Suitable land for 5-10 plants?

[u/gavroche1972]

Hello... I'm a complete novice that's curious to try planting maybe 5-10 plants as a hobby with my daughters. Does this land in the picture look like it would be suitable? It's in Okanagan County, Washington.. and the elevation is about 4100 feet (1,275 meters). The climate is desert-like... hot summers with a lot of sunlight, very cold winters. I see lots of wine plants near the Columbia River basin... but our land is maybe 1000-1500 feet higher elevation. Not sure if this would make a lot of difference. And I'm not sure if the soil type you see in the photo is ideal. If you dig down 1-4 feet it gets more claylike. And there are rocks galore.

[u/Ketchupcharger]

i think you're looking for r/viticulture

[u/TwoMuddfish → u/Ketchupcharger]

Not much happening on that subreddit

[u/Dry-Trust6718 → u/Ketchupcharger]

that elevation might push your growing season pretty short, cold air settles up there even when the valley is warm

[u/OrganicIntuitive]

Plant a cold tolerant, late ripening, late budding variety, like but not limited to Riesling or Cabernet Franc. Water well production?
Also, If you want wine then it takes 80lbs of grapes to make about 5gal of wine. Grapes clusters average 2.2lbs depending on variety. So, you’ll be in that ballpark with 5-10 vines. Good luck

[u/gavroche1972 → u/OrganicIntuitive]

Hello... Riesling is one of my favorites (and some of the German stuff I can't pronounce). Might be a good one to try. Yes well water (and maybe rainwater catch). I would set up some timer controlled irrigation lines. Thanks 🙏

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[u/24moop]

Yes should be fine

[u/reyes_mason356]

i've had a bit of luck experimenting with a small garden in my backyard too, always a fun project with the family

[u/ConnectionWarm1482]

i'd definitely check r/viticulture for specific guidance, but the sunlight and elevation might actually work really nicely for cold-hardy varieties

[u/TwoMuddfish → u/ConnectionWarm1482]

Not much going on at viticulture lol

[u/dtip1]

Is this BC?

[u/iterum-nata]

What's your hardiness zone?

[u/Groundlooper]

Maybe check out what they are growing around Penticton or other eastern B.C. See if you can find any vineyards at that are comparable in elevation. If so, find out what they are growing.
We have a vineyard of 45 Pinot vines in Multnoma county Oregon. A friend has been maintaining them and pulled off 170lbs this year. He said he got 8 gallons out of it. He did a rose so a little earlier harvest. His volume may have been a bit more if he had done a red. That might give you some idea if 5-10 plants will be enough for you.

[u/Ok-Caterpillar7331]

In my experience of doing soil studies just for grape purposes, i think you're in good shape to plant. The elevation worries me. Tells me you're on the east side of Washington's mountains. Im just guessing here but you.might be subject to hail. From what I know about Washington state, if youre going for wine, tempranillo and grenache might be worth a try but thats a big might. You'll probably need to irrigate a little bit and pay attention to fertilization.

[u/gavroche1972 → u/Ok-Caterpillar7331]

Hello, thank you for the reply. Yes... east of the mountains. Can have extreme highs and lows. Currently I'm concerned that my biggest obstacle will be deer. There are many in the area (and some moose, cows, etc). Not sure it's possible to keep the healed safe.