Use these tips for choosing the right variety, growing conditions, and pruning techniques.
You don’t have to own a California vineyard to grow your own grapes.
Grapes of different types are hardy in Zones 4-10, so there’s a grape for your location.
Credit: Matthew Benson
Beware of nearby trees or buildings that might cast shade.
Herbicide drift is another consideration, especially in rural areas.
Broadleaf herbicides, such as 2,4-D and dicamba, injure grape vines.
Credit: Johnny Quirin
Choose a site protected from herbicide drift by large trees and inform your neighbors of your grape planting.
Many mail-order nurseriessell them as bare roots.
Soak bare-root plants in a bucket of water for three to four hours before planting.
At planting, remove all canes except the most vigorous one.
The planting hole should be about 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide.
Water immediately after planting.
Grapes grow upward and therefore need support.
it’s possible for you to use atrellis, arbor, fence, or any post in the ground.
The buds along the stems will flower and set fruit.
If you’d like the grapes tohang overhead from an arbor, train the vines to grow that way.
You’ll still shorten the branches and select a few to secure to the metal or wood arbor.
Soil and Water
Growing grapes requires deep,well-draining soilthat’s free of weeds and grass.
You don’t want the vines to compete for water and nutrients.
The root system of a grapevine can grow deep, sowell-cultivated soil is best.
Young grapes require an inch of water weekly during their first two years.
If rainfall doesn’t supply this amount, water the plants.
Temperature and Humidity
The best temperature for growing grapes is 77oF to 90oF.
Any temperature below 77oF will limit the growth of the fruit.
Grapes prefer average humidity.
Very high and very low humidity are not good for grape plant growth and fruit production.
You may not have to do this as the vines mature, but it all depends on your observation.
If the vines look vigorous and healthy, you don’t need any fertilizer.
Don’tuse mulch, though; it keeps the heat- and sun-loving plant too cool.
Pruning
Grape vines produce fruit on one-year-old canes.
Two-year and older wood is not fruitful.
So annual pruning is required to produce maximum yields of high-quality fruit.
If a vine is left unpruned, it will produce many more grape clusters than it can ripen.
The entire plant weakens under the strain of ripening the fruit.
The best time to prune grape vines is late winter or early spring, while they are leafless.
There are many different ways to prune grapes.
Remember, fruit is produced on the current season’s growth, which originates from last season’s wood.
Pruning and training grapesmay sound complicated, but it doesn’t have to be.
In early spring before the first growth, remove canes that produced fruit the previous year.
Keep a few strong stems, and train them on wires or a trellis.
Shorten them to fit the space if needed, and prune everything else off.
The amount you must cut may shock you, but your grapes will grow better.
Crown gall is because of a bacterium and can kill grape vines.
If pests are eating your grapes, cover the grapes with fine mesh netting.
How to Propagate Grapes
Propagate grapes through dormant stem cuttings.
Prepare a garden bed with well-draining soil.
After the vine goes dormant in fall, select 12- to 18-inch cuttings from one-year-old growth.
The cuttings should be long and straight and about the thickness of a pencil.
Immediately, dip the bottoms of the cuttings in rooting hormone before placing them in the prepared soil.
Ideally, position three buds underground and one bud above ground.
Growth won’t start until the following spring.
Check with your local Extension Service to learn more about the top grape varieties for your area.
Harvesting season falls in September or October.
You don’t want to pick grapes too early.
Look for rich color, juiciness, good flavor, and plumpness.
They should also be easy to crush.
If your grapes check all these boxes, it’s time to get picking.
Choose a warm, dry day to pick grapes.
