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Pruning Grapevines

4/1/2016

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February through March is vineyard pruning time.  Here is what the vines looked like in January.  They are beautifully silver and shaggy.
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Here's a close-up of one of the vines before and after pruning.  There's something very meditative for me about pruning.  Grapes form on the new vine growth each year, so it's important to do a good job of pruning before bud break. You have to look at each cane individually and determine its destiny for the growing season.  The pruning process involves focusing the future growth in an upward direction , minimizing crowding and clipping tendrils that are girdling neighboring canes.
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 This vine isn't quite finished. As you can see, some of the tendrils still need to be trimmed to prevent girdling of the nearby vines.  Also, the old shoots are typically trimmed back to about 3 nodes. For me, the practice of  vineyard pruning is a cross between the art of growing bonsai trees and untangling Christmas lights with the benefit of clippers.
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    My Story


    My name is Georgia, the meaning of which is feminine for "tiller of the soil, or farmer."  I am also a pharmacist and full time mom.

    The slow work that happens on our farm is based on the belief that where things come from matters and the things made by hand are the things I cherish most.

    I consider myself Nature's Sharecropper.  With slow farming, much of what is grown or raised gets taken by nature. But the sharecropper always gets what she needs, and more.

    I'm writing this blog to try to capture some of the challenges, joys and life moments spent as a part time farmer.  Taking the time to snap photos and write blog posts will  be a challenging commitment, but I think it should result in a valuable stream of memories.  I hope you enjoy reading and please feel free to provide feedback!

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