Growing Orchids You will Love

You too could have the most beautiful orchids in 7 days or less using the latest cutting edge information on growing orchids that took over a year to research and compile into this amazing ebook.

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Purple Wisteria Vine Five Gallon

Dense clusters of fragrant, purple flowers adorn this vine in early spring. Perfect for covering pergolas, arbors or fences where the pendulous flower clusters can be enjoyed. Deciduous. Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer. Provide support such as a trellis or arbor. Prune annually to control size. Hardy to -10 to -20°'s. Shipped as a potted five gallon vine in its original soil and container.

Price: $69.98

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Simon's Super-Charged Turbo-Cooled Grow Box

Complete plans and parts list for making the grow box and bubbler system. We tell you step-by-step how to make this baby and where to find everything you need. Included are growing instructions, and tons of color photos and diagrams. And the bonuses...

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From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own Wine

Create you own backyard winery!

From breaking ground to savoring the finished product, Jeff Cox's From Vines to Wines is the most complete and up-to-date guide to growing flawless grapes and making extraordinary wine.

Wine connoisseurs, gardeners, and home winemakers will find the latest techniques in this fully revised and updated edition. With thorough, illustrated instructions, you'll learn how to:

-- Choose and prepare a vineyard site

-- Construct sturdy and effective trellising systems

-- Plant, prune, and harvest the perfect grapes for your climate

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-- Judge wine for clarity, color, aroma, body, and taste

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Northern Wineworks: Growing Grapes and Making Wine in Cold Climates [2nd Edition]

First published in 2002, this new edition to the standard guidebook for viniculturalists of fridged northern climes details the technical leaps of the last six years in growing and making quality cold-weather wines.
New and updated material in this edition include: Enhancing winter survival;Evaluating your regional climate for grape growing; Selecting a good vineyard site; Retraining winter-injured vines; Protecting vines from spring-frost injury; Matching varieties with climate constraints; Applying the lessons of warm winemaking to cold-weather grapes; Equipping and stocking a home winery; Avoiding common winemaking mistakes by using sound practices; Recognizing spoilage problems and applying remedies; Selecting yeast strains for specific wine styles; Improving your evaluation skills; Blending methodology for cold-weather varieties. And the appendix of cold weather grape varieties, organized by categories of relative hardiness, has been fully revised and expanded.

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The Backyard Vintner: An Enthusiast's Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Wine at Home

Anyone who ever wanted to have homemade wine and never thought they had the space or ability to make it will love this book. The Backyard Vintner is a handy guide to at-home wine making that teaches readers the tips and tricks of the trade. It is perfect for those who want to bring the feeling of wine country right into their own backyard.

The Backyard Vintner teaches readers how to start and maintain a vineyard, providing vital information on topics such as planting, trellising, and proper pruning techniques for grapes; which grape varieties will grow best in every climate or region; and the wines that can be made from each variety. Basic recipes for wines, and advice on topics such as bottling, storing, and serving wines, are also provided.

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Concord Grape Vine Five Gallon Plant by Monrovia Growers

The Concord grape emerged as the dominant cold climate American variety. Grow your own fruit by planting vine on trellis, arbor, pergola, or fence. Fast growth. Great tasting fruit yummy to eat fresh, or make into jam. Skins remove from fruit easily, so it lends itself to winemaking as well; ferment the juice and you are on the way to your own wine. Grapes are ready to harvest when they taste good. Prune to encourage next year's fruit production. Shipped in its original soil and five gallon container to ensure the best possible start when planted in yard or garden.

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The Complete Tomato Growing System

Your Customers Learn How To Grow Organic Tomatoes The Correct Way, Without Expensive Supplies & Equipment. This Is A New & Unique Method Of Growing Big & Healthy Tomatoes. Sales Are Growing Fast, Grab Your Share Of This Growing Market.

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Growing Juicy, Delicious Tomatoes

The definitive guide to growing juicy, delicious tomatoes, every time. Whether it's your first time growing tomatoes or your twentieth, you can learn how to grow the most delicious tomatoes Ever and avoid all the problems that can crop up in the garden.

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Thompson Seedless Grape Vine One Gallon by Monrovia Growers

Add the beauty and pleasure of edible grapes to your landscape. Deciduous vines with bold foliage produce abundant clusters of colorful fruit each fall. They grow rapidly and will create a leafy roof over an arbor or a screen in one season. These selections are adapted to long, warm, growing seasons. Plant in full sun and enjoy. Sweet, seedless fruit in clusters. Great for fresh eating or make your own raisins!

Price: $32.98

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Guide To Grape Harvesting & Wine Making Tips

A Complete guide to growing your own grapes & making delicious wine. Written by a Wine Making Veteran. Complete step by step process

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KidKraft Avalon Chair - Grape

The Avalon Chair is the perfect kid-size chair for your little one, who will love sitting down and relaxing in this fun and stylish chair.

Features:

• Made of wood
• Sturdy construction
• For children ages 5 and up
• Measures: 14" x 13.375" x 26.875"

Price: $59.90

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Grapes Growing at Mirassou Vineyards, San Jose, USA Photographic Poster Print

Grapes Growing at Mirassou Vineyards, San Jose, USA is digitally printed on archival photographic paper resulting in vivid, pure color and exceptional detail that is suitable for any museum or gallery display. Finding that perfect piece to match your interest and style is easy and within your budget!

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Start Growing Tomatoes Today !

The Best Tomato Growing Ebook On The Internet. Earn over 16 $ Per Sale. 64 Pages Filled With Beautiful Pictures And Step By Step Instructions On How To Grow Best Tasting Tomatoes. Feel Free To Email Us For Help And Advice !

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Guide to Growing Roses

Guide to Growing Roses in Six Easy Steps includes all you need to grow gorgeous, healthy roses your neighbors will envy! 3 bonuses,Gardening Journal. New 75% Commission or $12.75/book & Affiliate tools: http://www.guidetogrowingroses.com/affiliates.php

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Grape Growing & Wine Making: A guidebook for beginners

Comprehensive guide to grape growing and wine making for experts and beginners alike. Reveals the secrets to making great wine and the traps to avoid!

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Three Stumbling Blocks to Growing Grapes in the Backyard

Are you one of those home gardeners that don't know the three
stumbling blocks to successfully growing grapes in your backyard?
Don't worry, you're not alone.

I have grown grapes successfully under the worst of conditions
since 1975 and I can tell you that most of the problems gardeners
encounter are because they don't understand the nature of the
beast that they are growing. So let's look at the problems that I
see when people, like you, have me come and analyze what problems
they are having growing the backyard grapevine.

The first problem I see is that gardeners want to grow some
grapes but they are unaware of the variety they are growing and
its growth habit. This leads to many problems from the get go.
Each variety has to be treated as an individual. The most common
varieties in local nurseries are either Concord types or the
European vinifera grape. It all depends on whether you live East
or West of the Rockies. In the East, Concord types are common.
In the West, especially along the Pacific Coast, you will find
the vinifera varieties. Each distinct type have differing growth
habits and this influences what you will have to do to maintain
them.

Concord types have a more drooping habit of growth. Vinifera
types are more upward in their growth habit. What does this
mean? It means that each type has to be trained differently
because they grow differently. Because the Concord types droop,
they must be trained high and allowed to droop downward during
the growing season. The vinifera types must be trained low and
allowed to grow upward. This takes advantage of the natural
growth habit and maximizes the sunlight into the leaves to get
the best ripening conditions and yield of grapes.

Each variety varies in how vigorous the growth is. This trait
determines the distance between vines when planted. Low vigor
vines must be planted closer while high vigor vines need more
space. You don't want high vigor vines planted close as they
will run into each other and be hard to maintain over the years.
Conversely, low vigor vines planted farther apart will leave gaps
of space that will never be filled and you will lose yield
because of this.

Gardeners must also be aware of the ripening habits of the
variety. Some varieties ripen early and are grown in areas where
the growing season is short. Others need much more time to
mature. These are late varieties and will need up to 170 days or
more to ripen. Then there are those that are inbetween. You
have to select the varieties that are adapted to your growing
conditions. Your local nurseryman should be able to help you out
there.

One last thing when considering varieties is whether you want to
eat them or make wine. Table grapes are to be eaten and wine
grapes obviously are to make wine from. The two types are
distinct and you can't make wine from most table grapes as they
don't get high enough in sugar content and the acids are too low
to balance the wine. While wine grapes are small berried and
seedy, not suited for eating.

The second big problem I see is that the vines are a tangled
mess. Vines need maximum exposure to the sun to be able to ripen
the grapes. When they are allowed to grow out of control, the
vine leaves begin to shade the vine and this allows for disease
and insects to set in (some varieties will need spraying
throughout the growing season for disease and insect control),
and for less than optimal conditions for ripening the fruit
properly. Vines must be pruned properly each year for maximum
fruitfulness and health.

Pruning means removing 75-90% of the previous year's growth. This
seems drastic but it maintains the health and vigor of the vine.
It also means the maximum production of fruit and the best
ripening conditions. You can't ignore pruning the vine each
spring. It is a must! There are various styles of pruning.
These are dependent on the variety and its growth habit. Some
varieties are pruned long and some require short "spur" pruning.

Long pruned vines are not fruitful in the bottom, (basal buds).
The maximum fruitfulness on these vines comes from the middle
buds on the canes from last year's growth. Varieties that bear
fruit from the bottom, basal buds are spur pruned. Pruning is an
art in itself and comes out of a knowledge of how the vine grows.
But if not done, the vine will be shaded, get diseased, and
overbear, thus weakening the vine. Not pruning will lead to
lowered yields and improper ripening. It can also lead to the
death of the vine over time. This is especially true in areas
with winters. Pruning will instill more winter hardiness because
of healthy growing conditions.

Harvesting too early is the last major problem I see from
backyard gardeners. People seem to think that as soon as the
grapes begin to color that they are ripe. This can be far from
the truth. Coloring, known as verasion, occurs weeks before the
grapes are actually ripe. Grapes need to attain a good sugar
content and acid balance before they can be harvested. Many
people harvest their grapes before they have reached this point
and are disappointed in the taste or the wine made from these
grapes.

Here again, varieties differ in when they are ripe. It is best
to use simple qualitative analysis to determine ripeness. The
easiest way is to purchase a refractometer to determine the sugar
content of the berries. Table grapes can be harvested between 16
and 18% sugar. Wine grapes usually need a sugar content of
around 22-24% sugar or more to be harvested and obtain the right
alcohol content of the wine.

Growing grapes in the backyard or garden can be a rewarding
experience if done correctly. If grown haphazardly, the vines
can become overgrown, tangled messes and never ripen properly.
Often leading to death of the vine or disappointment at least.
You should read as many reference books on the subject as you can
before starting out to plant your backyard vineyard. The more
you know about the grapes you are planting the better.

A good list of reference books on growing grapes can be found at:

[http://www.ristcanyonvineyards.com/books.html]

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The Ultimate Guide To Growing Tomatoes

Down to earth secrets on growing natural organic tomatoes.

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An Idiots Guide To Wine Tasting

Have you ever seen those stiff upper-lipped types doing a spot of the old wine tasting malarkey? You know the form - sip, swill, spit. Yuck! Well this information has been written to help you understand the form should you ever find yourself in a situation where you need to know what to do. And don't go thinking "I'll never have to do any wine-tasting" because you just don't know that for sure and the last thing you want is to be caught unaware.

So, on with the tasting...

Study The Wine

Pick up your glass as elegantly as possible. There are two ways this can be done.

a) For chilled wines - hold the glass by the stem and don't even touch the bowl.

b) For wine served at room temperature - pick up the glass by the bowl and hold it cupped in your palm, the stem between your middle two fingers.

Now that you have the glass comfortably in your hand, hold it at a slight angle against something white. If your hostess is worth her salt, she'll have covered the table in white linen specifically for this purpose (although it does look nice, too).

Be careful not to tip the glass too far - unless you're willing to replace an expensive linen tablecloth, that is. You may also need to adjust the distance from your eyes that the glass is held at. Most find that holding it at almost arm's length is a good starting point although the very short sighted who are also absent minded enough to have left their eye glasses at home may find themselves having to hold the glass almost in front of their noses.

Once you've found the correct position, study the colour and clarity of the wine. Now you may well believe that wine's either red, pink, or white but I'm afraid, if that's the case, you're very much mistaken. Wines can be green, yellow, gold, pink, purple, or even black. Evidently, the colour of the wine will indicate the type of grape it was made from - like me, you, and Jack on the street are likely to know that!

Clarity indicates age. Young wines are more see through and cloudiness can mean there's something wrong. If that's the case, I'd suggest putting it back on the table and giving your hostess once of those 'down your nose' type looks.

The reason why you're studying the colour and clarity looks has absolutely no bearing on how the wine will taste but a proper connoisseur enjoys the beauty of wine as well as its taste and ...

The Bouquet

No, we're not talking about the bunch of flowers a bride carries with her down the aisle, we're talking the smell of wine. Sometimes, if the people at the wine tasting are really posh, they might call it 'The Nose'.

Still holding your glass in the correct manner, lower your hand somewhat whilst bring your glass to a level position and rotate your wrist so that the wine swirls gently within the bowl. You might want to leave these instructions at this point to go to the kitchen and practise this step with a wineglass half filled with water. After all, it's just as well to know for sure that you aren't going to spill expensive red wine over your hostess's spanking new Axminster.

To swill wine properly, very little wrist movement is actually needed. Just very slight circular movements combined with a right-left movement should do the trick.

The idea behind all this swilling is to bring the wine's aroma out of the wine itself and into the empty part of the bowl thus allowing it to be smelled and savoured. This is why wine glasses are bulbous. The wide bowl has ample room for swilling while the narrow edge 'captures' the bouquet. Clever, eh?

Move your glass to your nose as elegantly as you're able and bring it in slightly beneath the tip. Inhale deeply. Savour for a few moments and then inhale again. It's a good idea to exhale between those two inhalations or you might find yourself going dizzy. Do it too often and you'll faint.

You may now move your glass away from your nose.

At this point, it's appropriate to make some kind of comment. Don't imagine you'll fool anybody into believing you're an expert but at least you can make it sound as if you've actually drunk a glass of decent wine before. Why should the other guests need to know that most of your wine costs £3.99 at the Co-Op?

Something like "mmmm, rich and fruity" or "oooh, lovely and light" will probably do the trick. When talking about red wine, 'rich' is usually a good word to use - if the wine's white, go for 'light'.

The Actual Tasting

You've probably been looking forward to this bit but whatever you do, remember that wine tasting is about taking small sips and not guzzle it down like there's no tomorrow.

This bit's actually trickier than you'd expect so you might want to do some more practising.

Bring your glass to your lips, open them slightly and take a small sip. Now close you mouth and roll the wine around on your tongue for a few seconds before allowing it to slide slowly down your throat AND AT THE SAME TIME EXHALE!

The trouble with exhaling whilst swallowing is that some of the liquid might come shooting through your nostrils. Not a pretty sight and, again, think of the Axminster!

If you fancy, you can always take a second sip at this point but never a third. No matter how good that one particular wine is, it's time to move on to the next.

Other Stuff Worth Knowing

Apart from bottles and glasses, the table will probably hold plates of cheese or, occasionally, sherbet. They're not there to snack on; they're used between wines to clean out the taste of the last wine you tasted. Just a little at a time is all that's needed. Do like a mouse and nibble!

Wear something comfortable and preferably something that doesn't carry a designer label. After all, if you spill red wine down the front of your best frock, you're not going to be happy, are you?

That's it. You're now clued up enough to pop along to your very first wine tasting party without making a complete idiot of yourself.

Enjoy!

~~+~~+~~

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Viticulture - An introduction to commercial grape growing for wine production

A basic introduction to growing grapes for wine production. Aimed at the serious student in the wine trade, WSET Diploma student or Master of Wine candidate.
Price:

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