Have you ever had a young vine not make it through the winter? Especially one of those ‘extra-hardy’ varieties? Well I have too and I thought it might be worthwhile to share my experiences and what I do to help keep this from happening.

Any fall that I have first year vines heading into their first winter, I take the time to hill up around their bases to protect shallow roots and the base of the trunk from the extreme cold of our Minnesota winters. The first year I planted my vineyard, most of my Prairie Stars and all of my St. Pepin and even a couple of Frontenac vines were killed by the deep penetrating cold of a winter where temps plunged into the low -30s (F). When hilling up, I generally prefer to use compost or a dirt/compost mix. There are other possibilities including straw, wood chips, etc. But some of these can have the unwanted effect of drawing rodents into your vineyard and down near the base of your vines where they could start to nibble. That could spell disaster! In my experience, some combination of dirt/compost does the trick. I typically create a mound about 2 ft in diameter and about 6-8 inches deep at it’s peak. I have also piled whatever snow I can find on top of these mounds in order to afford some extra protection. I generally don’t have to use snow with the amount that we typically get it each, but it’s a nice extra layer if needed. Once the weather starts to warm in the spring, I remove the hill from the base of the vines. Left for too long, the base of your vine can begin to rot.

Hilling up can be a very valuable technique to use in your vineyard. It’s definitely easier to do on a smaller scale, but may come in handy for any vineyard situated in a northerly climate.