OK, maybe the vineyard isn’t cursed, but the weather seems to be, prompting our viticulture class (or maybe just me) to wonder if we aren’t somehow jinxed. No matter what the weather the day-before or weekend after, all of our class sessions have been plagued with howling winds, frigid temperatures and drenching rain; sometimes all […]
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Category: Viticulture
Viticulture: the Lesser Babka
CEDAR RAPIDS – I thought I wouldn’t be ruthless enough during our viticulture class tonight at Kirkwood Community College. The opposite proved true.
Viticulture: First look at the Kirkwood ...
We made our first foray into the Kirkwood vineyard during tonight’s viticulture course. Our instructor, Lucas McIntire, warned us of the muddy mess, but once we walked to the hillside, the ground was in better shape. March is prime pruning time for grapevines, especially with the frigid weather we’ve been experiencing this spring in Iowa. […]
Viticulture: Week two, or three
Snowstorms canceled two of our four Vineyard Management classes at Kirkwood Community College in February, and the weather trend seems to be continuing. I know our instructor, Lucas McIntire, would like to get started on pruning lessons, but as the winds picked up and snow began to fly even today – in mid-March – the […]
Viticulture 101
We’re only at the PowerPoint stage, but I have a feeling that the Vineyard Management courses I’m taking at Kirkwood Community College will turn into an incredible hands-on experience. Classes, which run from February through September, cover the basics of establishing a vineyard; costs; planting; pruning; trellis construction and more.