Gavel Ridge Vineyard came to be due to the desire to be active outside, for a small income during retirement, and adventure. We toured our first vineyard that fall of 2006. That was the vineyard owned by Allen and Judy Olson, at Wild Mt Vineyard in Taylor Falls, MN. After that tour and some dreaming and planning we decided to go for it.
We planted the first field in the spring of 2007. With a purchase of approx. 400 sticks or cutting from Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, and LaCresent grape vines from Allen and Judy. This is a very economic way of starting out. Sticks run us around 75 cents a piece. Compared to 5 or 6 dollars for a rooted plant. We were half way through planting the first row and I told Terry that I would not make it, but, I did and we planted all the sticks in one day. We then went out and put in the grow tubes over each stick. A week later our son-in-law Eric and daughter Wendy and their son Blake came out and set in place 107 post for the trellising. I remember it was extremely hot on June 9th and 10th that year when we were installing the wires for the trellising. But we got it done. Now I am starting to wonder if this is this hard, how am I going to do this during retirement! We are surely crazy people. That summer Terry tilled those 9 rows with the aid of a very small tiller from Farm and Fleet. He was is good shape by the end of summer. Now we start hearing very good things about the future of a grape called Marquette. So, here we go again. this time however we order and buy the rooted plants. This we a bigger expense this time. Planting of the 2nd field took much longer. We dug a hole, put in the plant, put on water and finished adding the dirt. This summer we decided to get another hand tiller. Now the 2 of us were tilling. These were very dainty and grew at a much slower rate then the first field.
We planted the first field in the spring of 2007. With a purchase of approx. 400 sticks or cutting from Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, and LaCresent grape vines from Allen and Judy. This is a very economic way of starting out. Sticks run us around 75 cents a piece. Compared to 5 or 6 dollars for a rooted plant. We were half way through planting the first row and I told Terry that I would not make it, but, I did and we planted all the sticks in one day. We then went out and put in the grow tubes over each stick. A week later our son-in-law Eric and daughter Wendy and their son Blake came out and set in place 107 post for the trellising. I remember it was extremely hot on June 9th and 10th that year when we were installing the wires for the trellising. But we got it done. Now I am starting to wonder if this is this hard, how am I going to do this during retirement! We are surely crazy people. That summer Terry tilled those 9 rows with the aid of a very small tiller from Farm and Fleet. He was is good shape by the end of summer. Now we start hearing very good things about the future of a grape called Marquette. So, here we go again. this time however we order and buy the rooted plants. This we a bigger expense this time. Planting of the 2nd field took much longer. We dug a hole, put in the plant, put on water and finished adding the dirt. This summer we decided to get another hand tiller. Now the 2 of us were tilling. These were very dainty and grew at a much slower rate then the first field.
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