Our Earth has given us our homes, our lives, and the wine we love. We believe in treating it right, from the ground up. By using environmentally friendly, sustainable practices to care for the soil from which our vines grow, we have peace of mind that we’re doing our best for both our products and the planet. To celebrate Earth Day this year, here are 5 of our sustainable soil health practices that benefit our earth… and our Earth.

1. Composting

Compost is the primary food source for our farm. Compost is not only a rich source of nutrition for the earth in which we grow our grapes, but it also saves organic waste (like leftover grape skins) from landfills, where they become too compacted to break down in a beneficial way… if at all. 

2. Cover Cropping

Cover crops offer a multitude of benefits in a vineyard, assisting in soil health, pest control, weed suppression, and plant development. We use ryegrass, clover, and oilseed radish cover crops. This mix infuses nutrient-rich organic matter and nitrogen into our soil, naturally. 

3. Subsoiling 

We use the term “living soil” to describe the ground from which our vines grow. If it lives, it has to breathe. So we subsoil – cutting into the layer of soil under the topsoil to loosen and aerate it – which helps facilitate nutrient exchanges, improves drainage, and more.

4. Integrated Pest Management

IPM is a strategy that focuses on the long-term prevention of damaging pests in our vineyard by managing the ecosystem. It means that we identify potential issues and threats and treat them accordingly while minimizing risks to the environment, people, and beneficial or non-targeted organisms.

5. Mechanical Weeding

Our primary weeding machine is our grape hoe, which loosens the soil, causing weeds to dry out and decompose naturally. This approach allows us to drastically reduce herbicide usage while adding more organic matter to the soil, improving overall health.

There you have it, 5 ways we care for our earth from the ground up. Happy Earth Day from all of us at M Cellars. We hope to see you on our grounds soon.