The (overdue) Winter update!

It's been a while since the last blog post and so much has happened since April! We're in the middle of the wettest winter we've experienced here at Three Dams and the first time that all the dams are overflowing in July! We've also experienced some pretty extreme temperatures over the last few months and gone through a decent amount of firewood! There has also been a few glorious sunny days but unfortunately not enough to fully recharge the new battery bank we installed a few months ago. The new battery bank has actually provided all the power we require this winter and we haven't needed to use the generator at all so far but the size of the bank requires a larger solar array so the decision has been made to upgrade the PV array. 

Back in 2008 when we set up the initial off grid system, one 120 watt solar panel cost nearly $900. In 2016, I can get 6 x 250 watt panels for a bit over $1100 so over the next few weeks I'll be replacing the under performing 780 watt array with a brand new 1.5kw array.

The depths of winter bring a new task this year...grape vine pruning! Due to the dry summer conditions last year and the subsequent problems with roo and wallaby damage to the newly planted Tempranillo vines, they will need to be pruned back harder than we would have liked. This will be done over the next few weeks and a roo protection fence will be constructed.

All in all, as usual plenty to do at Three Dams.

Autumn is here. April 2016

Well here we are again in another Autumn at Three Dams. As you can see above that we've been enjoying some lovely sunsets as the shorter, mild days and cool nights are starting to come. The summer as usual had its moments with some insanely hot (43 deg) days and blustering northerly winds that put everyone on high bushfire alert. It's the kind of weather where you spend a lot of time peering into the horizon over the trees hoping not to see a telltale plume of smoke! Thankfully we got through ok and are now settling in for log fires and hearty slow cooked meals with plenty of red wine again!

The vineyard also managed to withstand the weather but didn't fare so well with the wildlife! All the vines bar one are alive and healthy despite most of the new growth being devoured by the kangaroos and wallabies. This is apparently no big deal in the first year but our priority before next spring is to erected a high fence right around the vineyard. 

In other news, our new battery bank is installed and functioning well. We now have a capacity of 880 Ah with is more than 4 times what we had before and will hopefully allow us a few days autonomy in the event of cloudy skies. 

The extra power we have now enables us to also run our new (second hand) split system AC unit during extreme weather days. The house is becoming more comfortable everyday and Wends is very happy with the new lounge room layout complete with new (EBay $20) rug! Now you can watch the fire and the TV at the same time!

 

The garden has produced the usual abundance of nectarines, cherry tomatoes and also lots of apples as well this year. The new system of pumping dam water up to a holding tank to use for garden watering has been a great success and has meant we haven't had to buy in any water this year so far. Some heavy Jan and Feb showers also helped fill the tanks. 

So for now, it's back to enjoying the Autumn days and moving to inside jobs as we move towards winter in Heathcote again. 

Ziggy of course will get any rays of sun whenever he can!

Happy New Year! Summer update 2016

As usual, it has been a busy time at Three Dams over the last few months. The good news is that all but one of the 311 vines we planted back in early October have survived the summer so far but the local are wreaking havoc! Due to the lack of Spring and Summer rain, the only food available for the kangaroos and wallabies has been our vines so for a brief period around Christmas we had what looked like a real vineyard with lots of growth trailing along the cordon wire. Alas after an invasion by a mob of Roos one night, the whole vineyard was decimated and all the shoots eaten back to the top of the vine guard! The experts here in Heathcote have reassured us that this is not a big problem in the first year so long as the vines get their roots down deep and get established. 

The other problem with the lack of rainfall is the ability to keep the water up to the vineyard and all the veggies and fruit trees so we've set up a separate watering system using dam water pumped up into a 10,000 litre holding tank. With a bit of help from Google and some bits from the hardware, I've managed to set up an automated watering system, entirely solar powered that waters everything at pre determined intervals. 

In other news, right on cue, the nectarines are back! Smaller than last year (also due to the lack of rain) but sweeter than ever! We also had plenty of apricots, plums and a few peaches with the apples and figs still a few weeks away. All in all, the weather has been a challenge but in the last few days we've had about 45mm of rain with 42mm of that coming in about 2 hrs on Wednesday in a massive stormy downpour.

The energy efficiency of the house is ever improving. We recently made up some roll-up shade cloth blinds to protect the western side of the house from the afternoon sun. We even sourced a very efficient split system AC unit from EBay that we can run off the solar panels in the event of extreme weather. By closing up the house in the early morning, it remains a good 8-10 degrees cooler inside than out mainly due to the wall, floor and ceiling insulation and remote roof extraction fan..

But if you're feeling too hot, there's always our new pool for a cooling dip!

Summer is here again!

Summer is officially here and things are in full swing at Three Dams. 

We're very excited to report that all 311 Tempranillo vines that we planted back at the beginning of October have taken and have already emerged from the grow tubes. After a bit of trouble with the marauding wallabies, the vines have managed to attach themselves to the cordon wire and are well on the way. Of course, the lack of rain this time of the year has proved a challenge but we have utilised our dam water this year and yesterday pumped 10,000 litres into a holding tank to keep the vines happy.

The other great news is the new pool! A few weekends work and 7500 litres of water and its up and running just in time for the hot weather. 

As for technical upgrades, the new combined inverter/charge controller is installed and working well and the upgrade to a 24v battery bank is proving a lot more stable and reliable. Everything can also now be monitored with the laptop.

Exciting Times!

So here we are again in another Heathcote Spring with everything looking green despite the lack of rain this year. Fresh back from the European sojourn culminating in 3 weeks travelling through Central and Northern Spain visiting some of the major wine regions, we're pretty excited to finally get the vines planted. After 8 yrs working on the house, veggie garden, solar system etc, we have finally got the vineyard site ready for planting with the trellising and the irrigation lines done in the last few weeks. Our 300 grafted Tempranillo vines will be shipped from the cool room in South Australia at the end of September, ready for planting. 

Many months of hard work ahead but looking forward to the first vintage in 2018. 

Winter has well and truly set in!

With zero and even sub zero overnight temperatures in Heathcote over the last few weeks, Winter is definitely here! Along with the frigid nights come gorgeous clear, crisp days with little or no wind. Despite the short days, It's a really special time of the year with everything looking lush and green. 

The last few months at Three Dams Estate have been pretty productive with work on the vineyard really taking priority. The 300 grafted Tempranillo vines have been ordered and the rows have been ripped and prepared. We are currently in the process of improving the soil quality with lime and gypsum along with organic matter and have begun sourcing the trellis infrastructure such as posts and wire.

We recently installed a new 10,000 litre water tank that will be used to store water pumped from the dams for summer irrigation of the vines.

The next stage in the vineyard development is our "research" sojourn to the great Tempranillo regions of Rioja and Rubero del Duerro in Spain which kicks off next week. Olé! 

Autumn Update

The days are getting shorter and the cold weather is fast approaching. This year will be the first real test of our attemped 8 star energy rating retrofit. With the help of our french HelpXers this summer, we managed to complete the last of the wall insulating and re weatherboarding. We now have floor, ceiling and wall insulation in the whole house and are anticipating a cosy house when the temperature starts getting close to zero as it can in the depths of winter in Heathcote. 

I'm hesitant to say that the house is nearly finished after 7yrs of hard work but with all the internal painting nearly finished, the bathroom renovation also nearly complete with a new solid jarrah vanity top, basin and mixer, all that needs doing are the polishing of the floors. 

The main job over the coming months is to prepare the vineyard site for planting in October this year and order the Tempranillo vines!