In the vineyard December
Last winter we made our first ever batch of
organic compost. 
The combination of about 60 tonne of : grape pressings; grass
hay; basalt rock dust; dolomite lime and cow manure, turned repeatedly when the
pile reached 65 deg. C, then allowed to cool and rest for several months
resulted in about 30 tonne of
humus-rich, sweet, moist, compost.
In December we hand shoveled the lot around
the base of the vines. (Not a chore I can recommend, we’ve got to get a
dedicated spreader to do this in future)
We simply applied the compost directly on top of the close-mown, under-vine growth (a couple of shovel-full per vine) The results were brilliant. Three weeks after the application, you could push your fingers down through the soil beneath the compost for about 120mm and wriggle them, the soil was becoming that friable.
Adequate rainfall, BD-500 soil sprays and compost is a winner!
© Brook Eden Vineyard 2007-2012 | Lebrina, Tasmania, Australia | +61 (0) 3 6395 6244