E2-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 7, 2002 Top Ten List: Things Prospective Grape Growers Should Know Chris Carroll Crossing Vineyards And Winery WASHINGTON CROSS ING (Bucks Co.) We did three years of planning and research before planting our first vines at Crossing Vine yards and Winery in Wash ington Crossing, Pennsylva nia. We attended workshops, visited other vineyards, exten sively tested and amended our soil, and enlisted the help of experts. Still, like many new vineyard owners, we were forced to make crit ical decisions with out sufficient knowl edge. If only we’d known then what we know now. • Number Ten: Choose Your Site Carefully Elevation is the single most impor tant consideration in choosing a site for your vineyard. 1500-1800 feet above sea level is the upper limit for growing grapes. An elevation of 820-1500 feet is considered most de sirable. Drainage is also important. Grapes don’t like water logged soil. A southeast facing slope is best; 3-10 percent is preferable. Sloping ground helps to accelerate the dispersion of water and cold air. • Number Nine: To Vinifera Or Not To Vinifera Your chance of success will improve if you plant the more cold-hardy vi nifera varieties which have been grafted onto hardy, pest-tolerant root stocks. If frequent, sus tained temperatures below minus 5 de grees Farenheit occur more than once in ten years on your site, growing vinifera may not be realistic. • Number Eight; To Grow Tube Or Not To Grow Tube Many grape grow ers swear by the grow tube, a protec tive sheath that cov ers the young vine during the first sea son to protect it from disease and pests. Some disadvan tages of the grow tube; promotes the growth of only one shoot; hardening off of the vine can be more difficult; can certain fungal diseases. Again, making the proper choice depends completely on your site. • Number Seven: Metal Or Wood Posts If we could do it over, we would use metal posts. They last forever, and the catch wires can be moved much more easily. Unless the aes thetics offend, we recommend metal posts and plan to use them in future plantings. • Number Six: Educational Sessions - Expert Speakers from Across the Nation Tirade Show - Over 120 Suppliers for Fruit and Vegetable Growers Tree Fruit February 4. 2003 Honeycnsp Salvation or Problem Child’ How to Grow Big Gala - Dr Peter Hirst, Purdue University Current Status of MCP Reducing Spray Drift Wood Borers - Dr Henry Hogmire WVU Kearneysville Cost of Orchard Removal/Replacement Use of Rapeseed for Soil Renovation in Orchards February 5. 2003 Pesticide Security Regulations Control of Black and White Rot in Apples Flower and Spur Development in Apple Global Positioning System (GPS) What’s New in Sprayer Technology The FQPA As It Is - An EPA Perspective Apple and Cider Quality Assurance Pa Apple Marketing Board and US Apple Association Working for You National Peach Council - Optimizing Peach Yields Through Training Systems- Dr Kathryn Taylor, University of Georgia - Unique White Peach Varieties - Nematodes - Increasing Organic Matter -Update on Plum Pox Virus -Can We Grow Peaches Without OP Insecticides’ -Skinny Peach Trees February 6. 2003 Control of Pear Diseases Organic Asian Pears Woolly Apple Aphids- Dr Henry Hogmire WVU, Kearneysville Deer Control - a New Jersey Perspective Bitter Pit, Calcium Deficiency or Plant Bug Damage - Dr Mark Brown, USDA Kearneysville Controlling Insects Without OP Insecticides Irrigation System Design Value of Trickle Irrigation in the Eastern U S - Dr Mike Glenn USDA Kearneysville, WV Orchard Herbicide Application the How To’s National Peach Council -Peach Thinning - panel -Efficient Water Management in Peach Orchards - Dr Kathryn Taylor, University of Georgia -Precision Forecasting for Insects & Diseases Small Fruit February 4. 2002 British Soft Fruit (Berry) Production - John Berry, Haygrove Co, Ledbury, UK Strawberry and Bramble High Tunnel Production Fumigation Options Bramble Breeding Program February 6. 2003 Strawberry Production from Florida to Erie Strawberry Plasticulture Grower-Proven Trickle Irrigation Set-ups Disease and Weed Control Eastern Seedless Table Grape Production For fruit program and registration fee information, contact State Horticultural Ass’n. of Pennsylvania - 717-677-4184 www shaponlme org New Jersey State Horticultural Soc. - 908-475-6505 - www cccnj net/~njshs/ Maryland State Horticultural Soc. - 301-271-7491 Trellising Systems Experts currently favor the divided canopy method. Some of the more popular training systems including Scott Henry, Smart-Dyson, Geneva Double Curtain. After much research, we de cided to use the VSP (Vertical Shoot Positioning) method. Since we now know that we have a high vigor site, we are considering Scott Henry for future plantings, which will be largely vinifera. Convention February 4-6, 2003 Hershey Lodge and Convention Center Vegetables February 4. 2003 Season Extension - - Cut Flower Production - Maximizing Solar Radiation to Heat Low Tunnels - Dr Katrine Stewart, Quebec - Controlling Diseases - Equipment for Use in High Tunnels - Mulches for the Future - Potato Production - Twelve Month Vegetable Production in Unheated Greenhouses Basic Vegetable School - - Produce Growing Systems - Marketing Produce - Variety Selection, Cover Crops & Crop Rotations - Season Extending Techniques -Trickle Irrigation Systems -Managing Weeds, Diseases and Insects -Crop Scheduling Sweet Corn - Varieties - What is Sweet Corn Worth Am I Selling It for the Right Price - Gary Sweet, Cleveland, OH - Sweet Corn Populations - No-Till/Stnp-Till Sweet Corn Onion, Garlic and Leeks Beans - Use of Gaucho - Weed Management - Bean Viruses Greenhouse Vegetables and Herbs - Raising Greenhouse Tomatoes - Dr Richard Snyder, Mississippi State University - IPM - Dr Les Schipp, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada -Producing Herbs in the Greenhouse February 5. 2003 Weed Control - Non-Chemical Weed Control - Dr Clyde Elmore, Weed Specialist, Umv Calif - Herbicide Rotations Irrigation - Water Management Crop Management - Drip Tape Characteristics and Performance Wildlife Management - Fencing for Deer Control - Groundhogs, Birds, and Canadian Geese - Animal Repellants February 6. 2003 Pumpkins - Seventeen Acres of Pumpkins from Transplants - Managing Phytophthora and Other Diseases - Comparison of High vs Low-Input Production Tomato Pest Management - New Options for Insect Control - Use of Actigard - Biological Controls for Spot Organic Production -Media and Nutrient Additions for Transplants- Dr John Biernbaum, Michigan State -Organic Production of Medicinal Herbs- Dr Jeamne Davis, North Carolina State Umv -Making and Using High Quality Compost Vine Crops • Number Five; Vine Spacing This decision is a critical one. It affects how many vines can be planted on your site and how the grapes will even tually be harvested. If you de cide to plant closer together to maximize the use of your ground, you might not be able to harvest mechanically. We used an 8 x 5 spacing plan: 8 feet between rows, 5 feet between plants. An ideal row length is 600 feet. Hershey t Pennsylvania For vegetable, potato & flower program registration fees information, contact Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association - 717-694-3596 - www pvga org However you choose to lay out your plants, be sure to allow 25-30 feet of usable turnaround space for your tractor at the end of the rows. • Number Four: Size Of Initial Planting So much can be learned about your site from the first planting. A good idea would be to limit it to two acres, an acre each of two different va- - Seedless Watermelon Production - Dr Jonathan Schultheis, North Carolina State Umv - Spacing and Fertigation in Winter Squashes - Varieties of Summer Squash and Melons Tomato, Pepper and Eggplant - Physiological Disorders - New Colored Bell Pepper Varieties - What’s New in Eggplant Cultivars 7 Processing Tomatoes - Yellow Shoulder and Yellow Eye Disorders - Using Stoller Products - Insights in Managing Tomato Flow from Planting to Harvest - Variety Update Marketing February 4. 2003 Food Trends - What’s Hot What's Not Impacts of Consumer Trends on Produce Commodities Dr Joseph Lord, St Joseph's University February 5. 2003 Produce Pricing - Adding Margin Promoting Your Direct Marketing Activities Employee Motivation and Incentive Programs Strictly Sweet Corn - Gary Sweet, Cleveland, OH Entertainment Agriculture at Iron Kettle Farms - Bonnie Jensen, Iron Kettle Farms Labor & Legal Issues February 4. 2003 Worker Protection Law(s) in PA How to Maintain Good Relations with your Hispanic Workers Farm Bureau Perspective on Seasonal Workers PA Migrant Education Programs Pro-active approaches to Labor Management Potatoes February 4. 2003 Quality Oriented Potato Management Potato Production in Ontario Weed Control in Potatoes-including Volunteer’s February 5. 2003 Organic Potato Production Getting the Rocks Out Insect and Disease Management Influencing Chipping Quality in the Field Marketing Specialty Potatoes Greenhouse Ornamentals February 5. 2003 Fertility Natural Ventilation New Varieties Pest Control Dollars and Sense of Growing Cut Flowers February 6. 2003 Plug Production Techniques Marketing Cut Flowers -panel Optimizing Fertilization Perennials and Woodies Insect and Weed Control (Turn to Page E 8)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers