Using Rooting Hormone For First Time

I just rec'd Norton and Chardonel grape vine cuttings in the mail today. I planted the Chardonel cuttings and enlisted the assistance of the product by Schultz called 'Take Root'. I feel pretty confident about this attempt at growing from cuttings.......more to come!!!!

Pulse, Pulse. Heartbeat, Heartbeat.

Back!!!

It is Tuesday March 6th and the weather has been deceptive.  I am not sure how to describe it, but I was at a friends house yesterday and their tree's buds had lost their protective coverings yesterday.  Not a very scientific description but telling none the less.   Dogwood Trees are pushing the beginning pieces of leaves in some areas of the region.  Smaller shrubs are pushing forth leaves. 

Lots going on.  With it being a new year, I am no different than any other avid gardener:  I have new ideas and amended plans.  Not entire replacement of plans, but us gardeners tend to always build and build and build on ideas.  Having said as much, it is true that my ideas regarding the grape vines and the garden, in general, are getting fleshed out further. The spring winds are here. More and more days above 40, 45 degrees. Today the temp hit 75 degrees Fahrenheit!!!! It doesn't seem normal. I keep hearing about the Easter freeze of April 2007 and the toll it took on so many crops, so I am not getting excited until late April comes around when I think the threat of frost/freezes has passed from our reach.

Been messing with lots of pots and seed starters and potting soil.  Sphagnum Peat Moss has been near and dear these past few weeks. 

I could probably write on and on, but I'll simply just post a few photos seed starts that I have.  The seeds are so vigorous (and poor seed placement/planning on my part, by the way - I over planted due to past failures) that I have had to lift off the plastic dome that comes with seed starter trays that one can get at the local hardware store.  Historically I have not done the best with seeds.  Cuttings seem to fit my skill set more appropriately, but I am trying new things. 

I bring pretty unremarkable photographs of Dinosaur Kale and Swiss Chard seedlings.  There are two very tiny Common Milkweed starts as well.  These photos are evidence that these seed starter trays do in fact work remarkably.  I will use them from here on out, as long as I am a tiny operation as I am now. 

In the foreground with the reddish stalks are clearly the Swiss Chard seedlings. Behind, as can be seen from the following photos, exists the Dinosaur Kale seedlings.

We'll see how this little experiment goes. I am concerned about the delicate balance between over-watering and/or under-watering (dehydration), now that the plastic covering is off which created the greenhouse effect and kept the moisture in.

The grapevines are still dormant. None of the vines seem anywhere close to bud break, for which I am very grateful as I know there will be a hard frost before long.

First Freeze!!!!! Oct 19, 2011

Happens every Autumn: the growing season must reach its inevitable conclusion.

I am in St Louis right now but am told that Columbia, Missouri will hit freezing temps between 1AM and 9 AM.

Brief update. Lots going on in other areas of life, but all of the vines for this endeavor are prepared for the winter. Will be setting up endposts in the next two weeks - a warming trend is coming in these next few days after the frost.

Testing new iPod app to blog with

Trying a new thing here.

Man from Chicago sets sail for a different pasture - Columbia, Missouri

I moved from Southeast Logan Square last week. Actually I will be moving my headquarters to Missouri for the next few years. I am not there yet, but I will be in Missouri by the beginning of August 2011. Hopefully I will have my vines in the ground some time soon after.  It is funny, since I am not intending to harvest, crush, press, or ferment with any of my own grapes yet, I am still finding myself worried about getting the young vines in the ground and nearly established before the autumn weather arrives.  And it is only July 9th!!!!!  I worry too much about this.  It's crazy.

Where the dream of growing grapes grew.  Birthed in St. Louis, Missouri.
Developed the idea while living in Chicago, Illinois.

The bridge to the south.  Southeast Logan Square (Chicago, Illinois)

I spent 8 1/2 years in this apartment.  I lived for one year prior in the western suburb of La Grange Park, Illinois before moving to Southeast Logan Square.  Chicago was a fun place to live during this era.  I was involved in many great endeavors and look forward to furthering some of them and starting others as well.
The neighbor to the east of Illinois, the lovely state of Michigan, is now being referred to as the 'Napa Valley of the Midwest'.  To leave is very difficult, as I am only getting started.  But I depart from this region for good reasons.

Can a city boy make a go at this?  Will he spend 2 million to make a million?  Will he be able to fight off the pesky Japanese Beetle?  Is it possible to stop and change the course of one's career (in the mid-30's) and pull off a miracle? Find out......in 12 years!!!  Stay tuned to this channel (it may change because Google recently indicated they won't be involved with Blogger much longer) and also to the Conejo Loco Vineyards Tumblr website for further exciting and mundane news, media, updates, and otherwise poorly written English expression (most often manifest as a run-on sentence).

Now I better log off and begin learning about how the Germans settled in Missouri and quickly began setting up their vineyards in the 19th Century.

Remember, friends, the first occasion to buy wine will probably be around October 2018 (the 2017 vintage). It will undoubtedly be a small batch, but I expect it will amount to more than just 5 gallons of wine.  It's coming along.  Inertia.  Movement.  Things are rolling along.

Now if anyone wants to donate one acre of sloping land that is southern-facing, please contact me at the e-mail address listed on this blog.  I promise that we could come to agree to a case of wine a year or something on that order/or anything manageable, for the exchange.  Two adults can figure out an arrangement, undoubtedly, I am sure.

Until you can buy wine from me, I recommend the following places to consider:

Sleepy Creek Vineyards (Fairmount, Illinois)
One Acre Wine (Napa Valley, California)  
Domaine Berrien Cellars and Winery (Berrien Springs, MI)
Emeritus Vineyards (Sebastopol, California)

It takes a family to raise Robin chicks

Short on sleep, this is what I have to post for tonight.  This shot, which was a gift from the avian creature, was taken a few days ago - probably Wed May 11, 2011.  I thought there was only the mama hanging around and running the show, but she does have help from another bird.  I am assuming it is a male of the species.  Pretty cool.  They bark quite loud when myself and my roommate, and building mates walk out the door.  They only fly 10 feet away, but they definitely don't feel safe with a walking human nearby.  They abandon shop immediately and then proceed to screech at us in their own birdspeak.

Also, do yourself a favor and watch the documentary 'Merlove', if you are American.  It'll provide a little needed corrective to the lens that pop culture has thrust upon us.  The Europeans seem to be immune to the malady discussed in the documentary.  As well, there seems to be a movie coming out called 'Que Syrah Shiraz'.  I'll try to track some more info down on this one. 



-    Out!!!

Das Wetter

The Chicagoland area had a little thunderstorm roll on through today.  Some areas received upwards of 4 inches of rain!  Yowsers! 

(See for yourself) 

I really like that website.  But seriously, as Phil Collins was fond of saying, the gardens needed the rain.  Even my transplant strawberries were getting affected.  In their first few weeks in the new location that I have them in, it is clear that they communicate with droopiness when things aren't right.  Despite a very wet April, this past week with the warmer temperatures has really dried some of the areas out.

Paying attention to Tom Skilling's Twitter feed was pretty cool today.  He is a modern marvel with his interest in weather.  The man gets excited about the weather, Cantore is pretty awesome as well.