Spring Planting

Grapevines!!  

I have grapevines!!  :D

The grape I'll be trying to grow is this one, "Marquette", developed by the University of Minnesota as a cold-hardy grape, but still from the vitis vinifera lineage, from which come Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Zinfandel, etc. - the traditional wine grape family.  

Though cross-bred with northern varieties for hardiness, Marquette's grandfather is Pinot Noir, a fine old vine to have in your lineage.

And no, mine don't look like those. Not yet. Mine look like this:




Picked them up yesterday afternoon, and they look nice and healthy, don't they? :) I got 16 plants, which I'll double up on either side of a bamboo stake and, after a couple of years, prune off the weaker of the two (assuming they both survive). So, I ordered the protective grow tubes, and will try to plant them within a week or two.

This is where they'll go:



I'll plant them in two rows, about 10 feet apart, running parallel to the end wall of the house. I figured I'd take a picture from two vantage points, the trellis and the fire hydrant, and then take new ones each year in Spring and Fall, to show the progress of the vines.



Yay! I'm so excited! :) Only 5 years now until drinkable wine. Maybe for my graduation party from Seminary. Somehow that would be appropriate, I think, on lots of levels. After all, the Scripture teaches in Psalm 104 that God is the giver of wine:

"14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:

15 wine that gladdens the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread that sustains his heart."

Amen to that, brother Psalmist.