Today...we planted!

Soaking the roots in water before planting to ensure plenty of moisture.


Placing the stakes in each hole.


Ummm, excuse me, some of us are trying to work!


We cut the stakes in half - one for each vine.


All staked out and ready for some flora!


Please drive under 25mph in the vineyard. This area is radar enforced.


Tempranillo for my buddy Ashley. :)


Someone was getting a little aggressive with the dirt.


Some nutrient-enriched dirt into the hole and...


The first plant goes in...


Our first born. Itty bitty bebe.




Teamwork.


Montepulciano. More info on this grape to come...


The little bitty baby plants.


We made sure to thoroughly water all the babies.




We used cold cups as shelters and covered each plant with dirt for protection against the elements.




Action shot.


Paul came over to help and got very silly and giggly. Probably from the bottle of wine we had with lunch...


Cheers!


It is custom in Europe to feed baby vines some wine once they are planted. Who are we to argue with tradition? Of course, we used the finest wine possible.


Ginger looks really thrilled to help out.


Neighbor Evelyn helped sing a nursery rhyme to the babies about how to grow with the rain and the sun and the fun, fun, fun!


Someone may have accidentally poured red wine on the Sauvignon Blanc babies...blasphemy.


Think someone may have put a bit of that fine wine into a party cup. Taking a break, are we?


At least someone is working around here!


The result after 1 week? Itty Bitty Baby Buds. Ready to take on the world.




Grow baby, grow!

More Digging and Drip Irrigation Installation

Today we enlisted the help of a very willing young family member to help us finish digging out the holes. The drip irrigation was also installed and tested...and it works! The yard is ready for planting.

Time to Dig!

Today was a BIG day! The vines arrive in 4 days, so we were determined to prepare as much as possible. We will be planting: Tempranillo, Cab Franc, Sangiovese (Montapulciano), and Sauvignon Blanc.

The first step to prepping the yard was to remove the sod to make way for the rows of vines. To save an incredible amount of labor, we rented a sod cutter and the job was done in no time. Rolling up the sod was like rolling up carpet!


This was the yard after the sod was cut, but before it was rolled.


Is there a head growing out of her shoulder?




Working hard.


Lots and lots of sod...


Would anyone like some sod? (they didn't)


I am WOMAN!


Time to dig out the post holes. Again, the rental of the equipment really saved some time and back-breaking labor here!


Just a little break to admire the first spring blooms...


Hole #36 out of 85...


The holes were about 20 inches deep...as seen from this interesting perspective.


The making of: Tremors IV.


Cat and Barrel. (also the new name of our wine bar)


More holes...


The last hole (dug by the Willow Vines landlords)



We placed cement into the post holes in order to maintain a strong hold on the vines and wires.


Post, post hole, and drying cement.


We had originally expected a sandy soil, but after some digging around the irrigation system, we found a lot of clay. This had us worried, until we discovered that the majority of the soil is in fact, sandy as shown. We likely hit a small clay strip in the soil previously. The predominantly sandy soil is a relief, as the vines will likely grow much better in this type of environment.


The final product - Willow Vines anxiously waits the arrival of 100 plants!


See you at the Cat and Barrel!