Concord Grapes

[steelnut]

Does anyone have knowledge on grape growing?

 

I've been surfing the net trying to find out as much as I can about it.

We want to get some Concord vines.

I know we're in Zone 5 and that they need sun, but that's about it.

 

Do you plant in the spring?

Does anyone sell them locally?

What type of soil is the best, what should we treat the soil with?

What type of mulch do you use?

Spacing of the vines?

 

Any local grape growers knowledge is what I'm really looking for before I go with what I've read on-line.  

We want to build a grape arbor and would really appreciate any local advise, thanks!    

[lavender]

I think concord grapes are about the only kind of grape you can grow successfully around here. Yes, plant in the spring. You should be able to find them locally. I've seen them at Hanzley's and Lowes. Mulch will keep down the weeds but I don't think it is strictly necessary for winter protection. They go about 6 feet apart if you want more than one. Make sure you prune then as this is the key to successful grape growing. I should know as I never get around to it.

The deer will eat them, yum! And our old county extension agent, Greg Burns, once told me that it is almost impossible to grow them with out getting lots of mummies from some disease or other. I don't know the deer get most of mine.

[Petee]

We've had fantastic harvests and then promises that petered out at the last minute.  They're fun to try and if nothing else, they make a great shady place to hang out in on the hottest days of summer.  We have a porch swing in ours.

 

We have a 10 x 10 arbor that never gets pruned.  Heck, they need it in the end days of winter.  I don't even want to walk to the car then! :-)  

[Guest snellma]

I'm not much help but I know from talking to my lady in Erie that her husband hand prunes all of their grapes.  They have 2 different farms with over 100 acres on each farm.

 

I know a few people who have them growing back home and I don't think they do anything special to theirs.

[lavender]

I'm not much help but I know from talking to my lady in Erie that her husband hand prunes all of their grapes.  They have 2 different farms with over 100 acres on each farm.

 

I know a few people who have them growing back home and I don't think they do anything special to theirs.

Yes, they are the next best thing to a native grape and will pretty much go wild if abandoned. We had one that was on the place when we bought it going up an old maple tree. I think it was a major contributor to bringing the tree down, eventually. We don't bother much with the tame one either but fruiting is hit or miss and we lose a lot of the fruit to fungus disease.

Like most things you feed, weed, spray and prune to get a better crop and to keep the plant healthy. If you are going to grow it up over an arbor for decorative purposes you don't want it crawling with Japanese beetles, which love the one I have. The leaves will also get covered with mildew which is not a pretty sight either. You get much nicer grapes if you prune and spray.

It depends on what you want an how much time you have to put into it. Professional growers keep the vines fairly small from what I have seen while driving around the Erie area. If you are growing it for shade let it rip but put up a very sturdy arbor.