MATHIS

As you may recall, the rows of vines at Mathis Vineyard are spaced...tightly. I've made my own farming equipment for much of it as it's simply not manufactured at such a narrow width. This video clip follows up on the last one, showing how I broadcast the cover crop seeds for planting on every other row.

In this one-minute clip I show how I calibrate the amount of seed to plant per vine. After all, for every other row, I walk the row to broadcast the seed. So it's essential to get the right amount planted -- not too much and not too little -- just like Goldilocks, it's got to be just right. So here's how I figure it out.

In this episode of the Tractor Chronicles I introduce the Drag. It's yet another Peter-built farm implement I created to smooth the surface of the ground between my vine rows. This aids in consistent seeding and germination for the winter cover crop. Take a look:

Harvest, as always, was very busy. And it arrived early this year too! But I'm getting ahead of the story.

With major storms anticipated in the upcoming winter months, I had to get the winter cover crop seeded before the rains arrived. As you'll see in these videos, parts of Mathis Vineyard are rather steep, making seeding with the Kubota tractor and the seeder attachment, on loan from Mondavi, a tricky affair.

Here are three videos introducing the seeding process this year: 

I've been a little remiss in posting these excerpts from my interview with Jeff Davis...a year ago. But now they have pictures to go with them. Enjoy these short segments.

It's out! My 2014 Rosé de Grenache is now available for purchase (and it's mighty quaffable too)!

In the last post, I showed you the discing process here at Mathis Vineyard. The winter was so dry though, the discing equipment didn't turn the cover crop deeply into the soil. It's just too hard and too dry. So I brought out the big gun: The spader! Where the discer cuts through the soil like a knife, it's not too deep. The spader, on the other hand, comprises multiple rows of mechanical spading implements to dig through the earth. The first video introduces it and what they look like. The second shows my results. 

Last week I showed you my new flail mower, which was sorely needed with the waist-high cover crop of peas, vetch, barley and more. This week, post-mowing, here are four short videos that introduce and demonstrate how the discer works in Mathis Vineyard. Like all my other equipment, the discer is customized for my narrow vine rows. It incorporates the mowed cover crop into the soil for faster uptake of the nutrients. Take a look:

Last week I showed you the features of my new flail mower. I purchased this new equipment to get my winter cover crop more finely chopped up. Better, finer mowed material will incorporate its nutrients faster into the Mathis Vineyard soil. Hence, the vines will make better use of those nutrients. Take a look at the results: