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.

The summer that was...sort of

 

Vineyard terraces bask in the alpenglow of mid-day

After a rather cold spell in February, we were not exactly sure what to expect this past summer. We suspected that a low of -43F would cause some damage, either to above ground growth (in the case of blueberries, blackberries, and aronia) or to roots that didn't have sufficient snow to insulate. The results were somewhere in the middle. As for fruiting bushes and trees, there seemed to be little damage. Our North Star cherries flowered and produced some fruit. Blackberries and blueberries produced fruit, as well. Our aronia bushes tended not to fare so well. No flowers appeared on Nero or Viking. Our seedling aronia (unselected wild seedlings) leafed out above the snowlike, albeit rather late, and never flowered from those buds. We did get a small crop from flowers that emerged down low. The fact that we did not lose the growth above the snow was surprising. Less than a decade ago, the farm dropped to near -40F/-40C and that killed all growth above the snowline on the seedling aronia. They are definitely not -40 hardy, but they are so much more vigorous and productive than Nero and Viking that they easily make up for any tenderness.

What about the vineyard, you ask? Well, it certainly was not sayonara to Gewürztraminer and Müller-Thurgau. Both re-emerged this past spring and Gewürztraminer turned out to be the strongest grower of all vines over the summer. Definitely little if any root damage from the mid-winter cold. Another surprise was Rondo. Not particularly hardy, it survived about 10 inches/25 cm above the ground (but covered by at least a few inches of snow). We figured that its "-15F" hardiness rating would not be enough. Otherwise, we only lost a few small vines over the winter. They had struggled last summer and the low temps may have been the final straw.

Our hopes for success with the reportedly "very early ripening" varieties of Baltica, Skujuns 675, and ES 9-7-48 were dashed. Baltica was severely damaged the previous fall when it failed to harden off in time for the first freeze. It was rather late to emerge this spring and made very little growth the entire summer, ending the 2024 season...you guessed it...completely green once again. We will try a few experiments (mentioned below) in hopes of tricking it into early dormancy. S-675 seemed to harden off last fall, but none of that wood survived the winter. Ditto for ES 9-7-48.

Adding to the hardships of last winter, this summer proved to be wet (a good thing, since we didn't store much water) and cool. The farm only accumulated about 595 Growing Degree Days (10C)/1070 Growing Degree Days (50F) Frost-free season was 133 days and the freeze-free period was 145 days. Overall, a bit on the cool and cloudy side, but of an average frost-free season. Keep in mind that the earliest ripening grapes require a 125 day growing season and about 650 Growing Degree Days (10C). Many vines struggled to grow this year, though there were a few standouts. Gewürztraminer, Totmur, Riparia-64, Marechal Foch, and Price displayed the same level of vigor as they have in warmer years.

Similar to fall of 2023, we recorded "periderm videos" every two weeks starting in early August in an attempt to track the hardening off process in each vine. The cool and cloudy fall seemed to delay periderm formation in many vines that had previously done quite well (such as Arthur and Petite Pearl). This year we documented strong periderm formation in 8 selections and those will be the focus of our work going forward, since a lack of fall periderm formation means a useless vine. Those eight included: Alpha, Pilgrim grape, Riparia-64, Totmur, Gewürztraminer, Marechal Foch, Price, and Amur-6 (a V. amurensis seedling with very high potential for the farm). It is interesting to note that our favorite wine is an off-dry Gewürztraminer, though it is highly unlikely we would ever get ripe enough fruit to make wine from this cultivar. Maybe an expensive greenhouse is in order just for that reason???

We will be running trials in the vineyard in 2025 in an attempt to encourage periderm formation on Baltica that will include: (1) covering with a tarp for 12 hours each "night" for two weeks near the end of July/early August, (2) covering the ground with plastic to keep the soil drier (it is often saturated from August 15th through early September), and (3) special pruning techniques that inhibit growth beginning in early August.

We will also be planning to move the vines (yes, one more time) on the terraces from the center of each terrace to the toe of the terrace above. This location puts the vegetation closer to the soil surface (the sloping surface between the flat portions of each terrace) where there is more heat. This area also tends to have less air movement, as the sloping ground forms a pocket. We will be placing weed block on the sloping surface behind the vines to increase heat and rain runoff. All this work will require removing the trellis posts we spent so much time and effort installing, but from what we've seen the trellises won't really be necessary - at least not for several years, if even then. The vines just do not get large enough to require much support.

Our Wild Treasure and Chester blackberries survived well under a thick layer of leaves and leafed out vigorously in the spring. We had been using floating row cover as a form of light protection on Wild Treasure over the last decade, but have come to realize that it simply isn't enough protection against the cold before a thick enough snow cover develops. After two years of severe crown damage on our 12-year-old "mother" Wild Treasure vine, we decided to try piling leaves on top this fall. Last fall we covered a potted Wild Treasure vine with leaves and it produced 6 berries off a very small plant. Of course, they tasted spectacular! Who knew that you could keep a Zone 7 blackberry plant alive in Interior Alaska for more than a decade? While exploring the weedy blackberry patch, we discovered a Marionberry, thornless Loganberry, Black Diamond, a second Wild Treasure, and two Tayberries that had miraculously survived two years of drought and the winter of -43F. I think we are supposed to continue growing blackberries. Serious effort will be needed to discover how to keep the canes alive over winter, so we can provide fresh and local, super tasty blackberries to neighbors - if they make it in from the patch, hmm...that may be even tougher.

In terms of fruit harvest this fall, we harvested blackberries, currants, a few gooseberries, aronia, serviceberries, and about a dozen "seedless" apples. Literally, there were no seeds in any of the apples or apple/crabs. Apparently, the weather was too cool for pollination to occur, but enough hormones were produced to grow "apples" on Shafer and Parkland. And, of course it was a bumper crop on wild raspberries this summer with all the rain. Even grabbed a few Cascade Gold raspberries off of a couple of plants that have spread. This variety has a citrusy taste that is unique, but the canes aren't particularly hardy. It has a tendency to spread, rarely emerging from the same place more than once. Probably a nutrient issue. 

So, what about our hardy annual flower trials? Well, they went spectacularly! We had started sweet William, feverfew, rudbeckia, and campanula (actually 2 yrs old at this time) and covered them with 6 inches of leaves in the fall. This past summer They all grew well and many bloomed. The campanula was massive! The bees were so busy around it - with 2 or 3 in each flower. We also had our staple delphinium and yarrow blooms. A few buckets of flowers went out for sale, even though we weren't able to grow our usual assortment of tender annuals that we've grown in past years. We cut all of them back this past fall and again covered them with leaves. Will be interesting to see how many return next spring.

As we prepare for the new year, our thoughts are on the possibilities of growing buckets of blackberries and aronia, making wine from "estate-grown grapes" (blackberry wine isn't bad either), and gracing the windowsill with a nice bouquet of fresh flowers. Sure beats "visions of sugar-plums"! 

20,000 page views!

 

At the end of October (2024) this blog reached the milestone of 20,000 page views! The 10,000 page view milestone was reached 3 years ago - and that took almost 10 years to accomplish. Thanks to all of you who keep up with our blog, we have seen numbers really start to take off the last two years. We love sharing what is happening on the farm and appreciate your support! We'll leave you with today's image of the "mid-day sun." Though most think this is a sunset picture, it is actually isn't. The sun was up for just 4 hours today and only climbed a few degrees above the horizon (the location shown in the image). The low angle causes the sunshine to take on an "alpenglow" appearance, hence the pink and orange color of the snow in the vineyard area. We won't see "white" sunlight again until around January 15th. One thing that never disappoints, though, is the deep blue of the sky. No filters needed.

Will there be a 2024 vintage???

Well, the mid-winter cold spell broke at the farm on February 3rd, with the mercury rising to about 0F (-18C) by midnight on the 4th. Reminiscent of "Back in the day" cold spells talked about by old-timers, this weather froze pipes, disabled vehicles, and even caused a few fires - not on the farm, though. We won't know the extent of damage to plants on the farm until everything starts to leaf out in May, but there is almost certain to be die back on the more tender shrubs and trees. Unfortunately, we may also see complete loss of canes on our Wild Treasure blackberries and Cascade Gold yellow raspberries, as well. An Alaskan winter certainly isn't for the faint of heart.

And just like that, it felt like spring! A few days ago, a strong Chinook wind made its way over the Alaska range and brought above freezing temperatures to the farm. Not unusual for winter at our location. What a rollercoaster ride it is! We even start to see little insects flying around when the temperature remains above freezing for more than 24 hours in the winter. 

What about that 2024 vintage you ask? Well, Interior Alaska wasn't the only place on the North American continent that experienced a good old-fashioned winter. Parts of Canada and Washington state saw their coldest temperatures in a few decades. Recently, these regions have taken advantage of a string of unseasonably warm winters to expand their foray into winemaking. One particular region chose to "improve" their wine quality by ripping out cold-hardy hybrid vines and replant with vinifera (European) varieties, like Merlot, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Over the last three years, they have struggled to produce enough of a crop to maintain the recent rise in global wine fame that they have enjoyed. We wonder where they will go next. We've heard that over 30% of the vineyards and wineries in that region are for sale and a large number of the remaining ones will not replant. At the farm, we focus on cold-hardy varieties because we realize that they will see temperatures of -40F/C or colder once every 7 years and temperatures of -30F/(-35C) or colder five times over a decade. Sayonara Gewürztraminer, so long Müller-Thurgau. Why play with fire (or in this case, ice)?

We still have a few years to go before we will get any grapes (still hoping they can ripen in our climate), and even more time before we can make wine from them. In the mean time, we continue to test varieties for suitability and propagate those that have the highest potential. Right now though, a cherry Icee seems a more appropriate beverage considering the current landscape.

Brrrr It's Cold Outside!

 

We are currently sitting at about -40F (-40C)! We have been in a cold snap for almost a week and have about that much longer to go before warmer weather returns. With a few feet of snow on the ground, some of our smaller bushes (and all of the terrace vineyard vines) are protected from the majority of this cold. However, we have a number of taller bushes and small trees that are taking the full brunt of the cold. While we have seen -41F at the farm in the last 10 years and know which of these bushes and trees should make it through the cold with little to no damage, there is always the question of how well prepared they were for winter. Those that suffered from too little water early in the summer or too much water late in the summer, may be more susceptible to winter injury in these temperatures. Other bushes that are not so hardy, such as black currants and our unnamed, seedling aronia bushes, will likely die back to the snow line. That still leaves plenty of wood below the snow to leaf out in the spring and rejuvenate the plant. There will be a good amount of pruning needed on these plants next summer. It is always a gamble with plants that aren’t completely hardy at our location, but -40F only comes about once every 10 years, so in the intervening years we can get quite a nice crop.

 

The vineyard is all nestled in, but there is still a risk from cold periods like our current one if the cold lasts too long. Snow is not a perfect insulator, so it slowly loses heat from the ground over time. The vines that are planted out on the terraces should be fine, but we have a large number of potted vines that are in pretty dry soil at this time. They are more susceptible to damage. We also have a couple of Vitis vinifera (European grapes) in pots that are not very cold tolerant (when compared to others that are hardy to -30F to -40F; -35C to -40C). These varieties include Gewürztraminer and Müller-Thurgau. The roots on these vines will probably suffer some significant damage and the vines may die outright from the cold. This is a big reason why we don’t focus on the grape varieties you would typically associate with wines. On the other hand, great strides have been made in recent years in breeding cold-hardy (still a relative term when growing them in Interior Alaska) grapes that also make quite acceptable wine. Something that a lot of people don’t realize, but can be very important when growing grapevines in the far north is that one of the factors in hardiness is the duration of cold temperatures. Even the hardiest vines will die back if the cold (maybe not even severe cold) lasts too long. This coming spring, we will find out if the vines we have planted on the terraces experienced too many hours below 0F (-18C). Fingers crossed!

 

The cold may also impact our cut-flower trials that we started last August. Two years ago, we planted delphinium (known to be fully hardy in Interior Alaska) and campanula (Canterbury Bells) in a raised bed and they both survived the 2022-2023 winter very well. However, it only dropped to -22F (-30C) in January. This past fall, we planted more campanula, along with several other flower varieties (sweet William, feverfew, rudbeckia, and yarrow. The yarrow will do well, as it is native to Interior Alaska, but the others probably won’t make it. Nevertheless, we won’t know until the snow melts and the beds start to thaw in April. Yet again, fingers crossed.

There are a few benefits to the cold! It usually reduces the bug population for a summer – never a bad thing. It also makes the tourists go home, at least for a few weeks. We then can walk through the stores in relative peace. And while that may sound a little selfish, anyone that lives in a major tourism area can attest that area residents can always use a little respite from the pressures of tourism to reinvigorate them for the upcoming tourist season.