S1 EP0014 - In the Vineyard
Tdk Macassette
Description
Himrod Farm Supply is our local farm shop near the winery.  It’s run by some of our local Mennonites, and considering its rather small footprint, always seems to have everything we need for the vineyard and the winery.  Whenever you visit, you’re bound to run into someone you know.  Last week, I ran into a friend who is a vineyard manager, someone I hope to bring on the show in our second season, and we were discussing the vintage so far.  We shared the fact that with some varietals, we are well ahead of last year.  We also shared some of the frustrations with the increasing disease pressure, specifically powdery mildew.  Warm temperatures and high humidity are the key ingredients for its spread.  Powdery mildew is actually a fungus, and spread by spores that seek out the living tissue, generally the leaves this time of year, to spread and propagate.  Aptly named, powdery mildew leaves a white fungus on the leaves, and will ultimately damage the leaf tissue.  This is problematic, because it will inhibit photosynthesis and ultimately impact grape development.  The increase in pressure is giving some growers flashbacks to 2018, that most challenging of vintages, where heat and moisture were at record levels and resulted in an incredible amount of difficulty in the vineyards.  <br/><br/>Speaking of heat and growing degree day accumulation, as of July 5, we are currently at 1047.6 growing degree days. As usual, we try to put that in context by looking at some past vintages.  For the same date in 2020, we were at 990.1.  In 2019, we had only clocked 886, and in the warm dry vintage of 2016, we were also at 934.  Recalling the zombie apocalypse vintage of 2018, we were at 1105.  We continue to skew slightly warmer than usual.  Our ten day outlook is showing temperatures continuing to teeter between the mid 70’s and mid 80’s, but with increases in the number of days with rain.  <br/><br/>One thing I lea
Uploader
levi_garden
Episodes
S1 EP0014 - In the Vineyard
Tdk Macassette