Springtime at Still Waters Vineyards

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Still Waters Vineyards

At first glance around the vineyards and gardens, one would think this is a slow season… In actuality this is a very busy and important time. The groundwork is being set for our 2013 crop in both the vineyard and gardens.

In the vineyard we just finished pruning and retraining some of the spur positions on the vines. This year we placed a heavy emphasis on shoot positioning, grafting and also replacing missing or sick vines. Over 1000 new vines were planted this year. We used two year old nursery stock which should provide a stronger base for the baby vines to get a good root system started in the soil. The cover crop planted was a combination of30% winter peas, 15% vetch and 55% barley which should provide stabilization from ground erosion and also supplement the soil with essential nutrients for growing quality vines.

In a matter of days, especially with the warm weather we have been having, we will start to see tiny green fuzzy nodes on the vines known as bud break. This is when the vines start to push new shoots and it marks the beginning of the growing season. Bud break is a very nervous time since a freeze at this point can cause significant damage to the vineyard and crop. Keep your fingers crossed that Mother Nature will be kind this year… more rain but NO freezing temps!

In addition to the vineyard getting prepped for the growing season, we are planning for our vegetable gardens to be better than ever. Our greenhouse is in full swing with tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons and all kinds of herbs and other goodies.

 

We have focused our efforts on cultivating vegetables from last year’s seeds and have been carefully nurturing them along in the green house. We will transfer the shoots to the garden location on April 15th and are hoping to have a packed veggie cart by the first of June! In the meantime, we have fresh eggs, olive oil and wonderful wines to hold you over.

Hope to see you soon!