| Our Journey Begins |
Our first step was to figure out what type of soil we had to determine
if we had the right combination to grow grapes on our land. Ted get a
shovel and dig some dirt.
if we had the right combination to grow grapes on our land. Ted get a
shovel and dig some dirt.
We choose the southernness portion of our land as the spot to plant our grapes. To find out what type of soil we had we
sent a sample to UNH Coopertive Extension which provides analysis on soil and lets you know if it is suitable for the
crop you are looking to grow. Then we took a mason jar filled it 1/2 with our soil and then with water and placed it on
the window sill. After a couple of days you could see the separation of the dirt. The heavy sand settled out first,
followed by silt, and then clay. The organic matter floated to the top. The best grape growing soil has a combination of
all these elements. Looks like we have some good soil but we will get the professional opinion so off to the lab.
We began researching growing grapes in NH and visited a number of Vineyards in NH and VT. From what we have
learned so far growing grapes to make into wine is not an easy task. First you have to make sure you have the right
location and type of soil to grow grapes. Then after you plant them it takes two years before you have your first crop
and there is no guarantee that those grapes will produce a fine wine. We were a bit intimidated by this challenge but
how we do love a good challenge.
While visiting some NH Vineyards we met Dr. Peter Oldak who is the owner of Jewell Towne Vineyards in N. Hampton,
NH. Dr. Oldak was so informative in teaching us about growing grapes in NH. He continues to mentor us and help us
learn the art of growing quality NH wine grapes.
sent a sample to UNH Coopertive Extension which provides analysis on soil and lets you know if it is suitable for the
crop you are looking to grow. Then we took a mason jar filled it 1/2 with our soil and then with water and placed it on
the window sill. After a couple of days you could see the separation of the dirt. The heavy sand settled out first,
followed by silt, and then clay. The organic matter floated to the top. The best grape growing soil has a combination of
all these elements. Looks like we have some good soil but we will get the professional opinion so off to the lab.
We began researching growing grapes in NH and visited a number of Vineyards in NH and VT. From what we have
learned so far growing grapes to make into wine is not an easy task. First you have to make sure you have the right
location and type of soil to grow grapes. Then after you plant them it takes two years before you have your first crop
and there is no guarantee that those grapes will produce a fine wine. We were a bit intimidated by this challenge but
how we do love a good challenge.
While visiting some NH Vineyards we met Dr. Peter Oldak who is the owner of Jewell Towne Vineyards in N. Hampton,
NH. Dr. Oldak was so informative in teaching us about growing grapes in NH. He continues to mentor us and help us
learn the art of growing quality NH wine grapes.
| The Black Bear Vineyard Salisbury, NH |
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