Monthly Archives: November 2012

Watering Improvements for 2013

HosesWhy am I moving the hoses? Well…when I put the irrigation hoses in I put the drips about 6” uphill from the vines with the connection hoses vertical. Now, I want to move them in-between the vines so that the roots will seek out water. Secondly, I needed to put in rebar next to the hose to make sure it does not stick out in the row when I mow…this the black ties. Lastly, at the end of the rows I used long black ties to secure the end of the hose to the endposts. This will keep the hose from drooping during the year and give it that finished look.

These little items are perfect winter projects, and they will make my life much easier next year.

Fall Pruning

CropMost folks prune in the winter months of January/February. Mainly it is because if you prune in the fall the vines will bud earlier in the spring, and if they do and you get a hard freeze then you will lose most of your crop. Here in Sebastopol, I have not seen hard frosts the end of March to mid-April. So, I am going to begin pruning now as it will take me at least 80 hours this year to prune and probably 120 hours in future years. This will spread out my work thoughout the year, without the mad rush in February/March/April. Hopefully I’m right about the frost timing.

November 10 – 1 hour
November 12 – 4.5 hours and 4.5 hours hired
November 13 – 5.5 hours and 5.75 hours hired (1050 vines completed)
November 23 – 4 hours hired fixing drip lines
November 24 – 2 hours hired fixing drip lines
November 26 – 5.5 hours hired and 4 hours pruning
December 11 – 3 hours pruning
December 28 – 3 hours hired pruning
December 29 – 4 hours hired weeding
December 31 – 6.5 hours hired pruning
January 2 – 6 hours hired and 3 hours pruning
January 3 – 3 hours pruning
January 7 – 3 hours pruning … Done!

Total – 58.25 hours vs 2013 plan of 80 hours…off to a good start, better than plan!