This past weekend I noticed that a few of the vines have actually leafed out. The Foch are leading the pack (as usual - hopefully no late frosts) with the Prairie Stars and Valiants coming in a close second. Despite a minor bout of grape flea beetles, the vines are looking great. Two of the three Marquette vines planted last season are a little past bud break stage right now. The third has not done anything, so I’ll have to keep an eye on it.

Since my last post about these little critters, the spray I used seems to have done the trick. I’m seeing very little bud damage to my vines - unlike last year when a portion of my Frontenac crop was wiped out. It seems the grape flea beetles prefer the Frontenacs over most other vines. Although I did see a little bit of damage on the Valiants and Prairie Stars.

For the second year in a row, I’ve begun to see a few Grape Flea Beetles in the vineyard. Last year, I noticed them mainly on the Frontenac vines. But they also munched on the buds on the Valiants and the Prairie Stars.

This year I believe I caught them before they did too much damage. Last night I sprayed the plants with a product made by Safer - Safer® Brand 3-in-1 Garden Spray. But it’s supposed to work on grapes and specifically for beetles. So time will tell, I guess.

With our recent string of beautiful weather and temps in the 60’s and 70’s, the vines have begun to awaken. The different varieties are at different stages of budswell - the Foch vines are the furthest along, followed by the Valiants, the Prairie Stars, the Marquettes, the Sabrevois and then the Frontenacs. I’ve also already noticed a couple grape flea beetles and plan to spray for them this week.

Well, after a few fits and starts, spring appears to finally be here in Minnesota! I had thoughts about pruning the vines in mid-March as I usually do, but didn’t feel like dodging snowflakes while working in the vineyard. So I kept putting it off until we finally started seeing normal temps again. This weekend we finally got the spring weather we have been expecting.

Pruning went quite well. I did not run into any unexpected surprises - for once. I had slight concerns over the new Marquette vines surviving the winter. But it was pretty mile overall and the Marquettes look great. Overall I have not settled on a specific pruning style for each variety. On two of the Frontenacs, I’m trying spur pruning this season. Looks for further updates as the season progresses.
After completing the pruning, I see reason to be pretty optimistic about this season’s crop. Barring any late frosts - the vineyard is set for it’s best crop yet. The only vines in less-than-optimal condition are the Valiants. And I don’t think I can do much with them.

The Frontenacs look great. I replaced the one vine that was killed by a gopher with one I grew last year in a temporary location.

The Prairie Stars also look great. They came on so strong last year and appear ready for another breakout year. They will be allowed to crop a small amount this season.

The Foch also look great. Unlike last year, they aren’t even close to budswell yet. This is good as they have been hit by late season frosts both of the last two seasons.

The Sabrevois are in great condition. Three of the four vines exploded with growth last season. One is still a bit on the small side, but is ready for a jump in growth this season.