By Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance
Each growing season is a long march to harvest. It begins with budbreak in the spring and ends with ripened fruit ready for picking in the fall. After harvest, the vines are exhausted. They just ran a marathon and need a rest before the next growing cycle. However, there is more than meets the eye for activity in the field.
Below Ground
In winter, vines transfer their cellular activity to below ground, where roots continue to grow and seek out those vital nutrients. Much like runners after a marathon, vines need water, and winter rains are the ideal providers. Many farmers include nutrients with the watering to help prepare the plant for its dormancy through the colder months.
Above Ground
Vineyard crews are back out into the vineyards, for a farmer’s work is never done. Spreading compost is an important task that adds nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to soil, which slowly absorb over winter. Careful and precise pruning sets up vines to produce healthy fruit, while cover crops can help regulate soil moisture and add nutrients in the spring, in which seeding takes place all through the winter months.
Farmers also take this time to repair equipment and replace vines that were damaged or simply timed out in their lifecycle. It’s a welcome reprieve before the next growing season begins with a new set challenges and opportunities. This slower time of year is a great opportunity to visit local tasting rooms, and taste the “fruits” of prior vineyard marathons.
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