Welcome to the February 2007 edition of the Blue Door Vineyard Newsletter! I hope this newsletter finds you in good health and good spirits. Even though it’s a pretty quiet time of the year in the vineyard, there is always plenty to write about as I plan ahead for spring and the rest of the 2007 growing season.

No New Vines

For the first time since I planted the vineyard, I have no plans for new vines this season. I may be doing some replacing/replanting, but no altogether new vines. I plan to concentrate this season on the vines I have in order to keep them growing strong and healthy. With any luck the 2007 crop will be bigger than last year.

Spring Cleaning

Below, I’ve outlined a few of the spring cleaning tasks that lay ahead. It will be good to get back into the familiar routine of vineyard maintenance. Last season was difficult for me as due to some back pain I could not work as much as I usually do.

Pruning - In about mid-March, I plan to be out pruning the vines. Each year this task has taken on more meaning as the vines have reached a mature state. I find myself taking it more seriously so that I don’t do anything dumb that could impact the success of the crop. Also, I will be tending to some typical vineyard cleanup at this time.

Trellis Maintenance - I need to re-tighten and adjust the trellis.

Fertilizer - I plan to fertilize in mid-May. Typically I’ll give each plant a cup of slow release 10-10-10 and work it into the soil around the base of the vine. I’ve had good luck with this in the past and see no reason to change things up too much.

Spray - beginning in May, I plan to get the vines on a regular spray schedule. I will talk about that in greater detail in upcoming newsletters.

Vine Status

In this section of the newsletter I try to provide an update on the progress and status of each variety I grow. I’ve found this helpful for me as I plan out the evolution of my vineyard. I hope you find it interesting reading.

Valiant - the Valiant vines are likely on their way out of the vineyard. While they are extremely winter hardy, they definitely face disease pressure in my climate. The last two seasons have seen a decline in their overall health. And it hasn’t helped that the local gopher population seems to have taken a liking to their roots. I am actively looking for a replacement for the Valiant vines. Could be more Marquette, Sabrevois or Frontenac.

Prairie Star - despite a slow start and having to replace a few vines, the Prairie Stars are setup for another good season. I will be replacing one vine that never made it with a rooted cutting. Otherwise I may see a small crop from them this year.

Frontenac - The Frontenacs have taken over as my healthiest and largest vines. They are definitely winter hardy and show little impact from disease. I do have to make sure the gophers are not chomping on their roots too much. But other than that, they should have a great year.

Marechal Foch - the Foch vines ended the season strong last year. My main concern with them is that they tend to break bud earlier than anything else and have had a tendency to get nipped by late season frosts. I currently have 12 of them and am excited to see how they do this season. If they do well this year, they will probably be here for the long haul. But if they get frosted again, I have thoughts of removing half of them and planting more Marquette.

Sabrevois - the Sabrevois vines had a breakout year last year. They are finally achieving a mature size and are taking up their rightful place on the trellis. I currently have three of them and am taking a wait-and-see approach to their future. If the Foch vines end up being removed, I will consider planting more Sabrevois to take their place.

Marquette - last season, I planted three Marquette vines. They seemed to do ok with what little time I was able to spend with them. I need to give them more attention this season and can hopefully get them to take off. The winter has been pretty mild and their bases are hilled up so hopefully there won’t be any damage.

Calling All Authors!

If you are interested and have some grape-growing knowledge to share, contact me and I can see what can be done to include your writing on the pages of Grapelog.com. There is no monetary reward, but I will gladly add links to your website in exchange.

Support Grapelog

If you like what you read and would like to continue to hear more into the future, consider making a donation to Grapelog. There is a Make A Donation button on the right-hand side of each page on http://www.grapelog.com.

Thanks for taking the time to read the newsletter!

Don

It’s funny how things even out when it comes to weather. Especially in Minnesota. In the early part of winter, I was amazed at how warm it had been. And we didn’t really have any snow to speak of.

Well, things have changed. We don’t necessarily have alot of snow, but the warm weather has certainly disappeared. Over the last two weeks, we have had at least 7 nights with below zero (F) lows and even a couple of days where the daytime temps did not exceed O! It looks like we’re starting to pull out of it. And we even have received a few small snowfalls. So at least the vines have some insulation.

For those of you waiting for the latest edition of my newsletter, thanks for your patience. It should be coming out soon. Are there any topics you’d like covered? If so, please add a comment to this post.

I thought this article made for good reading. The U.S. wine and grape industry contributes $162 billion (USD) annually. Here’s a link to the article:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/17/BUGSMNK5807.DTL

It’s hard to look out the window and believe that Christmas is past and it’s already 2007! In these parts, there’s barely any snow on the ground and much of the lake ice is too thin to be safe for even walking on. Recently, I’ve read that cherry trees are blossoming on the east coast and asparagus is starting to grow. Incredible!

Fortunately, it hasn’t been warm enough to get the ‘juices’ flowing in my vineyard. My main concern right now is a sudden cold snap. If the temps drop precipitously, the vines could sustain damage on account of not being able to gradually adjust. But there’s not much that can be done except wait and see. In the meantime, I plan to get out and enjoy a mild winter. Happy New Year!

I’m giving serious thought to planting rose bushes at the end of each vineyard row. The thought being that these plants will act as indicators of oncoming disease of pest attacks. Check back later once I’ve had a chance to research this subject some more.