5 Easy Steps for Growing Grapes in Your Own Backyard

Table grapes don't need a fancy support system. Although it's good to get them off the ground and onto a trellis where you can easily prune and harvest. Wine grapes will require a horizontal structure that gives them the support they need and allows you to train them. In mild winter areas (USDA Zone 7 and warmer) you can plant your grapevines in early winter. In colder regions, wait for early spring. Grapevines set deep roots (as much as 15 feet). Therefore, dig a planting hole about two feet deep and wide, and enrich with compost.

How Many Grape Vines Should I Plant?

• Mature table grapes can produce 15 to 30 pounds per vine. You may only want to plant a couple of vines.

• Mature wine grapes produce about 12 pounds per vine, and it takes 40 pounds to make 12 bottles. If you’re serious about making wine, you’re going to need a lot of vines.

Grapes produce on growth that is a year old. This makes it important that a pruning schedule is kept to remove older growth and ensure new growth develops. The most common mistake made with grape pruning is not pruning hard enough. Once a grapevine is fully established, you will actually be cutting off more plant than you leave behind.

Grapes can be trained in a couple of different ways. This depends on your garden goals and the structure you plan on using for support.
1) Vineyard style-The classic system of two wires strung between posts. This has the benefit of keeping your grapes where they are easy to harvest. It only requires a narrow space, such as along a fence or wall. This method has one central trunk and a one-year-old cane with about 8 buds going out horizontally on each wire. If you want to see how the professionals prune their grapevines, you can find more information here. 

2) Onto a trellis or pergola- A great way to incorporate edible plants in a decorative manner. Grapes can be trained onto arches or used to provide seasonal shade on a pergola. How lovely would it be to reach up and grab a snack while relaxing on your patio?! You can find detailed instructions on training and pruning grapes on a pergola here.

Looking for a simpler, more casual method? Here's how to keep your grapes under control and produce fruit without becoming a pruning expert. Prune your grapes in late winter or early spring. When you are done pruning your grapevine, there should only be two things left. A permanent main trunk or trunks, and growth that is a year old. You won’t want to keep all the year-old growth- there might be a lot! Get rid of unneeded older wood, and thin out and shorten the year-old wood. You can leave anywhere from 2 to 8 buds on a cane.
Pruning can be done in summer to tidy up the vines. Especially if you find they are getting a little wilder than you like. Thinning can also help the fruit get more sun, and increase airflow to prevent powdery mildew. If you find the fruit is growing in dense shade, you might want to do some thinning.

More information on pruning can be found here.

Common grape maintenance challenges

Powdery mildew is the most common disease affecting grapes. It can be controlled by improving air circulation and by regularly spraying in the spring. Birds? Try covering with netting.

Grapevines generally don’t require much fertilizer, so fertilize sparingly. In early spring, apply about eight to ten ounces of 10-10-10 or 10-20-20 fertilizer. Add a layer of high-quality compost to the base of your grapes in early spring. This can often provide the right amount of nutrients to the soil for your grapes to grow and produce annually.