April showers?

Looking at the Met Eireann stats for April, the monthly total rainfall was less than half of the mean but about twice what we had last year, the temperature was 3 degrees lower than the mean, and the soil temperature was average. How that is explained, I do not know. How this correlates with the early bud burst compared to last year, I do not know either. 

All means are for the period 1981-2010.

Celebrity vintners

Kurt Russel's GoGi Wines

I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that lots of stars own vineyards and make pretty good wines. What is surprising is that one of the best wines from California is from a vineyard owned by Bozz Scaggs. The list of owners is long and not always distinguished. 

My research started with an article about Kurt Russell's Pinot Noir project. He's mastering old world techniques to produce wines the natural way they were made way back when. He wanted a vineyard that was organically and biodynamically farmed and sustainable in practice. 

He started out wanting to reproduce burgundies and still considers the Pinot Noir his main project. But his Goldie Chardonnay has scored 91 and 92 points from Wine Spectator in 2017 and 2018 respectively and sells for $50 a bottle. His Pinot Noir has scored 92 points in 2016 and 2017 from Wine Enthusiast and sells for $75 a bottle.

Meanwhile, Frances Ford Coppola was given Wine Enthusiast's 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award. Not bad for the creator of the Godfather and Apocalypse Now. The six-time Academy Award-winning director, screenwriter and entrepreneur was honoured for industry innovation, creativity, quality product and more than 40 years in winemaking. It seems innate talent knows no bounds. 

Polytunnel materials have arrived!

Field which is the site for the polytunnel

 

Some assembly required! 

We decided to build a polytunnel because it doesn't require permission, it is reasonably priced, and it can be a relatively large working space. The field requires a bit of levelling out, so construction cannot begin until the digger frees up. It will be above the garage, which will shield it from the winds to a degree. Alex's has already saved all the trees that self-seeded in that field and moved them into a hedge that will protect the structure from the west. 

Once it's in place, we can buy a quad and mower, and keep it inside the polytunnel, which Alex says is on the large side. We can move all the winemaking equipment into the polytunnel. We can also store the apple press there. Storage is the one thing that's been in short supply. 

I'm hoping to also grow a few things in it that require warmth, height, and protection from the elements, namely a peach tree, an avocado tree and a citrus tree. I'll have to sneak them in. Shhhh, don't tell Alex. 

I don't think it came with instructions.

Road to the gate of donkey field,
adjacent to vineyard, provides access.

Oversized doors so equipment can be driven in. 

Companion Planting With Grapes

Photo by Amy Grant, Gardening Know How

I've been a proponent of the Gaia garden for a long time although I've only put it into practice recently and not on a large scale. But I really do want to learn more about it. So now that the first 10 vines are mature, it's time to start thinking about companion crops -- plants that in close proximity will repel pests and disease, nourish soil, or provide shelter to beneficial insects. Companion plants may act as natural trellises, suppress weeds, or help retain moisture. 

A number of plants grow well with grapevines. I want to choose companions for grapes that have similar growing requirements in Ireland. That is, grapes need full sun with moderately warm temperatures, consistent water, and well-draining soil, so their companion plants should like those conditions, too. An example of incompatible plants is hops. If you're growing wine grapes they should be in harsh soil so all the energy goes into the grapes and not the vines and leaves. Hops prefer a richer soil and put a lot of energy into vine growth and root development. Grapes are generally grown horizontal or parallel to the ground and hops tend to want to grow vertical. Also hops want lots of water and grapes don't want too much water.

Plants that grow well with grapevines are those that lend a beneficial quality to growing grapes. The question is what to plant around grapes? Garlic is good for deterring pests but I certainly don't want to introduce garlicy flavours to the terroir. I want to get the healthiest vines that produce the most fruit, and have a pleasant effect on the grapes. 

Companion planting (mustard) at Tamburlaine – photo by The Wine Idealist

What To Plant Around Grapes 

Companion planting is an age-old art of planting different plants in close proximity to each other to benefit one or both. There may be mutual benefits or one plant may profit more. 

Excellent companions for grapes include Hyssop, Oregano, Basil, Beans, Blackberries, Clover, Geraniums, Calendula and Peas. We have the blackberries covered as they are part of the hedge around the vineyard. Blackberries provide shelter for beneficial parasitic wasps, which also kill leafhopper eggs. Basil doesn't grow outside in Ireland. I would think rapeseed would work and it looks so beautiful adding vibrant colour to the fields.

In the case of hyssop, an evergreen herb, bees love the flowers while the rest of the plant deters pests and improves the grape’s flavour. It has been used in traditional medicine as an antiseptic, cough reliever, and expectorant. It is a member of the mint family so I wonder if it has the tendency to spread like wildfire. Geraniums and Calendula also repel pests, such as leafhoppers.  

Clover increases soil fertility. It is what the Spaniards in Galicia were experimenting with. It is an excellent ground cover, green manure crop, and nitrogen fixer. Legumes act in much the same way and can give you a second vertical crop yield. By planting them once the grapevines are established, the beans can trellis up through them. 

Other plants make good companions for grapevines due to their pest repellant qualities. These include aromatic plants such as Garlic, Chives, Rosemary, Tansy, and Mint. I have been planting the aromatics in the orchard for several years. 

Grapes don’t get along just with herbs and flowers. They are said to do well planted under elm or mulberry trees. 

Companion planting (clover) Paco & Lola vineyards, Galicia Spain.
Photo by Daria Blackwell

What to avoid planting near grapes

Just as people don’t always get along, grapes have a few pet peeves as well. Grapes should never be planted near cabbage or radishes. Besides who would want to risk cabbage flavoured wine?

What the best method of companion planting?

You see two different methods in the photos above. One puts the plants among the rows of vines the other puts the plantings between the rows. I believe both can be beneficial. Plants that keep insects aways and deliver nutrients to the soil can be placed close to the vines. Plants that enrich the soil overall or provide cash crops can be planted between the rows. Both can be done at the same time, or one can be done at a time or even alternated seasonally. It's not rocket science but it will take some experimentation. 

What about fertiliser?

Yara, the fertiliser company, recommends all kinds of fertiliser for grapes but my feeling is that grapes don't like very fertile soil so why augment it? Doesn't that alter the terroir? Why not keep it natural, organic and biodynamic? Mulching with wood chips from tree trimmings apparently adds just the right amount of nitrogen to the soil, and is very beneficial to the plants.

We tried adding some seaweed around the oldest vines for a traditional Irish fertilisation approach. We have plenty of the stuff for free, it's natural and organic and gives us another claim to fame. We'll see how it works. 

Photo in Daria's Vineyard taken in the Autumn of 2020 by Daria Blackwell. 
Note the seaweed applied to the base of vines.  

Honeybee swarm

We had lots of excitement in the garden yesterday. Alex was carrying the polytunnel supplies up the hill when he heard loud buzzing. He looked up and saw thousands of bees leave the hive and swarm above the trees. He yelled, "Daria, come quickly, we have a swarm!" I walked over and started to videotape them. Then I noticed they were moving toward us. I said, "Alex we have to get out of here."

We walked away but Alex's fascination kept taking him back. He called an experienced beekeeper friend who suggested putting a spare hive high up nearby so that maybe they decided to call it home. So Alex climbed up and put the heavy spare box on top of the steel frame we have in the garden. By then, the bees had formed a tight ball around the queen, high up in a tree -- pretty close to the same spot our previous bees had swarmed several years ago. 

Another beekeeper suggested banging metal pots together directly underneath the swarm to bring them down. That did nothing. Scouts were appearing everywhere searching for their new home. I ran upstairs and closed the bedroom balcony door so they wouldn't choose our bedroom as theirs. About an hour later, they were gone. Someone will find a new bee colony on their property, lucky folks. I hope they found a nice hollow tree to live in naturally. 

Meanwhile, the remaining colony is buzzing happily along in the old quarters. We've done our job in repopulating the native honeybee in Mayo. 

All this while the vineyard was happily leafing and the orchard was happily blooming. What a lovely sunny and warm exciting April day. I'm scheduled for vaccination tomorrow, so things really are looking up. 

Cooking apple

Ancient cooking apple

Donkeys are back

Best in the West

 

I always love when Met Eireann, our weather forecaster, ends the forecast with 'Best in the West'.  We used to never hear that phrase. Now it's quite common. We're having a week of sunny warm and calm weather. Warmest in the west -- 20C by day, down to about 5C overnight. Everything has come alive. The fruit orchard is in full bloom except for the apples. The vines are leafing in the vineyard and Alex mowed yesterday. The trees have leafed. It's delightful. 

I took a chance and started planting a few things out -- broccoli, courgettes. bush beans. I have many extra plants so I didn't feel that it threatened my supply. My beetroot has germinated, the radishes are already ready to eat and the spinach has really come on strong in the cold frames. The peas have not come up yet but I expect they'll pop out shortly. The Swiss chard is sown. Having poor germination of lettuce this year. Will try a different variety. 

I fed the roses and ericaceous loving shrubs. Washed the car. Pulled weeds. Watered the greenhouse and the vegetable gardens. The new polytunnel arrives Saturday. I generally enjoyed the day. Looking forward to the week. Have almost forgotten about the coronavirus pandemic. 

Tidy up

Rondo leafing

Crabapple

Cherry

Pear

Apple

Strawberry

Blueberry

Late Frost in Texas

The vineyards in Texas have suffered this year. The state, which normally doesn't need to heat homes with the oil it produces, had prolonged severe cold this year and now the latest frost recorded ever. North Texas and High Plains regions hit low temperatures on the night of April 20-21. By the third week in April in “normal” years, vineyards are well on their way to producing a large percentage of the grapes grown in Texas. Some vines would be blooming, others beginning to set clusters, and the threat of frost would be in the distant past. 

The 'winter freeze' which lasted from February 9-17 already did some damage in parts of the Lone Star state. The cold temperatures were the equivalent of a Spring frost for the Gulf Coast region as vines had started to set buds there and in the Rio Grande River valley had already had bud break. To the east and south, some vines were closer to bud break and, therefore, had more potential for cold temperature damage. According to the National Weather Service, the average date of the last freeze in the Dallas area is March 12.