Growing Grapes in Your Backyard

Last year we planted our first two Concord grapevines in our backyard. We’re completely new to growing our own grapes and are excited to see how they did over the winter season. Matter of fact, as soon as Spring gets here I’ll be planted two seedless green grapes in our little garden plot next. Every year we want to add 2 more grapevines until we hit 10-2 in the area that we’re growing them in.

One thing that I did learn when it came to planting them is that you need really good soil. I ended up digging up the entire plot, removing any rocks that I saw and mixed in a good soil with the old along with a little bit of sand as recommended at the garden center. That entire dig-up and mix-in project took me two weekends to complete.

Another thing that I learned is that they need a lot of sun. You don’t want to be planting them in any shady or partially shady areas. Make sure they get plenty of sun!!! In addition, once a year you should prune your grapevines to remove the dead vines and to encourage new growth during the next growing season. They can be thick…so make sure you use a sharp pair of pruners to get the job done.

In a few months I’ll give you an update on how things are coming along once our gardening season kicks into full gear.