A Late-Summer Vineyard Update...And Things Are Exciting!

 

We've stopped watering the grapevines, but they keep growing. Now that the bulk of the summer heat has passed, growth will slow considerably. But, we have the rainy season ahead (and lots of browsing pressure from snowshoe hares!) and will be experimenting with ways to keep the vine roots a bit drier than in years past. Grapevines want water at the beginning of the season - lots of water. Way more than we typically receive from rainfall, it appears. However, as they go into fall, they want drier conditions, but that is when we receive the majority of our "summer" rain.

In today's video, we look at each of the varieties we have planted out on our terraces and a few that are still in pots (but sunk into the dirt on the terraces). We ponder the once unlikely scenario that we would actually have to string wire on the trellis posts we installed. And, we fantasize about growing Vitis vinifera (specifically Gewürztraminer and Müller-Thurgau), at least for pollen to be used in grape breeding. Speaking of breeding, we crossed Rondo and our RA-66-5 (a wild Vitis riparia from eastern Montana) about a week ago and are watching to see if any berries set. The goal is to add a bit of hardiness and perhaps a bit earlier ripening time to Rondo.

Enjoy the video. We'll be back with another video update sometime in August.

Summer is here and the grapes are Taking Off!!!!

This summer is turning out to be quite exciting in terms of progress in the vineyard. Three years ago, we moved all of our grapevines (close to 100, but now we probably have twice that many) to some terraces that I had put in about a decade ago. Over the last 14 years (at that point), I had come to realize that grapes need four things: Heat, heat, more heat, and water. The air needs to be consistently warm, the soil needs to be consistently warm, and they do enjoy heat waves. Their previous location in a field on a 30 degree slope provided warm air, but cold soil. I had one vine that did pretty well (far from perfect, though) out in the field. When I "dug a little deeper" into this 'miracle,' I found a column of rocks in the ground next to the vine that was conducting heat downward. It wasn't very efficient, but it kind of worked. I knew I couldn't do that for the other vines - and it turns out the ground still was not warm enough to trigger flower bud formation. So, i looked around and found the terraces were substantially warmer. That triggered the idea to move them.

We pulled out the peonies that had been planted there and popped in 40 grapevines of different varieties. The following year, they struggled a lot. I thought I was watering them enough, but they still didn't grow. That was the "sleep" year for perennials. Last summer, as most of you know, was a tough one. We didn't arrive back in town until early July. I knew that I would not be able to water them then, because that would encourage growth well into the fall. That can kill a vine here (and it has, that's how I know). So, in most respects, last year saw no new development in the vineyard.

Enter 2025 - the year things would turn around. The summer has started out (as it usually does) quite dry. We've been literally pouring water (6 gallons (22 l) per week) on them (now at abut 68 vines, because we tightened up the spacing from 6 ft (~2m) to 3 ft (~1m). No sense in wasting valuable terrace space. The vines got off to a late start following a rather cool spring. Finally, in mid-June several started to grow at a pace of about 1-1.5 inches (2.5-4 cm) per day. And this wasn't in just a single "unique" vine, but rather several different varieties. So, now we have two vines (Arthur and Skujins-675) that are about 30 inches (about 75 cm) tall. Both of these vines have shown the ability to harden off a little before cold sets in. However, we have a theory that the rains that come in August actually delay hardening off, so we are developing a plan to keep their roots a bit drier this August and see if they will harden off better. And...looking at the shoot thickness right now (and we still have 2 months of growing season to go), we could see a flower cluster or two next spring. That would be exciting! Then we can start worrying about actually ripening grapes. It has taken 17 years to get to the point we are at now and it may take a couple more to figure out how to get grapes to ripen. After that, it is onto winemaking. But, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

But, you may be asking "17 years is a long time to put effort into something that doesn't appear to be working. Why do that?" Good question. First (and foremost), I like (certain) challenges and one of those is doing things (mostly in the agricultural sector - like overwintering Zone 7 blackberries in Zone 3b) that others say is "impossible." I prefer "improbable, but not impossible." There is a larger picture here, though. I have dreamed for years of having an estate winery (that means you make wine only from grapes grown on your property - no California or Washington state juice). Not very difficult in most regions of the world. A different story here. Second, about a decade ago, I got the idea for a bed and breakfast. So, why not a vineyard/winery-themed bed and breakfast. Hence the idea for the "Alaskan Vineyard Retreat." And, throw in the possibility of it being the northernmost outdoor vineyard in the world and now it's as unique as you can get. I have never spoken about the AVR on social media before, so you are the first to know. To my far-northern grape grower followers, it has been a long time in the making, but I think you can agree that all the effort is worth it when you succeed.

Here's the link to our recent (short) video we posted about the vineyard: 

Stay tuned for a full farm update soon. Lots of other fruit and flowers to accompany a stroll through the vineyard this time of year.

When you lose sight of your why

 

Vineyard Sentinels in Late Winter

Over the last few years I’ve lost the why to the farm. For over a decade, the farm has been an ever-present source of motivation, but recent experiences have dulled that. With 2024 now behind me, I must find the discipline and drive to again push the farm in the direction I originally intended. Many people have asked for advice on doing what I set out to prove with the farm. Almost all of them have gone by the wayside. I however am still on that quest.

 

As many of you know, in 2023 & 2024 I was called upon to help my mom as she was suffering from ALS. That took most of my focus. And, not knowing when the situation would change, I decided it was best to tell myself not to think about the farm and its future. It was tough, but I managed to do that for all of 2024 – even after I returned to the farm. Recent events have pulled me back to my goals for the farm. A few days ago, I received a package from the National Germplasm Repository in Geneva, NY. You guessed it, cuttings from grapevine varieties that I don’t have. Nine carefully researched varieties and wild selections that exhibit a very early start to veraison. While I may already have a vine that (at some point in the future) will work, it never hurts to expand your potential sources. I suspect at least one of the nine will be a nice addition to our current holdings. 

 

Then this morning I received a call from someone visiting the area from Connecticut asking if I did wine tastings at the winery. Well, umm…not really? Way back in 2009 or so, when I set up the farm on Google My Business, I chose to categorize it as a farm store. A few years later, Google suggested that it be classified as a winery. Not thinking that anyone would take that seriously here in the far north, I just accepted the recommendation. Actually, I tried to change it back, but apparently never saved the change. Bottom line is that to this day, it is still advertised as a winery. I do get calls. Some people come out for a visit (when the road is passable in the summer). To be honest, I’ve felt a bit disingenuous at times about the category, but overall most are actually just interested in the fact that I make wine from berries (as you know, no grapes yet) that actually grow here. Still, there are some that think wineries should only carry grape wine (and for the snootiest ones, only grapes that grow in Europe or California). While I am still waiting for the day I make wine from Gewürztraminer (off-dry and spicy as all get-out), I question whether estate wine (wine made only from grapes that grow on the farm) will come from European cultivars during my lifetime. And before you laugh, remember that I have a 5-or-so year old Gewürztraminer vine that has overwintered outside in a pot (dug into the ground, of course) for the entire time. The one and only Vitis vinifera to survive that long here. It is not grafted (no need, as I don’t think phylloxera will survive here – I’ve certainly brought in vines that could have had it) and I hope to propagate it this year.

 

As anyone whose followed this blog for some time knows, challenges to grape growing abound here in Interior Alaska. But, I remain undeterred in my efforts to find a cultivar that will produce grapes (with a high preference for wine grapes) in these conditions. It may be Baltica or ES 9-7-48 or ??? While not Vitis vinifera, the wine would still allow me to position the farm as the farthest north outdoor commercial vineyard in the world. Anyone can grow them in a greenhouse, but it takes all the stars aligning to actually accomplish that outdoors where they are unprotected at 65 degrees north latitude.

 

And finally, I used to listen to the gurus that said to follow your passion. You’ll be happy (and in most cases broke). My passion is quite expensive, it turns out. So, the new chapter in my life will be rebuilding my why, so I can focus on earning the money and becoming the person who is blessed with the task of following the passion that I’ve developed. The real challenge is breaking out of my comfort zone – a dirty job but someone has to do it. And that someone is me.

That said, I also need to get this out: I’ve actually been working on a podcast (“Frontier Vino”) off and on for a few years now and 2025 will be the year of its launch. Keep an eye out here for updates (or better yet, become a subscriber to the blog). Or visit the farm website to find our other social links: https://solitudespringsfarm.com

Changes coming in 2025!

 

December 29th: Denali after sunset

With 2024 almost a distant memory, we consider all of the changes that took place…and continue to take place on the farm.

2024 started off with Duke and I away from the farm, taking care of my mother, who had been diagnosed with ALS. Thanks to my ability to work pretty much anywhere, I was able to spend her last 7 month with her. It was a challenging time to say the least, but resulted in significant personal growth. I was able to make a couple of trips back to check on everything – and everything seemed to take my absence just fine. Mom passed away in late May and Duke and I returned to the farm in mid-July. While that meant we missed spring, the annual plant sale, and the opportunity to plant sunflowers for our summer bouquet customers, the slower pace allowed me to reassess my current physical and financial status. Both were in dire need of improvement! Suffice it to say, there won’t be any more annual plant sales. Although Chica and I enjoyed the opportunity to connect with fellow gardeners, the amount of time that was required to tend to the seedlings, move plants outside and then back inside while hardening them off, advertise, and then run the plant sale was never really economical. We will also be downsizing the flower production this year, to allow our focus to shift for the time being. Last summer, we saw bumper crops of delphinium and campanula. We had successfully overwintered sweet William, feverfew, and rudbeckia, as well – right through the -43F/-41C mid-winter low. That gave us hope for not having to plant everything in the spring, like we have in years past. Elsewhere on the farm, alder and willow are taking over. There will be much time spent on mowing this next summer to reclaim productive land.

2024 was also a year of major change in financial planning. Mom and I spent time talking about concerns, and one thing that bothered me in her final days was that we couldn’t fulfill her last wishes, because of time and financial limitations. On that final day in May, I made a promise to change all that as quickly as possible. Significant changes took place at the end of 2024 that promise great things to come in 2025. Stay tuned.

No blog entry would be complete without at least a word on the vineyard. The vineyard presented a very different picture in 2024 than ever before. The summer was cool and rainy (a good thing, since we weren’t here to melt snow for water storage). Many varieties and wild selections that had done well in warmer years really struggled in 2024. We still had a few standouts, though! Baltica was not among them, unfortunately. We will try manipulating its physical environment some in 2025, but it may turn out that the earliest grape in the world is not fond of life at 65N. To our surprise, one of the best performing vines was Gewürztraminer – I know, right? It was the most vigorous and it even survived the cold of mid-winter (at least the part that was near the ground). We won’t know how well it or the other 7 well-performing vines did until buds start appearing in May. Fingers crossed.

2025 promises to be a challenging year in many respects – including a new career. We are hopeful that there will be enough time in the day (even here where summer days never end) to run the farm and build the career. We will be documenting through social media, so keep an eye out. Aaron Stierle on FB. @aaronstierle on IG, Solitude Springs Farm & Vineyard on FB and YT, and a new (well not new, but never really used in the past) YT channel focusing more on personal development.