"PLANT YOUR VINEYARD YOUNG"
At 47 years of age, I may have started too late to see the vineyard mature. My advise to the younger generation is to start your endevours early in life. Life is just too short to wait for the things that are truley important; like getting married and having children. While I have done many things in my life, some of them should have been explored at a much earlier age!
Lexington, SC
Updated Wednesday, March 10, 2010 10:56 AM
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Sunday
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Me and my cameras
18Nov09
Special Note: I don't like to complain or create bad will but I feel justified to share some information.
I ordered 100 2yr and 100 3yr Noble vines from Willis Orchards in Georgia back in Feb '09. In March, I received what appeared to be the correct shipment. As the harvest season arrived we noticed that the Nobles were not turning dark. There were a few vines that developed into the dark red grapes I expected but the majority were bronze.
I contacted "Shannon", (another guy with my name) at Willis Orchards about my concerns and he agreed that something was wrong. After sharing other concerns about being on schedule to deliver Noble grapes in the 2010 season, Shannon offered to send an additional 200/ 4 year old Nobles to keep me on schedule with my purchasers.
I received my shipment only to find that they were marked the same as the first shipment! I have left messages with Willis Orchards to no avail...
Imagine starting a vineyard with a specific plan in mind. Using a French approach of "Terrior" or creating an "environment" that will affect the personality of my grapes only to discover that 200 vines are an unknown cultivar. They appear to be Carlos but who can say for sure?
It's not like a vineyard is a quick endeavor and at my age (48) I cannot afford to waste time on growing the wrong grapes!
I had done what I thought to be sufficent research on Willis Orchards to be a reputable business, here's a snip from their web site:
Willis Orchard Company Friendly Guarantee
You may have heard horror stories about purchasing from other companies that treat their customers with disrespect and give them the proverbial "run around" when trying to correct an error that has been made. You need not worry about this from Willis Orchard Company, this will not be the case in the unlikely event that an error or other problem occurs. We are kindhearted and reasonable people who are willing to work out issues, not compound them.
At Willis Orchard Company, we promise every customer a healthy quality plant of the correct size and variety specified, the first time. We call our guarantee the "friendly guarantee" because we understand that a certain percent of any organic product may not survive due to the laws of nature and at no fault of our customer or of ours. So, you will not be treated rudely or given "the run around" to redeem the replacement you were promised. Also, we do not require our customers to fill out forms or pay shipping costs, for a second time, to receive replacement on a defective product.
Here's how it works. If your tree dies within one year of the purchase date, simply return the item, within the year, with proof of purchase and a new item will be shipped to you, at the next Fall / Winter planting time and at our cost. We realize that circumstances occur so that you may misplace the original invoice form that comes on the package, within the span of one year. Therefore, proof of purchase may be a copy of the original invoice form, a copy of your credit card statement, or a copy (front and back) of your check payment. We offer a one time / one shipment replacement so you may want to wait until late Summer to evaluate your trees and then claim your 1 year warranty. We truly appreciate our customers and will strive to satisfy each and every one of you. Thank you from all of us at Willis Orchard Company for choosing us to supply your quality trees and plants.
So what should I do now? Perhaps I need to contact BBB or their local news station...
I thought it seemed unlikely that they could deliver four year old vines. But I did expect to get the correct vines to begin with.
We have planted the second shipment (of who knows what) and I guess I should be thankful to get that.
No one ever said that a vineyard would be easy and it's not. I'm just frustrated that all this time and energy is being exspensed in the wrong way~
03Aug09
All of a sudden my fig tree spit out 50lbs of smaller than usual fruit. Very sweet at 16.8% Brix. I have two batches started at 5gal each. This make my first attempt at wine and with any luck and patience, I'll get it together before I commit the Muscadines.
09Jun09
Just added a much needed tractor to the Vineyard. After many weeks of decision, I choose a Bobcat CT230 with a front end loader. This is a great compact with 32hp. The similar John Deere has aluminium case and the New Holland uses two bolts on the 3 point lift arms. The Bobcat is cast with a 1" pin on the lift arms. The best of both worlds! What a difference from the 14hp Ford (now retired). All the chores are now much easier with more horse power and power steering~!
22May09
Plans are now underway for a B&B. I may decide to construct on Zone Four as it is the highest elevation on the 12 acres at the extreme West end. Zone Four backs up to a Nature Reserve with trails. We hope to offer horse back riding as part of the stay...
21May09
I have discovered that all the wild vines on the creek and in Zone Four as producing this year. Last year they did not after they were disturbed during the tree clearing. Most of these wild cultivars are hundreds of feet long and some are 6-8 inches in diameter! That should make them 200+ years old!
30Apr09
The leaves are forming and so we have discovered 13 of 210 vines that may not survive. The current lack of rain has caused me to step up the irrigation process. We are completing Zone 5 in preparation for planting clippings that are being rooted in the Frog pond. Zone 5 will ultimately have Noble, Carlos, Old Homestead, 3 varieties of seedless table grapes and Kiwi. It seems like a good idea to have a little of each variety on the original tract just in case something happens to the newer property...
26Mar09
So it's been a week with the vines set and the irrigation at work. So far, so good! I fertilized rows 4-9 with 1/2 cup of 10-10-10 yesterday. We are expecting to get a good soaker for 4 days. There's something about rain that for whatever reason seems to be better than well water. I just can't wait for the leaves to start budding!
19Mar09
So we set 200 vines and had 5 extra... The irrigation is being installed this week as well. Power was laid to the storage tanks and the tubing has been strung. Just a few more details and let the watering begin~!
17Mar09
The Noble Muscadine vines have arrived! It has been raining all weekend but today we should be able to set the vines.
I ordered 100 two year old and 100 three year old. There's no question that selling vines will be profitable. I purchased the 200 vines from Willis Orchards in South Georgia.
The vines came in on the 14th and I have set them out in the rain (still bundled in the shipping wrap) to adjust to the local climate as well as to stay moist. I will take some photos as we go, so be sure to check out the Gallery.
12Mar09
We have installed 4110ft of trellis, enough to support 200 vines. Zone One is complete with 9 rows (3450ft) and 3 rows (660ft) of Zone Five. Irragation is still in the works. The water storage tanks have been set but pumps, electrical, Main line and drip lines are still pending.
I purchased an Orion 2-Star Benchtop pH meter to help with the day-to-day management of the soil conditions. After testing the soil samples I sent to Clemson Extension, I discovered that my reading are slightly higher. Another discovery is that Distilled water does not have a pH of 7, but rather 5.8. This poses an interesting question about the "actual" pH values obtained. My well water has a higher pH value of 6.7...? I will from time to time send samples to Clemson to compare.
The first 200 Noble vines should arrive on the 17Mar and we will set them the same week. Until the irragation is ready, we will have to find alternative methods...
18Feb09
Starting setting the first trellis at 580ft. It's funny how simple it looks. A few post and stakes with two strings of wire and anchors. No big deal, right? The anchors take two of us going around like old mules. The wire is stiff and the ground is not level. I can hardly stand, sit, walk or sleep. That's just the beginning of 50+ rows and we're not even finished with the first after two days! I sure hope the grapes will grow and the wine will be good, in 2011!
11Feb09
I got the soil test back from Clemson Extension for 4 zones and the pH range is 4.8 to 5.4. This week we will be adding Dolometic Lime to raise the pH to 6.5.
I'm getting test for zone 5 and 6 this week...
09Jan09
Tomorrow I will be heading to Savannah to the Georgia Fruit & Vegitable Growers Convention. I hope to learn many new things about this project before I commit revenue.
I have already realized that metal stakes vs. treated post will save me money as the metal stakes are about half as much at $5.50 per seven foot stake vs $9.50 per 4x4x8 treated wood post. I have concerns about the strength of the stakes opposed to the "treatment" of the post. I'll start with the stakes and if I run into any problem, I guess I'll be changing them out for post.
It was suggested that 12.5 gauge high tensile wire will work better than regular 9 gauge wire. I guess it will not stretch as much.
I have been grinding stumps the past two weeks~! Ugh!!! There are hundreds of stumps and they're in the way... My time frame for clearing and setting stakes is getting close as I need to plant sometime in March.
28Dec08
I guess it's been a while since I updated the news. Check out my new logo on the header.
I just got a new 4% Ag tax rate from the county~! I have cleared most of the 6.5 acres of the mess from clearcutting. I will post more photos soon.
It's time to apply Lime to the soil as most of the Southern states seem to require the treatment. Now that lumber prices have come down, I'll be purchasing and setting post in the next month. I hope to be planting two year old vines soon after.
There is so much work involved in preparation to a new vineyard. As I told the Assessor, I don't want to get it wrong and have to back up, so I'm taking my time to try and get it right the first time.
The Clemson Extension Rep has been helpful with advise. I wanted to plant the rows in a North/South direction but the lay of the land would make the rows too short. So I will be putting in fewer but longer rows running East/West.
My other concern is the Cultivar... It was suggested that I find and secure a buyer prior to planting. While that make lots of sense, I plan to produce wine here opposed to shipping the juice to a winery. As far as the seeds/skins are concerned, I don't think it matters what variety I select.
Well, stay tuned to the progress and I will attempt to keep the site up to date. Big changes are coming soon~!
21May07
I am looking forward to clearing five acres for the expansion of our new vinyard. This is as much a hobbie as it is a way to use available land. We have hundreds of wild muscadine growing on top of cleared timber. It's a big mess~ I hope to transplant and/or mark the vines prior to bringing in the heavy equipment.
31May07
I seem to be having trouble transplanting from the wild field to the trellis. I have tried pulling the vines by the roots and planting them in topsoil on the row. I have dug up the vine with the dirt and transplanting to the row. I have done both but potted the vine before moving them to the row.
Of these, potting the vine prior to moving to the row has worked the best. Even then, the vine looks as though it's dying before popping new sprouts. I've tried the above with wet, moist, and dry roots. There seems to be no consistant way to get the vine from the wild to the trellis in good health.
14Jun06
I talked to a local "professional" who has much experiance with muscadine. He has sent information about other growers in the area and I hope to get some great information. It would seem that wild muscadines are just that, not a paticular variety. I was incurraged to purchase known varieties to maximize the yeild. One the other hand, wild varieties may be more popular with some customers...
For now, I'm sticking with the wild vines. I plan to cull out the none productive vines and replace with more productive ones. At any rate, it's going to be a long road to market.