It looks like a good vintage

vintage-2017Despite a rubbish summer our shared grapevine is doing well and is covered in grapes in various stages of ripening. The vine now runs the length of our boundary fence and still seems to keen stretch further.

Based on the last few years we should have many, many grapes available for friends and family in late March or early April.

New Shoots

First Bud of SpringFor the last week or so I’ve been keeping an eye on our grapevine. When I say “our grapevine”, I mean the one we share with our neighbours and which now runs almost the entire length of the fence between our houses.

In summer it’s covered in leaves. In early autumn it’s covered in grapes but for the last 3 months it’s been bare, doing it’s best impersonation of a dead plant.

Our first clue that spring is on the way and that summer is around the corner is the appearance of the first shoot from those seemingly dead sticks.

And today that first shoot appeared. Summer is coming.