Some Frost Damage

......to the Buckwheat cover crop only!!!! The grape vines survived the past 2 nights of 35 and 34 degree temperatures. I read a headline that a vineyard in Tennessee, perhaps a few even resorted to such means, hired a crew to fly helicopters over stands of vines to keep the cool air from damaging crop. I don't have the capacity or need to do such things, but interesting to read about none the less.

Here are a few iPod photos from Friday April 6 2012:

Lots going on with the grapevines. I was a little worried that I would lose at least 2 from this past winter, but I actually didn't lose any. The varietal in focus was the Chambourcin, it is a hybrid variety and I guess it came out in the early 1960's. I have 3 young Chambourcin vines in one location and another vine of the same variety in another. It is a later growing varietal, this is all documented in the literature that is available when researching, which I only recalled after I finally saw growth a few days ago. When I initially saw so little growth I went into a minor sadness, but lo and behold, the grapevines fought through the mild winter and produced new shoots!!!! I am delighted, absolutely ecstatic. Last year I started with 11 cuttings of the Chambourcin grape vines that I had purchased on the market. I was able to get 4 viable plants out of 11 woody cuttings. 36.36 percent success rate.

As I mentioned, I experienced a bit of frost damage last night and probably the previous night. The lowest temps were from 5AM until 8AM. The grape vines were fine. The cover crop I am using, the Buckwheat, experienced a bit of damage. The Fava Beans survived well enough. Here at home where I am starting a few cuttings, I covered them with very large plastic bags, a very functional apparatus in deflecting the cold temperatures.

In addition to this, I believe 4 vines of Concord grapes have been bequeathed to me at the Community Garden as the original owner hasn't returned to garden. It has been told to me that he is studying Viticulture and was hoping to get into the industry after his studies. Those are at least 3-year old vines. I pruned them quite a bit, but the co-leader of the garden had the idea of training them along the front fence to allow them to fan out and present a nice spread or texture other than chain-link. They have many, many inflorescenses which will eventually turn into fruit after flowering.


That's enough for now. More to come. Maybe updates on Chardonel, Norton and other cuttings in the next bulletins.