October 15th, 2013

Started bush hogging the Kudzu today.  This stuff is sooooo thick.  This bank is south pointing and perfect place for a vineyard.  Now if we can just get rid of the fastest growing plant known to man.

Took several passes but I can start to see the ground.  The house came with a great John Deere 870 4WD tractor.  What a work horse!

Many more passes and several times of unwrapping vines from bush hog.

Starting to shape up.  Dropped the bush hog, and put the box blade that I found under all the kudzu.  What a great find!   I also found a 12″ post hole drill attachment for the tractor.

After the box blade work to pull the vines and roots up, I switched to the disc harrow and went over it many times hoping to kill or damage as much of the kudzu as possible.  It looks good but I bet I have a heck of a battle coming this year.  Dave vs the kudzu…

Using my new found post hole auger dug 8 holes for the 8″ end post.  Decided I could get 4 rows in.

Driving the 8′ T-bars was probably the hardest workout in years.  That’s all I’m going to say…

All 4 rows are in, sun is setting, had trouble walking to truck so I could drive 100yds to house.

Late November all of the Muscadines came in.  Three rows worth.  6 Nobel, 6 Ison, 2 Big Red, 2 Black Beauty, and 2 Darlene.  The last 6 are more table grape or Jam than for wine.  Nobel and Ison should make great wines.  If you look to the right of picture you can see the last/4th row, but not planted.  Saving that row for the grapes that are on order.  9 Lomanto  and 9 Black Spanish grapes.   Muscadine need more space than grapes.  Only 6 muscadine per row.  18 grapes in same space.

December was irrigation month.  Laid about 300 feet of pipe.  The tractor with a subsoiler was used to lay it.  I found if I put 9-10 pipes together with pipe cleaner and dope, then put a cap on the end next to the tractor, connected the pipe to the subsoiler with wire, hopped on the tractor and started trenching with pipe attached, I could lay about 100ft at a time.  I would then connect another 100ft together and start right where I ended the last run.  Minimal trenching where I needed to connect the ends is all that was needed.  This was a huge back savor.