Doesn't the thought of relaxing with a tasty bottle of wine seem stylish? And the thought of being able to sip on a bottle of wine that you produced yourself does seem even better. It's not as complex as you might think to plant and grow a good grape vine that will generate grapes for you to generate wine with.
How large should your individual vineyard be? That's one thing you'll have to choose, but a great place to get started is with 12 vines or so. By planting some grape vines, you'll be able to generate an adequate amount of fresh fruit for a five gallon batch of home made wine. You'll start by getting year old vines from a local nursery. These will be dormant grape vines that were cultivated by the nursery in their fields. You need to buy these dormant vines in early spring while they're still dormant. This will give you time and energy to get them planted before the spring rains get started and they come to life and continue to grow all over again. It's also very important to acquire plants back in the ground before they come out of being dormant for the winter season. And having them planted just before the early new season rains will give them a little time to settle in before the growing time starts. If you are unable to plant them right away for some cause, keep in mind to keep the roots moist by spraying them with water.
Planting grape vines is a simple process. You start by digging a hole that's large enough to suit the full root structure in it easily. Then maintain the grape vine upright while you fill it in with garden soil. You should be certain the entire root system is covered, but allow any buds on the vine to stay exposed to the air. Tap the soil down gently to ensure stability. You can also build a small slope in the direction of the grape vine to make sure that water will run to the roots when it rains. This also makes it easier to water them and keep the soil wet.
As soon as your grape vines begin to grow you need to ensure the soil near them continues to be slightly humid. This will be based upon your position and the amount of rain you've received lately, but don't be worried to provide them a little extra water. This is certainly true if your soil is very sandy, as the water will run through sandy soil very quickly. Just determine the soil situation on a daily basis, and if it's dry, give them some water. Assuming that there's no standing water on your grape vines, extra water won't have any ill results.
It's also crucial to make certain the grape vines you have planted get a good amount of sun light. Select an open area where they can get sun all day long, and refrain from areas that receive a lot of dark areas masking them. These open zones will also often have very good air circulation, which your grape vines also require. Photosynthesis is what will allow your grape vines to create sugar within the grapes, and this sugar is necessary to making wine. Sugar is what turns into alcohol during the fermentation process.
With a little planning and hard work, you can turn that dream of making your own wine into a fact. And the quality of wine you created yourself is usually just a bit healthier than wine you buy.
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