Every February I pay the vineyard a visit with a long list of chores that need to be done in the middle of a long Upstate New York winter. Joyce usually skips this trip, preferring the warm sun of our Florida Home. It is usually cold and snowy, and this February was no exception. The winter puts all the bushes, vines, and trees at rest, so it is the perfect time for pruning. I first pruned my seedless table grapes, 2 rows each 210 feet long, leaving buds for the branches that will have next summer’s grapes as well as 16 or so baby vines planted last summer, still in their protective blue tubes. Then I pruned the plums, peaches, apples and pears, to assure plenty of air and light gets into the ripening fruit next fall. Next were the raspberries with the everbearing varieties cut back to the ground. Finally, I clean out the old nests from our 6 bluebird houses, to get ready for our new tenants who move in soon. It’s a quiet time at the vineyard, a good time to enjoy the beauty of a black-and-white world.
TAProots
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