Starting a Backyard Vineyard

[@robgallagher7600]

I’m happy I found your page! I’m also a fellow Southwest Pa resident so it’s good to see it being done in our climate! Fayette County to be specific

[@heavymetalvines4812]

I gotta be honest, you've definitely helped inspire me to try my own. While I am taking a different approach, I have enjoyed your tutorials. Thanks for the help!

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Thank you! I am glad to see more people get serious about Winemaking and growing and that I can help.

[@isaacezekielthecolorblindg7343]

Didnt you comment the same thing on a different video

[@jakehvazdamusic]

I live in York PA! Was just talking to my friend Mark with Mark and Val wines out of York and he was suggesting I grow grapes! I grow other things mostly greens but he got me thinking and I'd like to have a small operation. Can't wait to see where it takes me!

[@MickyBellRoberts]

Greetings from Spring, Texas. I am starting a small vineyard on my property this Springtime. I have checked out your channel and like what I see so subscribed. It looks like I can learn a lot from you.👍

[@BiloxiFatty]

I’m in Mississippi and my grapes grow so good..

[@28ebdh3udnav]

I live in a part of Texas where the population is like 1.2 million but there's only like 5 small vineyards here. I am in talks with my friends to see if we can get one started

[@straydognorthvineyard4875]

Thanks for this info. My wife and I have been part of a family owned vineyard for over 15 years, but the vines are all trained as high cordon. We're planting a hybrid called Petite Pearl and a vinifera-like varietal called Verona. Our soil seems decent, but not overly fertile (still waiting for the actual results from MSU). With this said... I think I'd like to go with a 9 wire VSP system. My understanding is that both of these varietals does well on this type of system. Some commercial vineyards around us grow Petite Pearl and do a high cordon system, but the more I read on this... it seems as though that's likely because it's far easier for mechanized pruning. What are you thoughts on this?

[@PlanetMojo]

Funny thing about deer, we had them come and try the vines in our vineyard, and they haven't come back (4 years). We grow a cold weather variety (Marquette), and it must taste a lot like the wild Vitis riparia that grows everywhere around here.

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

That is lucky! I hope the deer focus more on the neighborhood apple trees than my grapes but we'll see. They chomped a few young vines last year right out of the tubes. Once they get more established I will be less concerned about a few nibbles.

[@PlanetMojo]

​@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel -- The only time I worry about deer is in the spring when young shoots are aplenty -- and that is mostly with trees and bushes. The deer will bite off every young bud/shoot after a bad winter. I spray deer repellent very early in the spring on my newer trees. They tend to leave them alone after a couple of years as well. Love the channel and will be watching a lot of it before starting my first batch of wine in the fall.

[@heavymetalvines4812]

Bobbex Deer Repellent has saved my vines this year's...all first year vines. That is, after I learned the hard way...

[@daikuone]

Seems like a lot of posts per row. Here in California we use angled steel pipes driven in at an angle for very long rows, and then T posts in between. Less costly per row. These are larger vineyards, so I am guessing it takes some heavy machinery to drive the end pipes.

[@jordanwhitmer7709]

I saw in a comment you were near Pittsburgh, awesome! I live right in squirrel hill.

[@apogeus2]

fingerlakes region is able to produce saperavi grapes. quite remarkable. great project btw

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

I have been very impressed with the Saperavi from the finger lakes. In my experience it has been the best red wine I have tasted from the region. I was unable to find any Saperavi vines for sale but I might make some more room if I can find them!

[@MrWineowine]

Wow that’s amazing! Would love to try myself, but think our backyard is too small for now😅

[@emtffzartman666]

That’s awesome! I am in south central PA and those grapes all grow well around here. But should be interesting how your crop turns out.

[@panedole]

Lovely video content! Apologies for butting in, I would love your initial thoughts. Have you researched - Lammywalness Green Grapes Guide (should be on google have a look)? It is an awesome one of a kind product for learning how to become a successful grape grower without the headache. Ive heard some unbelievable things about it and my GF after many years got excellent results with it.

[@Roikliger77]

Thank you so much Rick. This is great. I am going to plant Cab Franc and Vidal up here north of Toronto. I am going to try Smart Dyson also. Can you share some content on it also?

[@mario2986]

Congrats on your vineyard! Very inspirational. That dog is loving it too, haha

[@mrschristinaleigh7]

Thank you very informative! Much appreciated. Just moved and took over a vineyard and at my new home.

[@roland-cindyalexander8627]

Thank you for posting! I'm in NE Ohio which is a decent area for growing. I appreciate all the facts and technology you shared. 😁

[@pilsplease7561]

I have 450 vines a mix of the following, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Alicante Bouschet, Barbera,Malbec,Carmenere,Nebbiolo,Fiano,Picpoul Blanc and Picardan. I also have some older vines that are Criolla Mediana, Zinfandel Flame Tokay and 2 other unidentified grape varietals all on natural roots. They are 40 years old and in sand.

[@pilsplease7561]

Cant wait for my first big harvest, should yield a lot of wine about 1200 bottles.

[@pilsplease7561]

Why would I?@Ascending Tract

[@pilsplease7561]

@Ascending Tract I also added to it Lemberger. And Graciano.

[@pilsplease7561]

Cabernet franc is higher. Actually. True fact. But yeah it is. Tannat just does not make good wine without a lot of careful work and control over oxygen.@Ascending Tract

[@dougsimmons4497]

Where are you located?

[@whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

I'd be preemptive in controlling those Japanese beetles. They might only be buzzing around for one week but are root munching grubs for much longer.

[@talonracer67]

I have a nice sloped north-south hillside on my property with room for at least 4 -120 foot row and 4- 60 foot rows. Not sure I want to get that grresive while I'm still working 50 hours a week lol. I'm in Eastern Pa and Cab Franc is a local star as well as Chamborcin. Can't wait for your updates

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

You could always plant a single row to make about one carboy and scale up from there! That way you don't really have much to lose but it is a fun experiment to see how things grow on your site and learn about the process better.

[@xm222]

very fine vineyard , congratulations, and the dog fine as well :)

[@deanharper7722]

Just came across your channel and been catching up on your videos! Have just purchased a small vineyard in Tasmania (Australia) 12 rows which include 4 rows of Pinot Noir, one row of Schonburger, 3 rows of Reisling and 4 of Chardoney. I am looking forwar d to the challenge!

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Awesome, thank you! Congrats on the vineyard. I have been posting more vineyard stuff on my Patreon page since it is a little more niche and some people can get a little sensitive when taking about vineyard sprays.

[@Hannah_naylor_]

Do you mind sharing the cost of what it took for your size vineyard to start??

[@angelnokare6906]

Wow didnt expect for people to use Lemberger outside of Slovenia and nearby countries. Would you have any tips to make a rose saignee from it?

[@JayDeeChannel]

Great advice. How much wine can you expect from these vines?

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Should get about 30 gallons (150 bottles). This year I am hoping to get a small harvest of maybe about 10 or 12 gallons, then next year should be full production if the weather cooperates.

[@JayDeeChannel]

@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel Is that around 200mt2 (10x20 mt.. metric) plot?

[@apprenticehobbiest]

Hey, really liked the video and explanation, can you give us an update? How's it going?

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

It's going great! I've now got all the vines shaped and tied to the cordon wire and the buds are just starting to open up. Got a few grapes last year but did not let the vines keep enough to do anything with besides taste. This year I should get a small harvest and next year will be near full capacity. I will post an update once the vines leaf out and fill in a little better

[@whitegtp100]

Great helpful videos!! Thanks!! Where could one find vines with the grafts for wine making?

[@whitegtp100]

Like a reputable place or website you would Just to a family member to if they were to start a backyard vineyard. Thank you.

[@antoniomiguel2818]

Your vineyard is very nice. How many vines do you have for row?

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Thank you! Most rows have 13 vines at 5 foot spacing. They traminette is on 7 foot spacing so I have about 10 in that row.

[@randalltill3577]

Thanks like the post. I’m looking to retire and planning grow some grapes but the challenge worries me. I have 4 acres on a hillside (north to south) but side at 1400 feet elevation which creates it’s own challenges. How did you get educated in order to start growing grapes? Ddo you plan to produce you wine from the grapes?

[@Roikliger77]

Thanks for this video. Have you used t posts?

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Thank you! T posts (the metal posts with sheet metal plate on the side) are pretty common for center posts. I had a short row with T posts when I bought my house and it worked well but didn't look as good. For a large vineyard it would be a more economical choice. For a more aesthetic vineyard the treated lumber posts are very nice.

[@savageny8769]

what is the space between the plants ? can you put up some demensions of the heights and spacing between the rows ?

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

My vinifera vines are 5 feet apart. The hybrids are a little more vigorous, so I have them about 7 feet apart. If you have the room, you can always space then more but you just might not be as optimized for the acreage. If you go too close, you will need to prune a little more and spread the growth as best as possible. With the Smart Dyson (like mine) or any other split canopies, you can go a little closer. My posts are 5.5 feet high and rows are 6 feet apart. You want about 1:1 row height to width to get enough sun to the rows while efficiently using space. Again, you can go wider if you have the land. If you have a tractor, you would want to make sure you are wide enough for all possible attachments.

[@SaintTurbo]

Thanks for sharing. Great info.

[@Adol666]

Have you looked in to U of M grapes? Marquette, Frontenac La Crescent. They are cold hardy up to -30F

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

I have not looked into Frontenac but I have one Marquette vine just to see what happens. I also have a Noiret (Cornell) but I am really just hoping for the best with the winters here. I am in climate zone 6B so hopefully I won't see winter damage very often. I plan on at least hilling up the vinifera above the graft unions each year. I may end up burying the Merlot and cab Franc this year just to be safe.

[@pilsplease7561]

No need, cabernet franc is the most cold tolerant vinifera grape in the world, it doesn't care if it gets snowed on.

[@scottneusen9601]

I like your dog.

[@jswitay]

I love your dog

[@sandystapleton6526]

Really great info. Copper lime turned out to be an issue for Bordeaux. As I understand, the residual copper in the soil built up over the years. Hard to recover. I was told to use lime-sulphur for fungus.

[@MrTheDridge]

Happy dog!

[@fonsedyr]

Excellent information, thanks!

[@kentvandevender9731]

I lived in Uniontown at one time

[@asahglobalspheresapostolic6044]

Very inspiring congrats to you.

[@jameskownacki8639]

Whats a good source to buy the vines ?

[@aliveflyer]

What gauge of wire did you use?

[@ncanellos]

Where can you buy good grape starts ?

[@seedsandfishhooks]

I try to avoid humidity on my vine considering humidity encourages fungi growth.

[@jaksmith6465]

why didnt you go with a Scott Henry if you were worried about aggressive growth ?

[@sillygoose9666]

I always have snakes in my vineyard but I love the snakes and they love me

[@bcole6502]

how many bottles of wine can your yield produce?

[@isaacezekielthecolorblindg7343]

I want to know about Concord grapes I have one plant that's growing good but doesnt have grapes yet it's so small but I just planted it when it does have grapes how do I grom more seeds? Leaves? One whole grape?

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Grapes will. Begin to show up around a month after you start to see leaves on the vine. They will not be ripe until the very end of the growing season which is around September to October in most northern hemisphere locations. The first year you won't see any grapes. Second year you might get a small harvest. And third year you will likely get a good bit of grapes. It is important to prune back the grapes pretty aggressively before the leaves start coming. If you dont, you don't get grapes or won't get many. With a Concord, you will usually run a high wire about 6 feet off the ground and leave two large cordons (branches) to run both directions on the wire. Then off of that you will leave a cane every six or eight inches off the cordon and prune it back to about five or six buds. You will see this style of pruning a lot of you drive along the shores of the great lakes in Welches country. If you want more vines, you will want to propagate from a cutting. So prune a cane off and stick it in the ground. Most grapes need to be grafted onto different roots but Concord can do well on its own roots.

[@isaacezekielthecolorblindg7343]

@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel thank you so much

[@isaacezekielthecolorblindg7343]

@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel wait can you propagate on the first year?

[@turbowarp]

Will chickens destroy grape plants?

[@charlesbombaugh4014]

IS THE DOG THE DIRECTER?

[@clarkansas6590]

Good info

[@petercsizmadia8613]

Hi, I am from Hungary. Lemberger is the most significant type of red grapes in my country. We call it as a traditional hungarian red grape. It's name in my language is kekfrankos (=bluefranken). I am curious what will be the result with this type in your region.

[@faintvids7352]

As far as I know European varieties can thrive in few places in North America. California and a few other countries. Most of their wines are made of hybrid varieties. I guess there's no better place for Limberger (Frankovka) than central Europe.

[@matts4381]

im in mass. promising varieties? Marqeutte?

[@tbirds5313]

Marquette, Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, Itasca

[@vijaykorvekar1009]

Sir do you sell the vine ,please let me know if you do

[@ReeeeeToaded]

What's the cost of all this?

[@Juan-wb6hs]

What company do you get all your supplies from

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

All over the place. Small posts are from Lowes. Big posts from northeast fruit growers in Erie. Wire from Tractor Supply. Vines mostly from Double A vineyards. Some hardware from Amazon. Some more hard to get hardware from Orchard Valley Supply and Sanver supply.

[@mimiparsons9573]

Do you put wire strainers at both ends of the trellis? Thanks

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Just one end of each wire. On the double catch wires I have one on each of the two wires (which is technically one continuous wire). I wrap them on the end post so they do not slide freely which requires two strainers then. If you used a plastic tube where it wrapped the post you could maybe get away with one but without wrapping a full loop around the end post it will likely try to slide down on you.

[@mimiparsons9573]

Many thanks!

[@allwinestars]

cool !!

[@jodiepace7358]

What are the blue bags called

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Those are Blue-x grow tubes.

[@renisonchristie4950]

Are you from. California. Nepavelli ??

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

No, I am on the East Coast near Pittsburgh

[@renisonchristie4950]

@@TheHomeWinemakingChannel Thank you. Brother. May be i 'll move. California. . i will call you. If. I am. In USA .. Thank you for reply. Bye.

[@eyalbarmitzvah]

how do you keep deer away?

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

I have a single electric wire on a 1 Joule fencer about 20 inches off the ground. I put it on a timer to come on about a half hour before sunset and just after sunrise. Have not had any problems with deer since. You want to out it up before the deer learn that it is worth the jolt. They could easily jump it but they can't see it and I think it catches them off guard so they have altered their route.

[@AndreaS-oq7sw]

Wondering how much wine you think 65' of vine will yield.

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

Should be about 90-100lbs per row so about one carboy of wine each.

[@wes9451]

Seriously..! You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention. Going to have to give this a try. Replacing my lawn with dutch clover this spring. Might as well add some grapes.

[@huey216]

@@wes9451, good for you. Grass is a total waste of space and effort IMHO

[@Paradisecountryinc]

Very informative. I have some critiques though. 1. B roll of what your pointing too. It will keep attention. 2. That lip smacking every few seconds was sooo distracting. Other than that you answered a lot of questions.

[@srishtia1549]

I also want to start a vineyad buisness. Can you help me

[@mgr.pavelkrist3018]

C'est bien gentil!

[@Ojb_1959]

Convex not concave

[@earlrussell1026]

You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. You must love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus the anointed is Lord! Repent and be baptized and believe the Gospel.

[@corribyrne1481]

You aren't saying thing technical- we need info-

[@TheHomeWinemakingChannel]

What type of info do you need? I have a couple other vineyard videos and a couple articles on my website and patreon page. I will make many many more as time goes on. I could probably make an entire channel dedicated to the vineyard but I find that my subscriber base leans more towards Winemaking with a general interest in the vineyard.