November-December vineyard calendar

Farming is a seasonal business. Everything you do is tied to what Mother Nature is going to throw your way. Sometimes all you can do is react, but there is also plenty you can do to prepare yourself and your vineyard.

I'm beginning a new feature. At the beginning of every month I'll try to establish a comprehensive checklist of all the seasonal items to accomplish in the vineyard. This is specifically tailored for my region and varieties, but I'm basing this off of several calendars I've seen, both from the ICCVE and the fantastic "Production Budgets for Arkansas Wine and Juice Grapes" document. (I can't find it online anymore, otherwise I'd link to it.) I'm lumping the next two months together because this is the slow part of the season and many of these tasks aren't tied to what's happening in the vineyard and can be performed at any time during the two-month period. Once I have the entire year covered, I'll keep the posts intact and simply review and adjust them as I learn from experience. I hope folks can find this a useful reference, and also feel free to make suggestions.

1. Clean and winterize sprayer(s)


2. Winterize irrigation system


3. Check on/confirm vine orders for upcoming planting season


4. Review season disease and pest damage and revise/adjust IPM (integrated pest management) strategy


5. Check stock of supplies, list items needed to order


6. Adjust soil pH (add lime) if necessary


7. Prepare ground for new vineyard blocs


8. Check trellis, perform repairs


9. Hill up soil on grafted vines


10. Clean sheds, garages, equipment


11. Evaluate effectiveness of and repair/adjust deer fence