In my last post, I posted a few pictures of Aaron working on his latest invention. Most of the time I don't really know what it is he is building until I actually see it in action.
And last week, I got to see his latest in action.
Presenting....
The Net Applicator Thingy!
Brilliant!!
This is our first year netting the vineyard. We have to protect the grapes from bird damage since they really like sweet, ripe grapes. We still hooked up the distressed bird call speaker again to help keep them away, but unfortunately, that doesn't do the trick alone.
Aaron bought nets large enough to cover six rows of grapevines at one time.
Most vineyards cover each row individually. But Aaron figured if he could just whip up a large net applicator contraption, we could just hammer out 6 rows at once.
Of course, we still had to enlist the help of some friends to pull the nets down evenly on each side as the tractor and net applicator went along each row. We bribed them with beer and pizza.
And watching this process, several neighbors came out to see what was going on and came to help as well.
Wouldn't you be a little curious watching this from your back yard?
A BIG thank you to everyone that helped!
A BIG thank you to everyone that helped!
And a few hours later, the grapevines we covered.
We had fun watching the little birdies try to swoop down on the vines, only to realize they couldn't get to the grapes and fly away.
"HaHA! Suckers!" I yelled to them.
That might seem heartless. But it is nice to see this whole process actually working after the big investment of time, physical labor, and money JUST into keeping birds away from the grapes.
The the coolest part about having the net over six rows at a time, is that it will make grape picking quite easy without having to lift the nets off again.
Just slide underneath and start picking. Hopefully it keeps the bugs out pretty well too!
Speaking of grape picking, we are getting a great response for picking in September. The grapes are coming along and we still need more pickers for the weekend of September 10-11th.
Let me know if you want to come help!
Have a great week, everyone!