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
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