August 8, 2011 Bird Netting

My grapes have started to turn color a little over a week ago. So I needed to put on my bird netting so they didn't get them like they did last year (with my 1 cluster I had). So I got it on last Saturday. What a pain. It wasn't easy at all, but it really didn't take long so I can't really complain. All the Marquette grapes are turning purple and some of the clusters are almost all purple! It is very exciting. I just saw my Frontinac Gris is turning color today.

I have killed a couple dozen Japanese beetles this last month, I really don't like them and the insecticide really doesn't seem to make a difference. I did have a paper wasp making a nest in the vines and it was pretty ornery. Finally, the one adult was gone, so I cut off the nest and squished it and threw it away. I haven't seen it since. I haven't had to spray much this year with fungicide which is nice, but there hasn't been much plaguing me either.

I have made 4 batches of fruit wine now and just bottled the Strawberry/Chocolate yesterday. It is fantastic! I got 11 bottles of it and 16 bottles of the plain strawberry. I think the plain strawberry needs a little sugar but I did not put it in. I wish it had a little better body, it tastes a little thin. But when you mix it 50:50 with flavored sparkling water, it tastes really good like a wine cooler. I think this may be the best way to drink most of the wine that I made so far. Each one of them has troubles so cutting them makes them way more drinkable.

July 4, 2011

My grapes are doing great! I cut back all the clusters to a maximum of 20 per plant, and only if the plants were doing really well. Since this is only the 3rd year, I can only have a partial crop. I have my bird netting on order now so the birds will not get them all again.

I have had to spray insecticide twice this summer for tent caterpillars, but it works quite well. I have only had to spray fungicide once so far but I think I will do it again tomorrow.

I put in a new row of cuttings from my pruning last winter, and within 2 weeks, I have green leaves sprouting! So now I have a total of 39 plants. I hope the cuttings do well because they are planted in kind of the worst soil in my yard, but then again, grapes grow in garbage soil often.

Chickens in the city

We are starting a new adventure. We have decided to get chickens to raise in the backyard to lay eggs, and to just have a good time with. The idea started about a month ago when we saw that the "Baby Chicks Are IN" sign at the city feed store. So we decided to go and have a look. I have raised ducks and quail before, but never chickens. Being there is a city ordinance that you can keep a small number of hens in town, we decided to do it. It has been both fun, and a scramble to get everything ready and do this.

Legally speaking, what a mess! A city permit that had to be signed off with the city council, a zoning permit, and a coop and run had to all be done before getting the birds. The govt. agencies don't talk to each other, so I had to do all the running around myself. It finally got done but what a hassle.

My coop is an A frame design with 3 nesting boxes and a 4x8 foot run. I think it should work quite well and I am thrilled that it turned out as well as it did. I used hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, and it is movable; they call it a Chicken Tractor. It is built sturdy, just the way I do things, and should last for some time. The coop has 2 access doors on both ends plus the ladder to get down to the run.

Pruning my Grapes

Just pruned all my grape vines yesterday, it was just perfect to be outside. The weather was in the 40's, it was sunny, a different feel than this long winter we have had. I was so amazed that there was hardly any die back and the wood was very healthy throughout my 30 plants. I was able to prune according to my plan from last years growing season and it worked out perfectly. It is just bare sticks right now and if there wasn't snow on the ground, I would not be able to see any of the vines.

I did keep some cuttings from all my varieties so I have a little flexibility this year. After tasting Marquette wine from 2 or 3 vineyards, it does not taste very good to me, bummer. These are my biggest and most numerous plants. So I think I might plant some of the Frontinac Gris cuttings next to some of the Marquette's and replace them over time. A co-worker wants some concord plants, and there may still be some room in my yard for a few more (somewhere!?).

I ended up leaving about 25-30 buds per plant on the ones that were big enough. I will see how they produce grape clusters, but I may cluster thin them if I need to if there are too many. This is only their 3rd year so far, so I can get a partial crop as all the literature says. With not many plants and my ability to be out among them every day, I will try to maybe thin some of the grapes off the clusters which may make the rest of the grapes on the clusters larger. I will also be able to trim off individual grapes that don't develop well or get damaged so that at harvest time, I will have near perfect clusters to pick. At least that is the plan, we will see how it works. Larger vineyards do not have the time to do this, but I will.

Some of the vines that are behind my big trees in the backyard are still at the 2 year stage because they have grown real slow due to lack of sun I think. My wife has hinted at cutting down one of them, and I am all for it! Doing this would definately help the growth of most of my plants. We will see.

Uncovered my Concord plants a little bit, but the ground was still frozen, so I will have to wait until it loosens up to get at them to prune. I did discover that there were 2 pots with cuttings in them from last year that I forgot about and there are TINY buds that have turned red starting to emerge. I hope it is not too early, it was kind of like a little greenhouse under the tarp, that is why they are turning already.

New Paintings

My powder horn