The Organic Backyard Vineyard by Tom Powers

Author:Tom Powers
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Timber Press
Published: 2012-08-13T16:00:00+00:00

Compost for the Vineyard

Composting is one way to minimize the amount of additional nutrients you need to supply to the vineyard. Creating your own compost pile or piles is almost essential for an organic farmer. Compost also helps to improve soil texture, by adding organic matter to the soil and increasing soil microbial activity.

There will always be some material around to dispose of. Kitchen scraps, grass clippings, cuttings from the vines, garden waste—anything that can be broken down can be added to the compost. If you are making your own wine, grape pomace is a great addition to the compost pile.

Never put into the compost any material that has been infected with a disease or pest, however, as it can survive the composting process to reinfect the vineyard. Do not add annual weeds that have gone to seed, or even roots of persistent perennial weeds such as blackberry, which can be surprisingly resilient.

A good method of composting is to have a two- or even three-bin system. As the compost matures, you move it into the adjacent bin. This also helps to aerate the compost, which is necessary to improve the aerobic process of breaking down the waste. Bigger piles can get quite hot in the interior; temperatures of 130°F (55°C) or more are needed to break down the material.

The best time to apply compost is in fall, before the ground freezes. Spread it under the trellis rows up to a thickness of several inches.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.