Beyond The Tomato: Grape Growing Information

If you're looking for a gardening experience beyond tomatoes and basil

, you may want to consider grapes, since there's plenty of grape growing information out there for the neophyte. Aficionados are enthusiastic and happy to share their secrets. Their message is that grape growing is doable with a little planning and a little homework to learn what's involved.

As a start, it's best to decide what kind of grape you're interested in growing. A lot will depend on your soil type, exposure to sunlight, and climate. Grapes are quite particular about where they live, so make a list of what you have to offer. With list in hand, head to an experienced nursery in your area for the final choice. There, they'll know what will work and what won't.

If you've decided to want to try some wine-making, a Concord is the most dependable variety in the east and the vinifera is best in the west. Before bringing baby home, be sure to prepare the soil. You may need to adjust the acidity and strategize where the sunlight is the best and the room plentiful for spread.

Sunlight is a sine qua non for a grape yield. Grape vines will out-compete pretty much anything smaller than a giant Redwood to get what they need. A southern exposure with good drainage should be the front runner for your plant.

The actual planting is a non-event. Simply dig a pretty big hole, loosen and spread the root ball, and tuck it in with rich soil and a layer of mulch. For a good part of the growing season, it won't need much besides regular water and an occasional dose of fertilizer. Grape vines are native to America and voracious growers, even when neglected.

The one thing the young grape plant will need you for is support. Without a trellis or other support to grow along (stretched wire between 2 posts works quite well), the young growing shoots will droop to the ground and rot. You can train the shoots early to form a nice neat path along the supports, by tying them lightly to the wires as they grow. They'll be too weak to bear fruit the first year or two. So plan for your first wine-tasting closer to grape plant adulthood, which will be in the third growing season.

Pruning is the one critical aspect of maintaining the vines and ensuring a good grape yield. As the plant ages, only a few strong large trunk vines are kept with a small amount of new growth to serve as back-up in case the trunk vines get damaged in the cold season.

Grapes are pretty resistant to most insects, but are vulnerable to fungus. You have to keep an eye out for this. It's not difficult to fight if you catch it early and treat with fungicide. The grapes also attract birds and there will never be enough for both you and them; netting is pretty much a must once the grapes start juicing up, so you can beat out the birds and reap your harvest. No longer a neophyte, you can join the community of enthusiasts with your own store of grape growing information.

Beyond The Tomato: Grape Growing Information

By: Miles Fletcher

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