Week of May 23, 2021

The need to visit TAProots Farm in early May includes pruning and fertilizing the established vines, shrubs, and trees, but mainly focuses on tending the vineyards and planting new GRAPE VINES. TAProots currently has six plots for grapes. Two, with five and two and one half acres respectively, are long established Concord vines, on umbrella trellises and mechanically harvested for juice. Another plot of an acre or so has 675 three year old Riesling vines which were pruned and tied to the Vertical Shoot Position trellis this week. Another slightly larger plot is not planted yet, having its soil improving with hay mulched in over several years. A major milestone this spring was the preparation and planting of the acre plot north of the graveyard with 500 Cabernet Franc vines, helped after a couple warm and dry days by cooler weather and spring rains. Another small plot south of the graveyard is fallow, with room for planting of 200 or so vines of a yet undecided variety next year. Finally, we have two rows of several varieties of well established seedless table grapes along the lane between the Concord and Cabernet plantings. They were pruned last week and are preparing to bud. TAProots vineyard is a busy place in May, no doubt.