Let’s not get started being all whiny but with something cute as June is the month of baby animals. Like this bunny I almost hit with the tractor:
After the frost disaster June became a complete reset for us. The vines were in shock and it took them 2-4 weeks until they started growing again. Green-pruning started over again from scratch. Having to deal with the backup canes as well keeping shoots as long as possible hoping for bunches magically popping up it was a big chunk of work.
After the frost disaster June became a complete reset for us. The vines were in shock and it took them 2-4 weeks until they started growing again. Green-pruning started over again from scratch. Having to deal with the backup canes as well keeping shoots as long as possible hoping for bunches magically popping up it was a big chunk of work. In the beginning it was highly frustrating. You try and bring the plant architecture in order to ensure that there will be strong canes next year and the canopy is loose enough to not become a fungus habitat. But there are no grapes. Just shoots and leaves. I felt like a leaf farmer. At some point we got used to it and it was almost irritating working in the only surviving vineyard we have here in Kitzingen.
As the meadows sharing space with the vineyards get a little out of control in June the mulcher had to be unpacked. I’m not a big fan of this tool but sometimes I feel I have to side with the vines a little bit ensuring a good balance. I only mulch every second row waiting until something fresh starts growing before I cut the rest. And 10-15cm high to reduce the damage a mulcher will do to beetles and spiders in particular. But even though the machine cuts some of the grass underneath the trellising there is still a lot left so hoe, scythe and machete were widely used tools the last weeks.
You see the wool Polina is holding in her hand? It’s from our sheep which got sheered that month too by our fabulous Basti.
And the wool is super useful. It has an off-putting effect for rabbits and hares as well as being a wonderful mulch and compost. So this year I decided to try and make little pillows out of them which went underneath the baby vines with and without the combination of our paper bags for extra protection.
You see the irrigation in the background? We get it almost for free here, it’s heavily funded by the government. We don’t irrigate established vineyards but for this tricky plot with its rare varieties such as Kleinberger, Heunisch, Vogelfränkisch and Adelfränkisch it’s a nice backup to have in case the drought threatens to kill the vines. This year we didn’t have to use it which is most wonderful.
The decent amount t of rain we got in June also helped this huge plot we planted in April grow like a boss. The different cover crops we sowed to compare all grew beautifully and so did the vines and the trees. It’s a josy working in this vineyard already.