Hardscrabble Journal

Dodging Frost Bullets

This recent cold spell is taking some of the wind out of our sails. Chardonnay bud break was early, but now everything has stalled. Many buds are cutworm susceptible, meaning that every night the worms chew up a few more buds, reducing the potential fruitfulness of the vines. We need a warm spell so that these buds can quickly develop into shoots. Then the cutworms lose interest.

The good news is that so far, we have escaped any freeze damage. Yesterday’s low was 32°F, this morning it was 34°F. Tomorrow morning is predicted to be 31°F. Young shoots can handle about 29°F before freezing. Even if we make it through tomorrow, we still have an additional several weeks of potential frost worries.

A heat wave would be nice.

• Subscribe to Linden Updates for the latest vineyard and cellar information.

Linden Vineyards / Learn More / Latest at Linden | Journal: April 16, 2020