I'll be honest- the
IndieGoGo campaign is not going as well as I had hoped. We are still
going to be planting the vineyard. In fact, we have already started!
We have purchased the vines, worked up the soil, dug the holes, and
are now putting the vines in the ground. But the most expensive part
is still ahead- getting the support for the vines, the rebar, and
then the landscaping fabric and the staples to hold it down.
We decided not to
move the pole in the middle of the field, since that would have cost
$5,000. Instead, we just planted around it, and stayed away 20 ft.
Preparing the soil
has been the biggest challenge so far. We had the property surveyed
and staked off by Concord Engineering and Surveying. Then we measured
out the rows. We tied a string between poles at either end of each
row, spray painted the line, and then Dad mowed the future row. Then,
he got his tiller out and went over each row 6 times. Then, he mowed
the inter-row spaces so we could work in the vineyard.
Then, because the
tiller only had us going down about 4 inches of workable soil, we
used a plow to work up the soil. We plowed in two directions, each
time, piling the soil to the middle. The after that, we disked the
soil to break up the clods. Finally, we used our new tool, the middle
buster to dig a trench down the middle of the row.
That got us down
about 8 inches and working with gorgeous fluffy soil. You couldn't
ask for better working conditions. We finally are digging holes in
the trench, about 2-4 more inches down, and are putting mulch in the
bottom of each hole. The we put the plant in, and cover it up.
This is so much
easier than the first vineyard we planted! We are able to plant about
100 vines per hour (after the holes are dug!). The condition of the
soil is what is really making this a speedy endeavor. It's so
delightful to work with compared to the rings of clay and rocks that
were in the first vineyard. It's amazing to see how the soil changes
in just a quarter of a mile! It goes from rocky clay to a soil filled
with awesome organic matter! It will be interesting to see how the
wines turn out.
So, again, I ask for
your help in making this a possibility. We have had some unexpected
bills in the past few months and your financial contribution means
more than you could imagine! https://igg.me/at/letsplantavineyard/x
