Preparing for Planting 2013

Our grapevines arrived Thursday - all 5 acres of them. And, it only took two FedEx boxes to hold them!

We will be expanding the vineyard another 5 acres this year. The new grapes to be planted are more Montepulciano and Aglianico. Both are Italian varieties and make full bodies red wines. We are planting today (Fri.) and tomorrow (Sat.).

But, before the grapevines can be planted, preparations must be made - the irrigation system must be expanded and the rows prepared.

The first step is to mark the rows using GPS and lay the drip tape between the rows - this was done about a month ago. Next, the pipe must be laid to connect all the drip tape to the filter station which receives the water coming from the wells.

John, rented a backhoe and dug three trenches up to 180 ft. long and 3 - 5 ft deep.

What we didn't realize until after he was finished and connecting it all, was that on the southeast trench, he came within inches of breaking the main water line and power line to the wells! They were suppose to be 5 ft deep but were barely 3 ft deep. Whew - it was close!

You can see the black pieces of drip tape coming out of the ground. These will be connected to the larger PVC pipe. It is amazing to think that this flat black tape expands enough to water the grapevines!

After the trench is completely dug, John works gluing the PVC pipe together and fitting the necessary valves in place.

As usual, there is at least one helper by his side.

Once everything is connected, the water is turned on to flush the drip tape. Bits of dirt will have gotten into the tape through the holes which allow the water out. Running the water through the tape clears out any dirt in it.

After everything is flushed and working properly, the dirt is pushed back into the trench.

In a few weeks, you will not be able to tell there ever was a trench!