Grapes can be grown almost anywhere within reason, in colder climates they can even be grown inside if you pick the right variety. So, we’ll start at the beginning and work our way though what needs to be done and ‘how to grow grapes.’
As with any fruit or vegetable if you want to grow your own grapes there are two important things to get right; the position and the soil. Find yourself a warm south facing wall or somewhere you can put up supports and dig down deep incorporating lots of organic matter such as leaf mould or compost. Vines are very deep rooted so the further down you dig the better it will be; it’s also important not to leave big lumps of matter in the ground because this can burn the roots.
Now the soil has been improved we need to plant the vines. The end autumn is a good time to plant them, the vines are dormant and they will have all winter to get established; it’s also better for you as you won’t have to water as much. Find out from your local nursery, garden centre or another local grower which varieties grow best in your area, you want to make sure you’re planting the right thing.
Make sure the roots aren’t in a ball, spread them out a little. Plant them just a little deeper than they were in their pot and if possible shade the roots with a few large stones, they don’t like having hot feet!
That’s it you’ve got through the first part of how to grow grapes, now you have to wait. The vines will produce grapes in the first two years but it’s better to concentrate on training the vines against the wall or trellis by tying in the shoots and thinning out any bunches by about 2/3rds. You can prune the vines when they are dormant, fruit is produced on one stems; that’s shoots that have grown the previous year, which has smooth bark. The older wood is the support and that’s why it’s important to train the vines over the first two years to get a good framework.
Hooray it’s year 3! Now this is when growing your own grapes gets really exciting. A really important year, mulch well rotted manure at the base of the vines at the beginning of the year. When the grapes appear thin out as in years 1 and 2 but only by 1/3rd and leave the fruit to ripen. When the grapes are ready; I’m sure you’ll test them, you can remove them and either eat or make your own wine depending on the variety you have chosen. Later in the dormant season cut back the braches by 25% to encourage growth for next year, don’t forget the fruit grows on the previous season’s wood so don’t go mad.
That’s it, you’ve gone through the steps of how to grow grapes and I’m sure you will be really happy with the results whatever you do with the fruit.
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