Our Vineyard Story - A Dream Meets Reality

This is the story of our vineyard... so far. They say it's easy to make a small fortune by planting a vineyard... you just need to start out with a large fortune.
GENERAL SPECS:
19 Rows, 100 feet long
1200 foot elevation, Zone 5b
North Quabbin Region, Massachusetts
New England USA
We planted the top half in 2009 and the bottom half in 2010. We are a no-spray property (not 'certified organic' officially, but we don't put anything on our plants that we wouldn't eat.)
We started with 9 varietals of grapes and after several failed to produce fruit or became overrun with disease, we started pulling vines in 2013. We are slowly replacing our failed grapevines with heirloom dwarf apple trees trained in an espalier style on the existing trellis infrastructure. We live in apple country. Probably should have started there!
Here's an old school timelapse of the May 1, 2010 planting party. It was shot on an actual video tape:
• Planting Grape Vines f...
We are on INSTAGRAM: / vinofarm
We are on FACEBOOK: / thevinofarm
Music used with permission from Andrew Applepie.
www.andrewapplepie.com
Thank you!
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Thanks for watching!

[@vinofarm]

Today is my awesome wife's birthday! Happy Birthday, Honey!

[@YukiTheOkami]

Vino Farm You still can make Applewine We do that in some parts of germany where its difficult to grow grapes We do plum and cerry wine as well i wish you good luck

[@MickyBellRoberts]

A new chapter is starting in my life, I am almost 75 years old.

[@hcrtoothy]

I just want to say that whenever you upload videos I'm always so excited to click on it. Your positive attitude is contagious and I hope your apple trees are prosperous!!!

[@prayogi5396]

I just have 3 grapes tree now, and i hope one day i have hundred of grapes trees. Love from Indonesia 👍

[@PaulOtis]

Happy Birthday Mrs. Vino Farm! Very nice story, Jim. Upbeat and positive. Thanks for the vids!

[@sunnysky449]

This video and your story is very inspiring. Thank you.

[@marcelocantuhovelman4518]

Amazing story! Thanks for sharing.

[@michelleradulski2321]

I seriously love your videos, its like a well produced documentary... Great editing, great angles, you put in wonderful work, I just can't stop watching!

[@HannahPark1]

i really know nothing about farming but I love watching your videos 😄 so excited to keep seeing how the farm changes over the years and listening to your thoughts :)

[@liliimtiyaz9464]

Good keep smiling and hard work And love your family and friends

[@Flamus2010]

wow, amazing story and what a fantastic movie :)!

[@TheBertIsCool]

Very inspiring!! Thank you for sharing!!

[@tjhauser88]

This is exactly what I want to do! It sucks to see those grapes go away but Apple's are good too. Adapt and overcome. Thank you for posting, it's one of my dreams to get a small vineyard going, and then grow from there

[@jansteyaert1]

If you run into problems in the future try planting pest repelling plants in between the grapevines/ apples. Things like catnip, chamomile and tansy can do miracles.

[@TheBubbaclaw]

That was really cool. Thanks for the tour. :]

[@Sqeptick]

Very interesting, thanks.

[@jesteris25]

happy Birthday Mrs Vino Farm I hope you have had a very nice day. Your growing food i love

[@thegreenangelzcircletime4263]

Well done. Bravo!! Proud of you Brother. Keep Green!!! Yeah You!!!

[@victoriajohnson5304]

BEAUTIFUL VINEYARD!🌻 ❤FROM DALLAS TEXAS

[@homegardens7682]

Some fantastic grapes there!

[@357lockdown]

Happy Birthday Mrs. Vino!

[@minedmineralsbycliff1226]

you are getting really really good at this youtube thing! best video yet!

[@muhamedfaour3710]

Great video Keep up the good work God bless

[@garydunlap1733]

Once again, thanks for taking us along Jim. The ever increasing diversity of the channel is terrific.

[@garydunlap1733]

And, I will also say, your public devotion to the bride is heartwarming.

[@kevimc]

with failure comes success, every time we learn, we improve, I have planted many varieties of plants, not all work but I evolve and learn and in the end I have succeeded in growing a lot of my own food on my own land, that is priceless, thumbs up

[@MrBalisas]

When I grow up - I'm 65- I want to be like you and living in such a beautiful place in MA. Congratulations to you for having a wife you love so much. By the way, my two Flow Hives still don't have honey, they are too young I guess, the packs of bees came in last May. So, here I am waiting for your videos and learning about those things I love. One more last commentary, I've already planted grapes without seeds, I'll tell you in October -we, here in Spain, harvest grapes in that time. Hugs to every one in the channel.

[@straydognorthvineyard4875]

Thanks for sharing your story. We're in the same process currently. I hope that your apple training over the last 3 years has been (shall we say) fruitful ;-)

[@jackseamon7064]

A nice story shown. And in the words of Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge, "Improvise. Adapt. Overcome!"

[@percyrodriguez-moran5181]

I really loved your story and your honesty in sharing it. It was too sad for me to know that at the end you have to replace your crops....

[@samdelmastro8027]

Ciao Vino Farm, I love your passion, tenacity, love for vines, wine, apples, in New England is very challenging to grow grapes. I am sure backpacking around Europe, Tuscany, and in SanGimignano ( Vernaccia )and vicinity you learned a lot, a kind suggestion, have you researched the wine growing regions of the world, specifically Eastern Europe that might have some regions very similar soil, climate condition that you have, one comes to mind is Georgia. I know it's time-consuming and can be expensive, but there are lots of wine people can help with remedies for your dream, wish all my best, Tanti AUGURI, Sam the Wineman.

[@praland]

Awesome.

[@jackseamon7064]

Happy Birthday to your wife!

[@virginia347]

Nice to hear the honesty in failure. I am facing the same, it is not easy if you were not born to this and it is hard work (but rewarding). I live in zone 5, planted two hundred fruit trees, mostly apple. Also grapes. I am not planning organic, but have not had to use pesticides yet. If I have to I will rather than lose my plants. Like your video!

[@NeonPenguinXD]

I still absolutely love your videos. You have a way of telling stories that is just great. and Happy Birthday to your wife!

[@vinofarm]

Beginning, Middle, End. That's it! Thanks to my 8th grade English teacher.

[@NeonPenguinXD]

Vino Farm I guess keeping it simple is always the way to go then!

[@vinofarm]

Keep it Simple. Rule of threes. Beginning, Middle, End. Leave them wanting more. Have a good thumbnail... That's basically how to KZbin.

[@AnthonyMendes]

Hope it all goes well for you. Thx for sharing

[@jamiecoyne1494]

Growing up we have 5 acres of forest cleared which meant stick and rock picking before was ready for grapes. My parents worked at local vineyard to learn what to do and collect the cuttings to start our vineyard.

[@liliimtiyaz9464]

I don't know why I am so happy when I seen your videos.its me like I know you long time or maybe something like family ppl

[@joeperkowitz806]

Would love to see an updated video on the espalier apple trees. Looking to start training some trees myself...

[@albatross3206]

👌👍amazing

[@ThinkTwice_de]

Hey there, nice Story! We planted in 2021 and do it organic. And we are quite northern. Also if u do organic, some natural stuff is allowed like sulfur. Maybe u can try certain grape varieties like Cabernet Blanc or other more resistant sorts. We have planted also Johanniter, Muscaris as white vine and Cabertin and Pinotin as red vine. Also u can try a soil analysis, cause some sorts do not grow well on certain soils. Best regards from Jena, Germany.

[@walkerlone]

Jeez, you're made of tough stuff, Jim. Whilst the heartbreak of the vulnerable vines was happening you were also coping with the house termite and rebuilding nightmare. Good luck.

[@vinofarm]

And a newborn kid! It's been a whirlwind 10 years. I could not have done it without my amazing wife.

[@AJ-ox8xy]

I want to do the same thing you are doing. My mom's family is all from farmer stock in Italy where they basically lived a homestead lifestyle. It calls me to this day.

[@yokechan2765]

great,

[@AMortalDothApproach]

Sad to hear about your failed grapes, but apples are a great obsession all their own :) Forgot to say that Skillcult is a great channel for learning about apple trees, if you haven't seen it yet. Grafting is an invaluable skill to learn. Good luck!

[@juliesievert1945]

hi love your vidios!!!!!!!!!!

[@chessman483]

Just started my vineyard, plan is to plant and set up irrigation for under $1000. Got all plants from cuttings free. Got all posts from dead trees after a fire for free. Got most of the wire from a garage sale for $20. Will be planting 3/4 of an acre. Have a lot of irrigation stuff around the place so shouldn’t cost much. We growing all table grapes. Hoping we don’t have the same problems you did.

[@mannygomez5367]

Good luck bro! Am trying to do the same.next year hopefully will harvest next year.

[@robertjanez7467]

thanks for posting! Great job living your dream. Unfortunately they spray most vineyards with pesticides in Italy, France, Slovenia. Only small time private vineyards "might" be organic. Fruit producing isn't easy - and like you said - you have to adapt. thankfully you got some grapes and hopefully some apples - GOOD LUCK!

[@jordanhaney6842]

You showed me something I haven't seen before.

[@rixanneh18]

Thank you for sharing with us, I always love your stories. the ocd side of me HAS to ask why you didn't take clippings? (can you tell I know absolutely nothing lol) of the grapes that were producing and plant them instead of apples? My curiosity.

[@liliimtiyaz9464]

I love you dear your good 👍 ♥ great work

[@IngDebo]

Probably not practical for you but I use a vacuum, squish the bag when its full and then feed them to my chickens. Happy Birthday to Mrs. Vino!

[@danielxavierdemoura322]

Keep walking !!!!!

[@Amy-pk1zg]

Thanks for the detailed video. How much did you spend (an estimate is fine) in building the vineyard in your backyard? Cost of equipment to prep the land, cost of materials (posts, wiring, etc).

[@qugnf5j]

Great story! Keep up the positive attitude. Happy birthday mrs vino! By the way the way, I think your soil looks poor

[@diygardener4556]

Hey thats cool about the apples! You may notice some apple varieties struggle with diseases and pests, especially if your going organic. They can be extremely high maintenance because of that, and it can drastically effect production; however, variety selection can help drastically, as new crosses from heirloom varieties, specifically breed and seclected for disease resistance are available. They also have developed disease resistant rootstocks through the same processes, that when well matched eliminate many potential problems. You often wont find these matches available from wholesale nurseries, but as an arborist, if you let me know what pests or diseases are prevalent to apples in your area; in addition to what size you want your trees to grow to. I can try to line you up with scion selections and rootstock, that will not only be very low maintenance for diseases, but also with yearly prunings. The selections would most likely need to be custom graphed, because the production nurseries haven't up graded to match all the new varieties yet; however, despite that, I also know of a good reputable place that will take your order, get the stock, do the custom graphs, and when they are finished in potentially as long as 2 years, harvest your custom trees for delivery. One other thing I would strongly urge you look into if your organic farming. Rather then being responsive to problems, and treating symptoms after they become an issue. Try creating the balance of nature in a holistic approach. So for example rather then just picking off Japanese Beetles for 4 years, as a reactive response, also try to create a healty biodivers environment in the soil, that healthy preditor nematodes want to live in; then apply a good mix to your soil, so they next seasons larvea are also getting reductions in their populations. Preditor nematodes are so specialized, each species will eliminate different soil pests, from beetle larvae to root eating nematodes. You introduce preditors, and prey often time moves to better pastures; however, this type of biodynamic farming takes a holistic approach for everything to work together in balance.

[@vinofarm]

I just subscribed to your channel. I've purchased trees from several different suppliers. We have over 50 different varieties on several different root stocks. It's quite a mix. The espalier trees are all dwarf rootstock. Our trees are still very young so we're not expecting apples for a couple years. We're just training and trying to get them established. And we're still planning on planting about 4-6 more rows over the next two years. I can say that the number one worst apple pest we have is the plum curculio. We have 25 somewhat mature semi-dwarf apple trees and they're doing fairly well with organic management... but the effing plum curculios are the one pest that makes me consider spraying. They are devastating. We have not tried Surround clay yet, but it sounds like that's the only 'organic' treatment that has any effect on them.

[@diygardener4556]

Vino Farm - Is that a type of Kaolin clay? I would definitely try the clay. I would also create an environment in the soil preditor nematodes will like, and apply a good mix of preditor nematodes, making sure you have at least one variety that likes beetle larvae. The nematodes won't help your problems with fruit production that year, but will help break the life cycle when the larvae drop out of the fruit to pupate in the ground. So the nematodes will help prevent problems the following year. Also if you know of any apple trees or feral orchards around, you'll want to treat those with nematodes to, so they don't become an area of proliferation that spreads the pest into your production area. I'll do more research and get back to you, as I'm not sure if resurchers have developed any new hormone disruptors or traps for that species, that could be of more immediate help.

[@vinofarm]

Yes, 'Surround' is kaolin clay. It is an investment we haven't decided to make yet because we hadn't really had a significant crop of apples until this year. This year is going to be a huge apple year in New England. Last year was a terrible year with a record drought. The clay requires a pretty substantial commercial sprayer and it's a hassle to apply. Then you need to re-apply after rain. I do like the idea of trying nematodes but I have not looked into that too deeply. I'd love any resources you could point me to. Thanks!

[@diygardener4556]

Vino Farm - Ok hears the best information or suggestions I can offer right now, listed below. Studies on any one specific biological control, dont show a high enough percentage of effectiveness, to be deemed a solitary solution, however, the combined percentage of effectiveness in the broad spectrom of biological controls tested in university trials, does add up to what would be deemed effect treatment. So organicly a holistic approach may be necessary to creat the most effective results, including the Kaolin clay treatments starting at blossom petal drop. Some of the information or resources I listed links for, your most likely already familiar with, but I threw it in for good measure. Preditor Nematode information. www.gardeninsects.com/beneficialnematodes.asp Hears a place that sells some beneficial insects, for more information on the varieties they carry; however, I've never purchased from them, so I can't personally vouch for their product viability. www.planetnatural.com/beneficial-insects-101/predatory-nematodes/ Hormone traps for PC weevils/beetles. www.agbio-inc.com/plum-curculio.html Penn State Extension on various biological pest controls in Orchards. Its not specific to your beetles, but is good to keep handy. extension.psu.edu/plants/tree-fruit/insects-mites/natural-enemies-and-controls/natural-enemies-biological-control-in-orchards Hear is a guide to pest management from the University Of Vermont. www.uvm.edu/~fruit/?Page=treefruit/tf_ipm/KeyAffectingApples/Arthropods.html Hears a two names of weevil paracitizing wasp species that will also target PC larvae. I don't believe they're commercially available, but creating habitat for the ones that are, can draw in other species to also work on your orchard : [Nealiolus curculionis], Mesopolobus sp. If I'm not mistaken, Mesopolopbus represents an entire genus of parasitic wasps, that like to target weevil larvea that bore into plants. A link on how to creat an environment for paracitizing wasps, and a short description of a few preditor wasp families do. www.gardeners.com/how-to/parasitic-wasp/7330.html

[@diygardener4556]

Vino Farm - One other technique I almost forgot about, is get yourself some wide painters masking tape, and some product like tanglefoot brush on bug trap. Just before your trees bloom put a few wraps of that painters masking tape around the trunk of your tree below the first lateral branches, so you have a 2-4" strip of tape all the way around the trunk, then use the brush on sticky bug glue to creat a bug trap on that tape on the trunk of your tree. Replace as needed, and remove when fruiting is done. The PC weevil can fly, but they prefer to walk up the trunk. Another technique that may make this treatment process easier in future years, is planting tree traps around your perimeter. The PC weevil prefers stone fruit, so if you plant some plum trees around your orchard perimeter. You can use the plum trees as the trap trees to keep the weevil out of your apple orchard. The tree trap method helps to cut down on the work and cost of treatments, since you only have to treat the perimeter with a heavy holistic approach. Those nematodes aren't cheep, and some of the varieties dont overwinter well. Since the PC weevils over winter in brush, heavy ground covers, and wooded areas typically outside of the orchard, when they make their spring migration back in around blossom drop time, the majority get trapped right there on the perimeter in the tree traps. The tanglefoot product itself can be expensive if your doing alot of trees, so i would look around for a bulk Comercial product that will be more cost effective to implement on a large scale.

[@djg585]

Your story about the grapevines sounded like a haunting duplicate of my own. About ten tears ago (I will not correct the typo, as it fits very well) I started this vineyard thing, which is now on 6 acres... And yes, I also did not spray (much), mostly because I was too busy. The best result from my regimen, or lack thereof, has been Chambourcin, which seems to not need any spraying. Too bad I only put in less than half a row of it. Next comes Ontario, which needed no spraying the first year it fruited, but would have profited from a little spraying the second year. Third is Chardonnel, which does need spraying for fruit rot but which is a vigorous grower and fruit-maker. Fourth is Norton, though the grapes are small. Most of the rest (I guess I put in over 40 varieties, all Americans or hybrids) showed not much promise. The only thing that is an unqualified success is the muscadines, which need no spray at all any year, and which fruit well. But muscadines do not ripen whole bunches, just single grapes at a time, which is a huge downer. Anyway the actual fact is that none of the above matters much, because the true nemesis has been the deer population, which devours practically every single grape I grow. I have been working on a high tension electrified deer fence for several years, but it is not yet effective. It needs more wires. And probably more wires after that. I will not give up on the deer fence. I will not give up on the vineyard. I do not know why not. I guess it has all become personal. Or maybe I am just too stupid to know to stop. Because the fact is that I am about to go out now and try to root hundreds of grape cuttings, Chardonnel and Ontario and Chambourcin, to replace the slacker varieties I completely hate. I am almost 70 years old, but I can not stop. I will not stop. If I knew I were going to die in a year or two, I would still keep clawing away at this, straining at the futile effort until they pry my pruner from my cold dead hands.

[@vinofarm]

I am not as tenacious as you are. I've all but given up on the grapes. Whatever grows, grows. Whatever fruits, fruits. I take what comes, but my dream of being a vineyard owner will always just be a dream. My apples are maturing but the deer devour the trees and basically eat back each year's growth every year. I'm about to try a new deer fence system... Look up double layer deer fencing. The idea is to have two low rows of electrified wire about 3-4 feet apart around your perimeter. Two wires on the inside, one on the outside. The three wires are supposed to confuse the deer because they don't know how to jump over it. I'm going to give it a try to see how it works this season. I'm trying to keep them out of a 3 acre field of flowers and my apple trees. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3K3d5elrNimhpo

[@djg585]

@@vinofarm I have already started setting the second row of posts for the "3-D" deer fence system you referred to. Problem is, we all here see deer simply walk through the existing fence, and I don't know if the 3-D system will affect that. That is why I referred to adding more wires to my existing fencing. I alternate those wires as to ground - hot - ground - hot etc. The deer severely nip the new growth buds in the spring, as well as devour the fruit later. I too bought almost all of my grapevines from Double A Vineyards. I weep to think of all the money I spent on those vines. I am now resolved to root my own. No more big boxes of bare-root grapevines arriving annually on my doorstep in late April. I should have experimented with MUCH smaller numbers of each variety, but I was too impatient to do so. And they all sounded so good in the catalog description. I wish you every success with your orchard!

[@vinofarm]

D JG I will be making a deer fence video in the next couple weeks and will be sure to have updates on its effectiveness. Best of luck to you, too!

[@christianmama2441]

Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal." Maybe farming is an idol to you. Let them take away your cold fingers from holding a Bible instead of pruners...God is greatest Treasure of all, love God with all you are.

[@MickyBellRoberts]

This is an awesome video. I have just planted 15 vines at our new property in Huntsville, Texas. It is the Sunbelt 1 year Extra from New York. I purchased a vine from them for our small backyard in Spring, Texas. Now I rooted 30 cuttings four years later for the big property. How can I get rooted cuttings from your friends vines? You say they grow well. pkease help me, thanks.

[@jonathanmacias5450]

In California the hardest part I find for growing the grapes is the summer heat waves I had my own little plant and as soon as we had a 120 degree heat wave and all the foliage fell off and most of the branches died

[@TheLandlordPicker]

Hey great story. This just popped up at the top of my feed because I've been looking at grape vineyard / growing videos for the past couple weeks. Nice transition from grapes to apples. Any plans for apple wine? Just planted 8 root stock vines. First time... Cabernet Franc grapes. Worried about all the work I did because it gets cold here in Michigan sometimes. I'm right on the border of the zone I need to be in to grow these grapes. Thanks for the great video/inspiration👍

[@vinofarm]

Our little apple trees are starting to mature. Apple wine or Cider will definitely be happening as soon as we start to get fruit. There are plenty of cold-hardy grapes. The problem is the disease and insects, not the cold.

[@jamesgoodwin2450]

I grow grapes in thailand and unfortunately they need spraying every day,grapes are very fussy where they live and they need a lot of TLC (tender loving care) love your vids

[@vinofarm]

Yes, we didn't anticipate how much spraying would be needed. Even with spraying, growing in our climate would be tough!

[@robertjanez7467]

thanks for posting the reality of farming, in particular trying it organically. Did you get the soil tested? You must have bought some defunct grape vines. Sorry to hear half of your grapes didn't work out. Regarding Japanese beatles, one summer I decided to squash them on the grape leaves (with my fingers - I wore gloves) and leave their carcases on the leaves. The scent from their dead bodies must have scared off their buddies and attracted predators, as they haven't come back since. (few years and counting).

[@jecoyson3617]

As a grapes grower here Philippines, how i wish to have this kind of area..

[@dmithsmith5880]

Hi, I live nearby in Charlton and wanted to know what grape varieties did the best for you ? I wanted to plant like 10 vines just for the heck of it and was a little unsure of what variety works better around here. Thanks

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Awesome video! Have you had any big pest issues with the apples? How do you deal with deer while having all the apples within reach of them? My apple trees have a deer browse line about 6 feed off the ground, where anything that hangs lower gets chomped off. I also have a small vineyard in Pennsylvania. We struggle with downy mildew, black rot, japanese beetles, and aerial phylloxera mostly. It has been a wet couple years which has magnified the intensity but I have been able to keep it under control for the most part. Unfortunately most grapes just won't make it around here without some sort of spray program.

[@lineflyer100]

Cool. I planted 5 Apple trees as an experiment. I already had 10 peach trees doing ok .i wanted to try grapes by planting the vine in a fairly large container letting it branch out on barb wire fence but I did not want to pay the box store prices for a vine. Good luck on apples. A storm blew the few I had off the tree. I had even bagged them to keep bugs and birds off. I think the bags were catching too much wind

[@lineflyer100]

I will pay the shipping if you send me a couple of your dug up vines that did not produce. I will plant them and see if they will produce for my state

[@vinofarm]

All you need is a cutting. They don't do well getting dug up and re-planted. Find a local vineyard or anyone growing vines and ask for a cutting. You just need a stick with 5 buds on it. The best time to get a cutting is in the early spring when everyone is pruning their vines and burning or chucking the prunings. Stick that cutting in loose, damp soil and wrap it in plastic to retain humidity. It about 4 weeks, you'll have roots. Then you plant the cutting with the little roots. It'll grow like crazy in Texas. Just google "Grapes from cuttings"

[@lineflyer100]

Yes I see grapes grow like crazy here. There are wild muscadine on half the fences in Texas. The problem is muscadine are too tart. No one grows grapes here . I may wait to see if store throws summer sale. I do not know what they cost in your state but they want $ 25.00 for a gallon potted vine. I guess it's the species

[@vinofarm]

Bare root grapes from a supplier will be half that. If you order in bulk, they get down to $7 per vine. (You want bare root anyway... I wouldn't buy a potted grape vine.) If you have patience and hook up with a grower or a vineyard, the cuttings are the way to go. They will be free, but you will need to wait a year for them to grow. 2 years to get grapes. If you buy a one year old bare-root vine, it might cost $10 or $15, but you're buying a year of growth.

[@lineflyer100]

I went back to store to look at the grapes again. They are in 3 gallon pots with 4 foot long vine leaders, they even had ripe clusters of grapes on them. They tasted good, Cabernet sauvigno is the type. I bought 2

[@larrytornetta9764]

Great video. You still have a dream just a different one. I had the same problem with my grapes in pa. How are you going to keep the disease off of the apples? Don't they have to be sprayed and sprayed during flowering (bees)? Are you going into the hard cider biz? I find using organic Espoma "Plant Tone" makes all of my plants, trees, shrubs grow like crazy. Buy a bag at Home Depot and try it on some trees.

[@andrewmoody5026]

So i've had the pleasure of living in Italy for six years now, and both my wife and I are originally from Maine. After six years, go figure, we love wine. We have talked to some people here about trying to grow red wines back in Maine, and have been told mostly that it is too cold. I see you have some red wine there, what kind are you able to grow?

[@janosaldroun6560]

How are the trees doing? How are your blueberries doing? I’ve been battling Japanese Beatles and rust with two year old trees, not fun. I only have eleven trees since one died, 100+ sounds like a lot of work. I’d love to see more videos about that part of your farm.

[@vinofarm]

I'll be doing more this spring. We are still covered in snow. Trees come back to life in late April and May. I will be trying some new things with the apples this year. Stay tuned.

[@nkynative2850]

Any update videos yet on your apples?

[@pilsplease7561]

its a shame that all those grapes died, I live in California literally across the road from a major winery so I know I have great ground and very few pests. My soil is sort of sandy, and with that in mind it is kind of a good thing as that prevents a lot of the pests that strike other areas. We don't have to deal with Phylloxera. I'm planting some more grapes this year. We have about 5 acres free for whatever. So I elected to grow a few more varietals. Mostly what the guys across the street are growing, I make wine for friends and family but I figured that if they are growing them I should go along with what works. This year I'm planning to put in some Alicante Bouschet, Mouvedre,Merlot, and a couple more Cab vines. I actually have some old Alicante Bouschet vines that have a interesting story, back in the 1800's a relative moved here from Italy and planted grapes on his property, when they moved to a different one another relative took a cutting and planted that and it grew and then sometime after that another relative took a cutting off that one and that's the one that ended up on my property and has been here since the early 70's. And for years was not taken care of, I watered it trimmed the dead parts off. And gave it some fertilizer and it came right back to life. And I'm hoping it will produce. Its pretty awesome to have a vine that's been passed around for over 100 years.

[@helencritchley4174]

hi, thanks for the video share, i loved it. I was wondering, do you have you sell any of your produce, or is it for personal use only?

[@vinofarm]

We are not a commercial 'farm'. This is still just a personal homestead kind of situation. Thanks for watching.

[@johnelliott7020]

Double A is great

[@jakshflsa]

could you go into the (dis)advantages of espaliering apples in an upcoming video?

[@vinofarm]

I'm sure I'll get into that at some point, but the disadvantage is a bit more work with training and pruning. Advantages are ease of access for harvest and maintenance and visual interest... it's going to look really cool! I also think pruning will be easier, but there will be more of it. The trees will also be exposed to way more air and light compared to a regular tree shape. That should help with ripening and disease control. The main inspiration was for the creativity and look of it, but the other advantages are a big bonus for our location. They're sitting on a wide open south west facing hill top. As with anything, I'm sure there are other challenges that will pop up as we go. It's still in it's infancy.

[@CSSuccessGamer]

How well do the apples sell?

[@ianturkstra8221]

Happy bday to your wife. How much land do you have on the farm? I planted four bare root Apple trees this May but I left them in my garage for a coupe weeks before planting and they still haven't leafed out though they don't seem dead. I'm doubtful but hoping I didn't fully kill them by doing that...

[@BlackSwan912]

Ian Turkstra Did they recover? I bought 2 bare root trees and they said to get them in the ground that day... within hours.

[@gregbrooks9546]

I am getting ready to plant just 8 grape plants this coming spring and I am trying to amend the soil where I am going to grow them. Is Horse manure and wood chips a good way to get started.

[@vinofarm]

Get a professional soil test. I got one from the UMass Soil Science program. They will tell you what your soil needs for what you're trying to grow. Every location is different. ag.umass.edu/services/soil-plant-nutrient-testing-laboratory/ordering-information-forms

[@Redspence73]

Nice video! I was waiting for some more hints of what you're doing in the other part of your house. Is a goal of yours to do the homestead thing full time for your sole source of income? Also, why the bug netting when planting the trees?

[@vinofarm]

The vineyard will not ever be a commercial thing. We'd need to be 10 times the size. We originally planned to fill the whole 5 acre field with grapes and try to make it happen, but you saw the video... Not going to rule it out, but it's unlikely we will pursue making a living with grapes. Like most everything we're doing, it's a hobby at this point. The old "bakery" building project has been pushed back until next summer. We ran into some permitting, town, and utility logistics we need to take care of THIS summer before we can really start rebuilding that building. Once we break ground over there, and renovate that place, things will start to move toward actually making an income here. In the meantime, we do have a pretty big building project that will be kicking into gear in about a month. Stay tuned for that. It's going to be cool. The nets are part of our wardrobe every May. Black Flies were quite heavy this spring, and they are particularly aggressive when you're down on your knees digging in dirt for several hours.

[@MrSeadawg123]

Down here in Alabama it's flies and mosquitos. W3ar the netted hat too!

[@scottrobbins9320]

From Hollis, NH... apple orchard capital of New England. Just a thought. Have you planted any Empire Apples? Dont let the fact that it was created in NY, far from Patriots country, sour your thoughts on it. These are probably the best tasting apples I have ever had.

[@vinofarm]

I've lost count of the varieties, but no Empire so far. We still have about 100 trees to plant over the next couple years, though!

[@sailingsolar]

Maybe you can make apple wine.

[@JohnSmith-od1ry]

I was thinking of doing the french method myself. How is it working out for you?

[@vinofarm]

Still in the early training stages. No apples yet, but I do like the look of the trees so far.

[@purplejojo29]

What do u use to pest now ?

[@ThisIsWilliamPhelps]

I'm sorry to watch the video and find out most of your vines died or produced no fruit. Have you thought about air layering (Marcotting) the vines that did survive and produced fruit?

[@sodiepopper601]

do you have honeycrisp apples?

[@samjulian7008]

Can you send me some cuttings of those varieties of grapes i want to grow them until i accumulate 1 acre whichever grows best.

[@steelefarming]

Where did you order your Heirloom apple trees from?

[@vinofarm]

Cummins Nursery in NY

[@northlander1948]

Did you switch to apples because of the disease issues you were having with grapes?

[@crazyhunternick5110]

Do you think it would have saved your grape vines if you sprayed them with stronger stuff in the first few years ??

[@vinofarm]

Crazy hunter nick Sure, but once you start spraying, you will always spray. There won’t come a time when you can stop.

[@carolyncrider8217]

Are you making apple-grape wine?

[@paulblackman3936]

I noticed that you did not apply any root stimulator mycorrhizal fungi to your fruit trees. On free draining soils it is vital for tree health especially where they are planted in isolation from other tree species. Check it out.

[@vinofarm]

Every nursery and and grape supplier I've purchased from sends literature along with their trees and vines and they all say the same thing... no need to fertilize or treat when planting. They all say to plant into the actual native soil without amendments. I have read about mychorrizal fungi, but the people I've gotten all my stock from did not recommend it. Granted, the majority of these vines and trees were planted long before I ever heard of mycorrhizal fungi. I may use it in the future.

[@Adol666]

Sad that you had to pull up most of your Vines, but you cant really do Organic grapes unless you want super low yields. Some of the UofM grapes like Frontenac are pretty all around disease resistant.

[@JerrySeriatos]

I have had grapes and is very hard not to use chemicals. Imagine when you get sick do you treat yourself with organic medicine? or go to the doctor and be given medicine (chemicals) when needed of course.

[@vinofarm]

Problem is a lot of the chemicals that help grapes are toxic to people and bees. It's a difficult balance.

[@JerrySeriatos]

@@vinofarm do you still have vineyards? Are you picking any grapes this year?

[@vinofarm]

Gerasimos Seriatos We have about 6 rows left of moderately productive grape vines. We try every year to harvest what we can, but some years they’re too diseased/moldy that it’s not worth it. Other times, we may be beaten to the grapes by the birds. Right when they get close to ripe, I check every day... we might be one or two days away from harvesting and I’ll go up one morning and there will be zero grapes. The birds eat them a couple days before they’re ripe. Some years it all works out and we get a small harvest. The vineyard dream is fading. Too much hassle and expense for little return and I’m not getting any younger.

[@JerrySeriatos]

@@vinofarm I hear you; similar situation with me. I noticed on my vineyard that a variety of black grape is not only immune to disease but no insects or birds bother it. Have you tried using powder sulfur or copper stone to fight disease?

[@farkasjozsef1993]

Why did you have a veil on? Sorry, I'm a curious noob in farming :D BTW: Mr. Applepie wrote a song which you used for your orchard's presentation :)

[@vinofarm]

József Farkas In May, we have a lot of black flies. This year they were very heavy. They are really bad when digging in dirt. I used Andrew Applepie's song with permission, but it was not written FOR me. I love his music.

[@farkasjozsef1993]

I love it too. I just referred to the coincidence Apple-orchard. Thanks for replying. Many people just don't mind comments

[@vinofarm]

József Farkas I understand. Yes. Applepie, apple orchard. I thought the same thing!

[@farkasjozsef1993]

Great video, great skills. Thanks! Love your videos

[@Hyperjohn78]

I know trial and error, but how did you knew apples grow well?

[@vinofarm]

Our area is literally called "Johnny Appleseed" Country. There is a large apple farm very close to us. Our area is known for apples.

[@Hyperjohn78]

@@vinofarm wow my state is a notorious apple state... Didn't realize yours was too

[@phill6159]

Sounds like a typical small farm, I tried all kinds of plants and animals over 25 years, I know a lot about a lot of things now, talk your ear off.

[@LocnessMonster_]

Mead?

[@bajamerica]

You ought to consider removing the grass around the vines especially, and also in circles around the apples. You can leave it in the aisles, but not good around the vine roots. Espalier apples is great. I'm "espaliering" as many species as possible. There's a guy in (TN?) on You Tube that specializes in espalier. One of the biggest in the US, 20+ years expertise, I think. Worth watching. It's River Road Farms!! www.espaliertrees.com.

[@christianmama2441]

Espalier apples? I hope your dwarf rootstocks are adapted to your soil and also the grafted parts of the apples should also be adapted, otherwise you're looking at disease issues with your apple trees. I am not convinced dwarf apple trees are going to like espalier style, sounds like a monstrous effort to keep them the shape you want. Why not plant more grape varieties that are adapted to your area and don't require spraying at all? There must be many varieties that do well in your area without spraying, on their own roots (avoid root stocks) your local county extension office should have a published list and tons of information of varieties proven in your area. Also, I would be very careful with root stocks of any kind, not all root stocks are adapted to your soil and location, research carefully because it can make a HUGE difference in the disease resistance of your grafted top.

[@vinofarm]

Turns out the trees grow pretty well here. However, deer, porcupines and mice have destroyed about 25% of the trees I’ve planted. It’s been very frustrating.

[@eddouville7874]

You going to make Ice wine?

[@vinofarm]

Ice wine requires leaving grapes on the vines into the freezing months... which would require netting and all sorts of hassle to avoid pests. It's beyond our capabilities at this point. We're always happy just to get the grapes off the vines before the turkeys get them.

[@eddouville7874]

apple ice wine made in Harvard Ma. nice wine-stillriverwinery.com

[@dennyoconnor8680]

If the starry eyed believers in "organic" had to actually do something (like you have done) organic would be long gone. And as far as the small fortune - my farms have proven that old adage to be true.

[@scottttym]

Why didn't you just re-propagate the varietals that thrived?

[@vinofarm]

Change of plans. We just decided the hassle of grapes was not worth the effort. You can't fight nature.

[@scottttym]

I've made some pretty amazing apple wine, so there is also that...