Willamette Hops harvest.....in my Chicago backyard!!!

Two Wednesdays ago I got locked out of my apartment, after returning from a volunteering stint that I do every week, because the maintenance guys were painting the front steps.  Well, I never have the back door key with me, that is the internal back porch deadbolt key.  So I decided to harvest hops since the steps were still wet from being painted.  The above-provided photos are the product of what resulted.  I harvested these Willamette Hops on Wednesday Oct 6, 2010.  Just seeing how much I picked off the vines this year made me so utterly proud.  It has been only 3 years of growing these things and they just take off without much care at all.  I still don't grow them properly, as in - vertically, which I think is the proper manner in which to grow them - but I will be calibrating my methods for next year to get closer to the ideal.  The plans on how to do this vertical gardening are still only in the sketch phase.  Actually, it is more along the lines of sketch and throw pasta at the wall, all the while taking a sip from a nice glass of wine to celebrate another great year in gardening.

Super late on posting anything these days to this southeastern Logan Square blogulation. I am in the midst of Day Eight for the fermentation of my first-ever wine (a red Spanish Tempranillo). As well, classes and trying to re-adjust to taking coursework, coupled with trying to find supplemental income have all successfully consumed my brainpower, or my 'Frontal Cortex' as Andrew Sullivan is so fond of saying.

Gary Vaynerchuk has reviewed Tempranillo a time or two, be sure to check his show out every week if you wish to learn more about his take on these matters. As always, more to come.......Thank you for reading!!!!

46 Degrees Fahrenheit for the low temperature last night

Growth cannot be sustained any longer for this particular growing season of 2010. Today is Sept 28 2010 Tuesday. It's been an amazing year. There is a ton to celebrate and there is a ton to look forward to as things proceed into the future, the unknown.

When the temps dip below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, growth ceases for the grape vines. As a result, I think it might be nice to provide some comparisons, at the end of the growing season, of two of the varietals that I am growing at the apartment in Chicago. My Mars Seedless won't be featured in this bulletin, partly because it is recovering from the roots being hammered by rat baits placed about by the landlord, which I have no protest for or against. But let's begin with the photographic comparisons, the emphasis will be on the leaves of the two varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Cabernet Sauvignon starts it off.

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Cabernet Sauvignon grape vine leaves. (All photos taken on Tues Sept 28 2010)

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Syrah grape vine leaves

Syrah grape leaf Tuesday Sept 28 2010

Lead shoot on Syrah grape vine Tues Sept 28 2010

Another view of a Syrah grape leaf Tues Sept 28 2010

The temperature is currently at 69 degrees Fahrenheit in the city of Chicago. The vines and the rest of the fauna are experiencing at least a 23 degree discrepancy between mid-day temps and late-night/early morning temperatures. Actually, the vine by the red stairs seems to be behind the vine along the side of the apartment with respect to how advanced the periderm is developed as the march toward winter carries on. I am very interested in seeing what the impact of my decision to not crop the vine at 5ft tall will be. As well, I am very interested in learning about the prospect of winter injury to the vines and to see if I can possibly get some viable cuttings from these vines. They won't be this long in length by late Marc 2011. I fully intend to prune these back so that I can begin to develop canes that will provide for the cruciform component most readily seen in anyone else's grape vines.

One final note for today. I feel even more certain that August 15 in Chicago, Illinois is probably the best marker to use as the final time to get any young vines in the ground and expect them to be fully acclimated to the soil before the autumn chill arrives.

Overall, I am learning a tremendous amount, and feeling very proud about progress with all of the vines planted in Chicago, Grayslake, southern Indiana, St. Louis, MO and Glen Ellyn, Illinois, with many, many thanks to friends and family, roommates, and building-mates. More to come....Thanks for reading.

Two weeks late on this posting

Lots of whirlwind activity going on. I intended to post these videos for the blog way back in late August 2010, just never got around to it. I DID however prepare them back then by placing them on the You Tube page for the blog. But I'll cut out that additional step and put them in this posting for the readers.

The story goes that I now believe July and August really took the vines in Chicago, at my apartment, to another level. The heat came, surely nothing like the heat of the Missouri or anywhere among the southern states, but still these vines thrived very nicely in the warm breath of Chicago's upper-midwest summer.





Reviewing these videos I have to laugh because there has been so much more growth than these videos convey. The growth has been extraordinary, revealing lots of vigor. I also hope it reflects lots of TLC. Regardless, the aim is just to get through the growing season and see what needs to be pruned in the first week of March of 2011.

Temperatures are cooling in Chicago, Illinois. More to come...be well!

Cabernet Sauvignon - Chicago

A few updates from the patch of garden/flower beds in southeast Logan Square. The Cabernet Sauvignon vines that were transplanted from pots to soil earlier in the summer went through a period of shock, in other words they simply just held. Such behaviour didn't surprise me as the plants were moved into a new living environment. At times more than a few leaves seemed to reveal plants that were struggling. These pieces of evidence began to worry as this year I have not had the best track record with bringing cuttings through the critical first 10-12 weeks after Bud Break.   The following photographs of the vines were taken on Friday July 9 2010

As a comparison, I took a few photographs (featured below) of the vines this morning Wednesday August 25, 2010. I am pleased to see the results of 7 weeks of heat, water, and sun affecting, for the better, these young Cabernet Sauvignon cuttings that were lopped off of my parents' Cabernet Sauvignon vine in St. Louis, Missouri late one Friday Feb 26 2010 during late-winter pruning.

The final vine that I photographed is one that I simply wanted to get in the ground before Sept 1, 2010. I must've planted it on Wednesday Aug 18, 2010. It is another cutting from my parents' vine in St. Louis, MO. I just wanted to experiment by getting it in the ground earlier than I put the Syrah vines in the ground last year, which I am almost certain I did after Sept 1, 2009 (and by that measure I mean it may well have been Sept 10th or 15th, I wasn't as good about documenting back then). What I hope to discover next spring is that this 3rd cutting will grow and have vigor. When such activity occurs I will then have a better sense of what the parameters are for planting late in the summer in Chicago, IL. It is entirely possible that last year's Syrah cuttings just didn't have adequate time to get situated before the cool air came around. Even this morning at 6AM the air was quite cool in Chicago when I was outside. All of these details are important to consider.

Harvest photos - Sleepy Creek Vineyards, part deux

Have a few more great photos from my time of harvesting Frontenac grapes at Sleepy Creek Vineyards two weekends ago. More to come, actually, I just need to make the time to get the photos up.

the near-bungee cord used to fasten the vine to the aluminum wire was new to me.

the grapes were really shining in that morning Sunday light.

Dude watching over the harvesters amongst the Frontenac grave vines.

Dude

a wider scope of a Frontenac grape vine

Enjoy!

Harvesting Frontenac Grapes in Central Illinois

The following photographs depict what I was involved in yesterday Sunday August 15, 2010. I had a wonderful time harvesting grapes (Frontenac grapes, no less) and observing the so-called 'Crush' and 'Pressing' steps in the whole process toward creating wine. The wines that were pressed yesterday probably won't be bottled until January 2011 the owner informed.

updates from the Glen Ellyn, IL vines

The following photographs were taken 7 days ago (Sunday Aug 8, 2010). Very good news. It appears that the vines will be ready for the winters of DuPage County. Looking forward to more growth in the coming weeks and to seeing the current vines turn to wood from the harsh winter coming up.

Frontenac grape vine located front-left in the yard. (1 of 2 photos same vine).  Glen Ellyn, IL.

Frontenac grape vine located front-left in the yard.  Glen Ellyn, IL (2 of 2 photos, same vine)

Frontenac grape vine. (2 of 2 photos) Located back-left in the yard.  Glen Ellyn, IL.

Frontenac grape vine Glen Ellyn, Illinois.  Situated back-left in the yard (1 of 2)

La Crescent grape vine (1 of 2 photos same vine - front-right in the yard)

La Crescent grape vine in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.  This vine apparently has taken the longest to respond to the soils and get situated for growth and development.

La Crescent grape vine.  Location back-right in the yard (1 of 2 shots for same vine).

La Crescent vine, located back-right in the yard.

View of the four vines all together as planted on location in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.  Planted back in May 2010.  They seem to be doing very well.  The immediate neighbor to the north is quite intrigued and always asks after them.

Dachshund dog with the grape vines.  Frontenac on the left, La Crescent on the right.  Dog in the middle (name for canine:  'AC'.  Sweet dog with an overbite that makes it appear to be smiling all the day long).

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I am supposed to be sleeping at this precise moment, but instead I am finishing a blog posting because I can't sleep. I will be assisting with a grape harvest in the morning, in a few hours, at a vineyard in central Illinois. I'll keep you all posted on how things unfold. I was supposed to help out on Saturday morning, but I couldn't wake up. I worked 16 hours and 45 minutes on Friday and needed some sleep. Foolish of me to think I could drive 3 hours and 20 minutes after such a work shift. Can't win 'em all. Gettin' back on the horse soon, though.