'I think you should plant a vineyard'

They say worthwhile things never come easy. My experiences confirm this view, though I hope this doesn't set me on the road to pessimism, or worse, fatalism.

We woke Saturday morning (April 26, a full month into spring) to a dusting of snow. One who has lived a lifetime in Minnesota can almost accept that. Much tougher to face was the biting wind pummeling us from the north. So even though we had two able bodied workers who'd given up their weekend to come help us with the vineyard, there was no working outdoors on Saturday. Instead, we checked off the list one putsy electrical chore, we baked (and then ate) a small batch of GF cookies, we watched the chickens put down an entire jar of feed, then closed the evening with old-time pulltabs, one dollar tap beers, and the MN Twins on screen at the local American Legion.

We woke Sunday earlier than we expected, given our later-than-normal bedtime. Fr. Schneider delivered an outstanding sermon -- as is his habit -- and after Mass we noted the wind had abated. But it was still unseasonably cold even for Minnesota. And it was wet. Too wet to accomplish what needed to get done -- tilling sixteen strips of grass and then constructing a vineyard trellis. Logic told us it was too wet to turn soil, but we ignored her and tried nonetheless. We are stubborn that way.

I'll let the pictures take over from here:

The 36-inch wide pull-behind tiller would have worked better under other conditions. But the soil was like clay.

The rows on the west end of the vineyard were wetter than those on the east. Attempts to turn that soil were futile, so we moved on.

Around 1 p.m., it warmed enough for us to consider taking off our stocking caps. It was a fleeting thought. By 2 p.m., it was snowing. (My brother Tony prefers 80-degree days.)

Of the sixteen rows, 10 were tilled once and 6 of those were tilled twice. Still, the soil is wet and clumpy. We're praying for some warm, dry days this week so that we may head back out Friday night and begin again. As far as sinking those 200-plus wood posts, we worry that even a week of dry weather won't give us the soil composition we need to run the auger successfully.

You know what they say, nothing worthwhile ... .

Affirmation is awesome...

The vineyard, five days post-Roundup. I can taste the grapes already!!

Springtime is for farm babies!

The newest additions to the Four Cedars Farms family: three Rhode Island Reds and three straight run pullets, which may end up being roosters, which really means they'll end up being dinner.

What we're really hoping for is some nice laying hens, though, considering the price of supermarket eggs. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Farm logic

You might assume having knowledge of plants or animals might be a prerequisite to successfully operating a farm. Untrue. Any farmer will tell you that it's mechanical aptitude that separates the farmer who meets his goals from the guy who throws in the towel in frustration. Why? Because every piece of equipment you need to get the job done will break exactly when you need it.

This weekend, five weeks before planting the vineyard, the calendar called for us kill the grass in strips that will become our 16 vineyard rows. Naturally, when the appointed day arrived, and after the sprayer was loaded onto the back of the ATV, we turned it on and...nothing. A hum from the motor, but no water. With about ten sections of tubing to examine, troubleshooting posed a challenge. When all the tubes, nozzles and traps were ruled clear, the mechanics focused on the pump. That meant a trip to Tractor Supply in town. The clerk suggested it might be a simple check valve; then again, it might be the whole pump. We bought both and saved our receipts. It wasn't the check valve.


Once the new pump was installed, water sprayed from the boom (inside the homemade box to minimize drift) as it was meant to. Only three hours behind schedule, and with temps dropping but still with a rare light wind of about 3 mph, Tom filled the water tank.
The concentrated herbicide glyphosate is applied at a rate of 2.5 ounces per gallon of water. This is a systemic herbicide. It doesn't linger in the soil. It is taken in by the plant's cells and is translocated to the roots, causing the plants, in this case the grass, to die. We try to be careful where the glyphosate lands because it doesn't differentiate between the plants we want to keep and the ones we'd rather not have growing on the farm.
As I watched Tom drive rows that hubby and I had carefully marked off a month ago, I saw drift on the west side of the tank. Alas, there was nothing more that could be done. The field that looks as green and lush as a fairway today will be striped with brown grass by next weekend. It's likely too that we'll see brown tire tracks from the ATV, and other brown areas from drift. Oh well. We aren't growing grass after all. We're growing grapes.

P.S. Sunday brought us 20 degree warmer temps, sunshine, and one heck-uva gusty wind. Good thing our resident farmers are mechanically inclined.