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How to Grow Grapes: The Complete Guide

Photo Credit
Pixabay
Botanical Name
Vitis spp.
Plant Type
Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral
Hardiness Zone
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

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Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Grapes

Catherine Boeckmann

Grapes are harvested in early fall, and then planted in the spring. Learn more about growing grapes! Not only are they a beautiful ornamental plant but also these vines produce sweet treats that are wonderful for eating, juicing, and winemaking. 

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 within a few years and last for 30 years or more!

For home gardeners, there are three main types of grapes to consider: American (Vitis labrusca), European (V. vinifera), and French-American hybrids. American grapes are the most cold-hardy, while European grapes—usually better for wine than the table—do 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 U.S. is the Muscadine (V. rotundifolia), which is native to the southern United States. The Muscadine grape’s thick skin makes it best suited for use in jams, wine, or other processed grape products.

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 possible.

Eager to get started? We have plenty of tips for growing grapes in your backyard!

Read Next

Planting

  • Grapevines should be planted in early spring after the date of the last hard freeze has passed. Vines are usually purchased as dormant, bare-root plants.
  • Most grape varieties are self-fertile. To be sure, ask when you are buying vines if you will need more than one plant for pollination.
  • Select a site with full sun. If you don’t have a spot with full sun, make sure it at least gets morning sun. A small amount of afternoon shade won’t hurt. Your soil needs to be deep, well-drained, and loose. You also need good air circulation.
  • 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.
    • One option is a sturdy trellis or arbor. The arbor may have two, four or six posts, depending on whether it’s 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. Grow 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. 
    • 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 rest.
  • Before planting grapevines, soak their roots in water for two or three hours.
  • Space vines 6 to 10 feet apart (16 feet for muscadines).
  • 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’t tamp this down.
  • Water at time of planting.

Growing

  • Do not fertilize in the first year unless you have problem soil. Fertilize lightly in the second year of growth.
  • Use mulch to keep an even amount of moisture around the vines.
  • A mesh net is useful in keeping birds away from budding fruit.

Pruning Grapes

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’ll get fewer grapes. If you prune back your vines completely each year, then you get lots of new growth, but again, few grapes.

Pruning is done in late winter when the plant is dormant, usually around March. 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 winter.

  • If you are growing grapes on an arbor or trellis: Grow 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 mess.
  • If you are growing grapes on a stake, cut 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 older.

Types

Note: Seedless varieties will produce smaller grapes.

  • ‘Edelweiss’: Hardy in zones 4–7 (–20°F), early white variety. Table and wine.
  • ‘Reliance’: Hardy in zones 4–8, seedless, pink table grape.
  • ‘Seibel’: Hybrid, wine grape. Cold hardy.
  • ‘Swenson Red’: Hardy in zones 4–8, red table grape.
  • ‘Magnolia’: White Muscadine wine grape. Sweet. Best in zones 7–9.
  • ‘Valiant’: Eating grape hardy to Zone 2.

Harvesting

  • If grapes aren’t ripening, pinch back some of the foliage to let in more sunlight.
  • Grapes will not continue ripening once picked from the vine. Test a few to see if they are to your liking before harvesting, usually in late summer or early fall.
  • 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. Sample different grapes from different clusters, and the taste should be between sweet and tart. Check our ripeness guide for more tips on color.
  • 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 spoilage.
  • See our article on making jams and jellies with fruit from your garden.
Gardening Products

Wit and Wisdom

Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) resemble grapes only in that they grow in clusters, but that was sufficient reason for early European explorers in Barbados to bestow this name on them.

Pests/Diseases

Recipes

Chicken, Fennel & Fruit Quinoa Salad
Easy Grape Jelly With Two Ingredients
Fruit
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË found each other. She leads digital content for the ÃÛÌÒÁµÈË website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

Bob (not verified)

5 years 6 months ago

I live in zone 8 or north Louisiana. I planted 3 grapevines also and after one year growth they never came back in year 2, or 3. But 4 years later one came back and I was astonished. I guess it went dormant due to mild winters here never getting lower than freezing and managed to survive somehow. I am going to work hard to keep this one going.

Sorry to hear that the grapes died; it’s always wise to consider zone hardiness. Yo have a point about our not noting the zones for the varieties named and we’ll look into that; be assured that there are far more varieties than are named here—and that can be named here. For that reason, we advise you to consult a cooperative extension for more local guidance; find your state here and make contact with the nearest extension service as directed.

It may be more than the variety/zone hardiness that is at issue. Often soil quality, moisture, and disease are involved, too.

We hope this helps.

I planted 3 grapevines in zone 8 ( north Louisiana) 4 years ago. They grew good the first year and had grape clusters. They never came back the second year, or third year either. But 4 years later one shoot came back this spring.We never have cold winters below 30 degrees. Have you ever heard of this happening? I am excited and going to try hard to keep it going.

Shane (not verified)

7 years 5 months ago

I have wine grapevine cuttings from a mature (decades old) plant growing in the backyard. Recent changes in the garden layout mean I have to start a new vine someplace else in the yard. There's this young avo tree (~3m tall, sturdy stem) growing in a prime position with ample soil around it.

So my question is, do you think it would be a good idea to grow the vine at the base of the avo tree and train it up the tree as a support?

Although it sounds like an interesting idea, probably both vine and tree would be better off if the grape was supported by a manmade support system. Concerns include competition for light and nutrients; weight of the grape vine on the young tree; and access to the vine for training, pruning etc.

Sanda Mary (not verified)

7 years 5 months ago

Got very useful information. Will like to embark on grapes farming in Nigeria , and will need guidance into it. How do you get the roots or stem to plants. Need information on planting of grapes, peaches, apples and other fruits that are not common in Nigeria. I have acquired some plots of land but need the technical know how and the materials to plant. Thanks

Terry Pinnell (not verified)

7 years 5 months ago

My husband just planted tomatoe plants below our grape vines. Am I correct in understanding that the acid from the tomatoe plants will destroy the grape vines?

Terry, we looked all over and can find no information on this. We suggest you contact your local cooperative extension here http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-services

These folks are quite knowledgeable!

Dan (not verified)

7 years 5 months ago

Hi, I just purchased some land, and the previous owner planted grape vines a couple years ago, (not sure if it was 1 or 2 years) but he had kept the land maintained up to last year. We looked at the property back in March and put an offer on it and got the land, but with the process of closing and everything, we only took possession a couple weeks ago. Now the land is a field with 4 foot high grass, I started mowing and was looking at the grapes, and there are some massive weeds growing in there, like 1 inch diameter weeds. (the prickly kind, but way bigger than I've ever seen on my lawn) There are several rows of grapes and I was planning on spraying week killer or maybe even spot spray round up, but after reading this and a couple other things, it seems grapes are very sensitive to weed killers. I was wondering if there is a weed killer that would be safer than others for this. Also, I missed the chance for any pruning I'm sure, but is there a way to tell how old they are and if I should remove the flower clusters like you suggested for second year vines.