It all begins with this grand idea of viticulture, just like agriculture or perhaps horticulture, but with grapes. I think that I can start my own vineyard and winery and make it look like the finest of Bordeaux Chateaus. Seems pretty easy (1) plant grape vines, (2) harvest grapes, (3) ferment! Reality kicks in. The economics of the wine trade are strange and there is no guarantee with Mother Nature. Starting a winery at this point in my life is not the best idea.
Wine in the Midwest…
I recall a conversation in college about how the Midwest has a similar continental climate to Germany and that Alsatian varietals are perfectly suited for the Midwest. I had sort of gotten that England─New England thing, but this conversation really started to make me think about Old World─New World relationships. The Midwest is quite a large area, depending how one defines it, and Alsatian varietals do quite well in the loamy limestone like soils in Western Michigan.
Wine in Illinois…
Now, grapes thrive between 30 and 50 degrees latitude, and theoretically, great wine can be made anywhere. But, it would probably take a savvy vigneron about a decade of trial and error before they could produce wine of world class quality. There are some emerging wineries in the Galena corridor—I suppose there are some interesting alluvial soil deposits from the mighty Mississippi and glacial character. The first big problem I see with grape growing in Illinois is that the land is mostly flat and absent of character. There is this thick black layer of top soil that is rich in nutrients—Yes, this is correct—The soil is too nutrient rich for grapes. Good for growing corn, but not grapes. Growing grapes is very counter-intuitive. You want soil that is not too fertile and you don’t want too much water. You want the grapes to struggle.
Grapes grow on vines and so do tomatoes! Here is how I grow them.
Step 1—Procure Heirloom Tomato Seeds. I got mine from http://www.tomatofest.com./ You will want a nice variety from cherry size to large beefsteak and a multitude of different colors and flavor profiles. Procure some short season and long season varieties. Do this at Christmas time. Each year I get more ambitious. The first season I obtained about 8 varietals and started 100 plants. This season I procured about thirty and started about 400 plants.
Step 2—Sow indoors in early March in accordance with the lunar cycle. (More on Biodynamics Later) I have a setup with 48” fluorescent tube lighting. You do not need to invest in all those fancy expensive grow lights. They may work better, but they are expensive. I purchased several shop lights from Menards and they have worked well every year. I start them in Biodegradable Jiffy Pots that you can get at any home/garden center. I fill each pot with potting soil with about 3 seeds and water. They will start popping up in about 7-10 days. I put them under the lights for about 16-18 hours a day and water every third day. About two weeks before the last frost I bring them outside to start adapting to the outdoors. (May 1) If you forgot to sow seeds this year and don’t want to wait till next year, it is okay to go to the garden center and buy them, preferably from an organic source. I have done this before I figured out how to sow them myself.
Step 3—Plant in ground after last frost. Make sure that they are at least 18” from one another. This is where I will have to stop because they just went into the ground this past week. The "kids" are all in their new home in the SugarToad Garden.
Pest Control, Pruning, Trellising, Tomato Wine Pairings, and Harvesting to come. Tomato Saga to be concluded with updates as season unfolds…
No comments:
Post a Comment