{"id":151,"date":"2023-08-22T21:54:29","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T21:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/?p=151"},"modified":"2023-09-19T17:03:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T17:03:00","slug":"planting-growing-and-harvesting-grapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/2023\/08\/22\/planting-growing-and-harvesting-grapes\/","title":{"rendered":"Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Grapes"},"content":{"rendered":"<h6 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"meta-prep meta-prep-author\"><br \/>\n\u00a9 <\/span>https:\/\/www.almanac.com\/plant\/grapes<br \/>\nPosted by: Catherine Boeckmann<\/h6>\n<h3>About Grapes<\/h3>\n<p>Grape vines not only produce sweet and versatile fruits, but they also add an element of drama to a garden or landscape. They are vigorous growers, and with the proper pruning, they will produce fruit with ease\u00a0within a few years and last for 30 years or\u00a0more!<\/p>\n<p>For home gardeners, there are three main types of grapes to consider:\u00a0<strong>American<\/strong>\u00a0(<em>Vitis\u00a0labrusca<\/em>),\u00a0<strong>European<\/strong>\u00a0(<em>V. vinifera<\/em>), and\u00a0<strong>French-American hybrids<\/strong>. American grapes are the most cold-hardy, while European grapes\u2014usually better\u00a0for wine than the table\u2014do well in warm, dry, Mediterranean-type zones. Hybrids tend to be both cold-hardy and disease-resistant, but are not as flavorful as European grapes. Another type that is grown in the\u00a0<span class=\"caps\">U.S.<\/span>\u00a0is the\u00a0<strong>Muscadine<\/strong>\u00a0(<em>V. rotundifolia<\/em>), which is native to the southern United States. The Muscadine grape\u2019s\u00a0thick skin makes it best suited for use in\u00a0jams, wine, or other processed grape\u00a0products.<\/p>\n<p>Make sure you purchase grape vines from a reputable nursery. Vigorous, 1-year-old plants are best. Smaller, sometimes weaker, 1-year-old plants are often held over by the nursery to grow another year and are then sold as 2-year-old stock. Obtain certified virus-free stock when\u00a0possible.<\/p>\n<div class=\"body-ad-wrapper block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodeplantfield-planting\">\n<div class=\"block__content\">\n<div class=\"text-content clearfix field field--name-field-planting field--type-text-long field--label-above\">\n<h2 class=\"field__label\"><strong>PLANTING<\/strong><\/h2>\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<ul>\n<li>Grapevines should be planted in\u00a0<strong>early spring after the date of the last hard freeze has passed<\/strong>. Vines are usually purchased as dormant,\u00a0bare-root\u00a0plants.<\/li>\n<li>Most grape varieties are self-fertile. To be sure, ask when you are buying vines if you will need more than one plant\u00a0for\u00a0pollination.<\/li>\n<li>Select a site with full sun. If you don\u2019t have a spot with full sun, make sure it at least gets morning sun. A small amount of afternoon shade won\u2019t hurt. Your soil needs to be deep, well-drained, and loose. You also need good air\u00a0circulation.<\/li>\n<li>Grape vines will need to be trained to some sort of support to grow upward. This will also cut the risk of disease. The support needs to be in place at planting.\n<ul>\n<li>One option is a sturdy\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.almanac.com\/video\/how-build-trellis-and-supports-climbing-vegetables\">trellis or arbor<\/a>. The arbor may have two, four or six posts, depending on whether it\u2019s attached to the house or another structure. The top can be secured with 2-inch by 4-inch wooden slats that hold the arbor together and topped with 1-inch by 2-inch wood pieces to create the latticework for the vines to grow on. You may also need corner braces to secure the whole structure.\u00a0Grow the grapes, one per post, selecting the strongest cane. Allow it to grow to the top of the post the first year, securing it to the post as it\u00a0grows.<\/li>\n<li>If you are low on free space, try growing grapes on a stake. Pound in a sturdy stake next to the grapevine and securely attach it. Keep the vine growing vertically. Let the vine grow to the top of the stake the first year, then top it. Allow 4 to 5 side canes to grow. Remove all the\u00a0rest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Before planting grapevines, soak their roots in water for two or three\u00a0hours.<\/li>\n<li>Space vines 6 to 10 feet apart (16 feet for\u00a0muscadines).<\/li>\n<li>For each vine, dig a planting hole 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide. Fill with 4 inches of topsoil. Trim off broken roots and set the vine into the hole slightly deeper than it grew in the nursery. Cover the roots with 6 inches of soil and tamp down. Fill with the remaining soil, but don\u2019t tamp this\u00a0down.<\/li>\n<li>Water at time of\u00a0planting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"body-ad-wrapper block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodeplantfield-care\">\n<div class=\"block__content\">\n<div class=\"text-content clearfix field field--name-field-care field--type-text-long field--label-above\">\n<h2 class=\"field__label\">GROWING<\/h2>\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<ul>\n<li>Do not fertilize in the first year unless you have problem soil. Fertilize lightly in the second year of\u00a0growth.<\/li>\n<li>Use mulch to keep an even amount of moisture around the\u00a0vines.<\/li>\n<li>A mesh net is useful in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.almanac.com\/content\/how-keep-birds-out-garden\">keeping birds away<\/a>\u00a0from budding\u00a0fruit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Pruning\u00a0Grapes<\/h3>\n<p>Pruning is very important. Grapes produce fruit on shoots growing off of one-year-old canes. If you have too many old canes (from no pruning), then you\u2019ll get fewer grapes. If you prune back your vines completely each year, then you get lots of new growth, but again, few\u00a0grapes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"body-ad-wrapper block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodeplantfield-care\">\n<div class=\"block__content\">\n<div class=\"text-content clearfix field field--name-field-care field--type-text-long field--label-above\">\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<p data-inc=\"1\">Pruning is done in late winter when the plant is dormant, usually around\u00a0March. But for the first year or so, the goal is to create a strong root system and trunk. Plant in spring and prune back the grapevine to three buds. Then wait until the first\u00a0winter.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>If you are growing grapes on an arbor or trellis<\/strong>:\u00a0Grow the grapes, one per post, selecting the strongest cane. Allow it to grow to the top of the post the first year, securing it to the post as it grows. The first winter, top the cane and allow it to grow side branches along the top of the arbor. If you let the vines just continue to grow, they will produce dense shade, but little fruit. Prune the grapes each winter by removing those canes that fruited the previous year, cutting back one-year-old canes to five to six buds, and leaving some renewal canes pruned back to two to three buds. The goal is to have canes on the trellis spaced 2 to 3 feet apart. Remove any weak, thin canes. You want to leave enough fruiting canes on the trellis to fill it back in each summer, but not so many that it becomes a tangled\u00a0mess.<\/li>\n<li><strong>If you are growing grapes on a stake<\/strong>,\u00a0cut back the side canes in the first winter to three buds on each. These will send out shoots that will produce grapes the next year. Remove all weak and spindly growth, especially along the lower parts of the trunk. The second winter, prune back the healthiest canes to six to ten buds, select two canes as renewal spurs, and prune those back to three buds on each and remove all other canes. Repeat this pruning each winter. Your trunk should be able to support four to seven fruiting canes each year as it gets\u00a0older.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"body-ad-wrapper block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodeplantfield__recommended\">\n<div class=\"block__content\">\n<div class=\"text-content clearfix field field--name-field__recommended field--type-text-long field--label-above\">\n<h3 class=\"field__label\">RECOMMENDED VARIETIES<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-155\" src=\"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/grapes-300x225.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/grapes-300x225.webp 300w, https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/grapes.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-content clearfix field field--name-field__recommended field--type-text-long field--label-above\">\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Seedless varieties will produce smaller\u00a0grapes.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u2018Edelweiss\u2019: Hardy in zones 4\u20137 (\u201320\u00b0F), early white variety. Table and\u00a0wine.<\/li>\n<li>\u2018Reliance\u2019: Hardy in zones 4\u20138, seedless, pink table\u00a0grape.<\/li>\n<li>\u2018Seibel\u2019: Hybrid, wine grape. Cold\u00a0hardy.<\/li>\n<li>\u2018Swenson Red\u2019: Hardy in zones 4\u20138, red table\u00a0grape.<\/li>\n<li>\u2018Magnolia\u2019: White Muscadine wine grape. Sweet. Best in zones\u00a07\u20139.<\/li>\n<li>\u2018Valiant\u2019: Eating grape hardy to Zone\u00a02.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"body-ad-wrapper block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodeplantfield-harvest\">\n<div class=\"block__content\">\n<div class=\"text-content clearfix field field--name-field-harvest field--type-text-long field--label-above\">\n<h2 class=\"field__label\">HARVESTING<\/h2>\n<div class=\"field__item\">\n<ul>\n<li>If grapes aren\u2019t ripening, pinch back some of the foliage to let in more\u00a0sunlight.<\/li>\n<li>Grapes will not continue ripening once picked from the vine. Test a few to see if they are to\u00a0your liking before harvesting, usually in late summer or\u00a0early\u00a0fall.<\/li>\n<li>Grapes are ripe and ready to harvest when they are rich in color, juicy, full-flavored, easily crushed but not shriveled, and plump. They should be tightly attached to the stems.\u00a0Sample different grapes from different clusters, and the taste should be between sweet and tart.\u00a0Check our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.almanac.com\/content\/ripeness-guide\">ripeness guide<\/a>\u00a0for more tips on\u00a0color.<\/li>\n<li>Grapes can be stored for up to six weeks in the cellar, but grapes can absorb the odors of other fruits and vegetables, so keep them separate. Use cardboard boxes or crates lined with clean, dry straw. Separate bunches with straw or sawdust. Check often for\u00a0spoilage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a9 https:\/\/www.almanac.com\/plant\/grapes Posted by: Catherine Boeckmann About Grapes Grape vines not only produce sweet and versatile fruits, but they also add an element of drama to a garden or landscape. They are vigorous growers, and with the proper pruning, they will produce fruit with ease\u00a0within a few years and last<a href=\"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/2023\/08\/22\/planting-growing-and-harvesting-grapes\/\"> [Read more&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture","category-tomasino-farms-inc"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":173,"href":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151\/revisions\/173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomasinofarms.com\/agroblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}