Growing, growing.

A little water, and the vines are going crazy. I had to hand water once, and rain followed the next week. I have thinned shoots twice. Shoot thinning helps direct growth and limit vigor. The cultural practices and spray program are keeping the vineyard pristine. Contrast the vineyard with a couple distant Concord grapes (black rot spots) and orchard (some cedar apple rust), and you can see the benefit of proper maintenance.

Petit manseng.

Petit manseng, preparing the flowers.

Petit verdot.

Petit verdot, with my favorite pest insect control device.

The big freeze?

For 10 days, we were warned, scared, and prepared for the worst. Weather reports indicated low temperatures in the high 20s this week. After a very warm & early start, grape growers across central Virginia worried. Helicopters were prepared (mine is "Harold" from Thomas the Tank Engine), wind machines started, and burn piles lit. But the cold was never as bad as expected. Whew! My lowest temperature was 35 degrees, reached last Saturday and yesterday. Time to grow now. Let the next phase of work begin.

New growth 2012

The 2012 growing season is ripping right along. We experienced a VERY early budbreak, three weeks early. The petit manseng erupted March 23rd. The petit verdot followed a week later. So far, so good. I have already sprayed the vineyard twice. The only signs of mildew have been on the lowest leaves of 2011 planted vines. The vineyard looks great right now.

Petit manseng, 23-March-2012.

Petit manseng, 01-April-2012

Petit verdot, 01-April-2012.

Petit verdot, 01-April-2012.

But something wicked this way comes... Significant deer damage has already been seen in the orchard. Deer are eating the tender leaves from pear trees. So far, the sprays have deterred the deer in the vineyard. I pulled a page from the Vintage Virginia Apples playbook. I visited Chuck Shelton, and purchased their little cloth bags. Mr. Shelton fills the bags with milorganite and ties them to all of their fruit trees. The deer do not like the smell (Milwaukee sewage - yuck). Now, Firstfruits Vineyard is full of bags. I will keep you updated...

Milorganite deer deterrent. 

One final note: weather. Weather makes us or breaks us (reference 2011). Temperatures in the 80s in mid-March helped expedite bud break.  Well, we now face a very chilly week ahead. There is a freeze warning tonight, but a big freeze may be coming. We just received notice that a hard freeze may hit central Virginia in seven days. Hoping for the best, planning for the worst.