Growing grapes

[DaveSoMD]

Okay, I remember both my great-grandfather and my great aunt and uncle growing grapes. The grew them on arbors. SO also remembers similiar grape growing in family gardens.

So, we now have several grape vines in pots sitting in the yard and my on-line research is showing me that I need to sink large posts in the ground and run high-strength wire to support the vines???

Has anyone here had any experience growing grapes? Can I grow them on arbors? I was planning in building them myself so I can make them as strong as necessary. I'm not looking for high-yield for wine making or anything, just for us to enjoy.

[JamesS]

I think anything that gives them some room to go up and out should work. A few years ago, we started getting grape vines growing wild up the trees and low branches at the edge of the yard. Every year, they wander a little further down the tree line. There's a winery a few miles down the road, and I imagine they migrated from there. It doesn't seem like they're very picky.

[getoutamykitchen]

My brother has his on an arbor that he made himself.

[Andy M.]

You can find grapes growing wild along the ground.

Providing support for them to grow and spread keeps the fruit off the ground so it's more difficult for wild critters to eat them before they're ripe enough for you to eat.

You could build or buy a simple arbor that will be enough for a couple of years, then add more as the plants spread.

[DaveSoMD]

Thanks all! I better get designing that arbor then.

[larry_stewart]

The advantage of doing the post and wire method is it seems to be more " organized " and easier to prune, pick .... I tried this and was unsuccessful ( as i didnt really know what i was doing) , so i did the arbor thing myself.

[kadesma]

Originally Posted by DaveSoMD

Thanks all! I better get designing that arbor then.

Dave our are stretched across wire and posts..Mush easier to get to, prune,spray for critters plus we put netting over it to keep out the birds who think they own any thing oc a trellis.Plus a trellis can cause squashed grapes if they get to close.
Hopeyou have good luck..What kind are you thinking of? We have seedless green..
kadesma

[expatgirl]

the house we had in Cairo (built before the turn of the century) had a grape arbor over the open garage which had chickencoop wire laid across some wooden beams......you could not see any light coming through it was so thick with vines..the original stalk was huge and probably as old as the house

[DaveSoMD]

Originally Posted by kadesma

Hopeyou have good luck..What kind are you thinking of? We have seedless green..
kadesma

Thanks kadesma,

We bought 1 each of seedless green, red, and purple.

[kadesma]

Originally Posted by DaveSoMD

Thanks kadesma,

We bought 1 each of seedless green, red, and purple.

Nice Dave, good luck and enjoy.
kades

[sparrowgrass]

I I made my arbors by setting T-posts (metal fenceposts) and I curved a cattle panel between four T-posts, in an arch. Cattle panels are heavy wire panels, 16 feet long and 4 and a half feet tall.

I used 4 of them to make an arbor, all in a row. There is enough space underneath to drive the lawn tractor thru, and I put them just high enough so I can reach the grapes that hang down from the highest point.

Get a grape cultivation flyer from your local extension office (or online). You WILL need to spray regularly, or you will have a lovely arbor but no fruit. Japanese beetles love grape leaves, and can strip them bare in about 15 minutes. They probably won't kill the vines, but that will hurt yield.

[Andy M.]

sparrowgrass, how long did it take to get from photo A to Photo B?

My Mom would have loved to visit your arbor and harvest grape leaves for stuffing. The grapes are a nice added benefit.

[expatgirl]

Sparrowgrass, put a car in there and that's what we had in Cairo! :):)

[sparrowgrass]

Actually, photo a and photo b are two different arbors. It took several years for the grapes to fill in--maybe 3? I planted one plant on each side of the panels, so 8 plants total. One died early on. I think if I was doing it again, I would plant 6 plants total.

I did the whole thing all by myself, and it was much easier than digging postholes and stringing wire.

The bare arbor is new, and I planted hardy kiwis on it 2 years ago. No fruit yet.

While I have not had any grapes, because I don't spray, the arbor is very pretty and cool on a hot day. I have a new baby granddaughter, and I can picture her in the arbor with a little table and chairs, having a tea party. (NOT that kind of tea party.)

[sparrowgrass]

In the picture of the bare arbor, you can see cattle panels on the ground. I use them for tomato "cages", too. I set two panels about a foot apart, and plant my tomatoes in between, to keep them up off the ground. The panels are expensive--about $20 each--but they will last longer than me.

[DaveSoMD]

GREAT idea sparrowgrass! I am assuming that the tunnel runs north/south so both sides get enough sun?

[sparrowgrass]

The grape arbor runs N-S, the kiwi arbor runs E-W. I didn't want to block my view by putting both arbors in the same place.

[larry_stewart]

I grew kiwis ( one male one female plant). they said it would take about 3 to 5 years to fruit. After the 3rd year, still nothing, so I was losing my patience and save it one more year to fruit or id chop it down ( the plant was getting really out of control). Anyway, the 4th year, I got 2 kiwis. So I decided to give it a few more years. the following year 16, and then the year after that , almost 900.

[sparrowgrass]

That is good to know, Larry. My horticulture person at work said that they often don't get enough time to ripen here before frost, but I am an optimist.

[larry_stewart]

Im not sure where the variety i have are originally from, but it must have been somewhere with a cimate similar to mine since they grow like weeds. almost to the point that i cant control them and my wife constantly complaining how they are taking up the yard. they usually flower about early june, and i pick the fruits in late september/ early october.