Preparing to Grow some Grapes

Vineyard installation got underway this weekend in the back pasture. We finally fenced out the cattle a couple of weeks ago. Last week I brought home 4000' of high tensile 12.5g wire, 14 9' fence posts, and 14 earth anchors. Amazon had wire vices. A1 Rental had the auger and earth anchor driver. My good friends Bob and Shawn proved invaluable.

The earth anchors went in surprisingly well. Twice they stuck, but a 1" galvanized 6' pipe allowed us to get those last two all the way in.

It doesn't turn very fast, but it has a kick

We haven't had much rain, so there was a bit of a hardpan which made digging the post holes slow going at first. But once through the top 12" the auger chewed through the moister soil easily. 

Stretching the top wire proved to be a challenge. The first two methods were ineffective. But Bob earned every bite of his grilled cheese sandwich when he came up with an improvised wire reel using a garden cart. 

The wire went up easily for the last 6 rows.

Bob and I tamped in the posts at 65 degrees. We attempted installation of the tiebacks using the inline wire strainers. It turns out we were missing an important tool. 

You can't install a vineyard without this

The inline wire strainer ratchet can be found at Orscheln's for $6. On Sunday I made the lower part of the tiebacks in the workshop, then moved out to the vineyard to finish up.

The soil analysis came Saturday in the mail. The pH is 5.5. I need a lot of lime and a little potash, phosphorus, and nitrogen. I hope to till these in next weekend so I can hang the lower wire before it gets too cold.

A special thanks to Bob and Shawn for helping Saturday. My winery is open to you both any time.