will sell a few plants. Do your research then buy the best stock.
                  Study what the English vineyards are having success with - thats the clue!
                  AND ...buy the wine before you buy the vine - else whats the point
                  Gluten free, caffeine free, dairy free, fat free – you gotta love this red wine diet!

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