It’s been a full year since we planted our first round of vines and nearly every vine had survived the winter. Spring was in full force and our vines were doing well, but now it was time to take some of the profit and expand the vineyard. We added an additional 5 rows to the end of the vineyard for the Sangiovese, which arrived in the beginning of May. The vines took well to the soil and we didn’t lose a single plant during the transplant process. However, we still had our share of problems.
The new vines really started taking off by the time June came around. A ton of new growth was appetizing to the deer and we managed to keep them away, until we went on vacation. At the end of June we left for a family vacation, and while we were gone, there were several thunderstorms. The storms ended up knocking down a large section of the netting on the West side of the vineyard (where the Sangiovese is planted) and unfortunately the deer had no problem walking in and completely cleaning the Sangiovese and nearly all the Petit Pearl. Thankfully none of the plants were killed during the process and they have all sprung back from the incident, although it has set the growth of the vines back significantly.
Once again, we entered July and the Japanese Beetles were in full infestation, ten times worse than last year. I’ve been using the same all natural mixture of water, neem oil, and Meyer’s to help keep them at bay. After doing much more research, I came to learn that the mixture is not ineffective as I earlier surmised, but it in fact slows down their ability to eat and the soap can even dry them out and kill them during the day. But it still isn’t enough. I’ve been spending most mornings at sunrise going out in the field and picking the beetles off the vines individually, and I must say it is by far the most effective strategy. Their numbers have dwindled significantly and the morning routine has become very relaxing, except for the soaking wet feet…
We’ve also introduced chickens to the property this year. We just started bringing them into the vineyard and they will help in more ways than one. The chicken scat makes for good fertilizer, they help keep the weeds at bay, and the biggest bonus is the pest control (not to mention free range eggs). We have many more plans for the vineyard and we are certainly not done for the year yet, but we save that for another time.
