Grape Planting Made Easy

People have been planting grapes for wine for centuries, but today viticulture (which is the cultivation of grape vines) has become quite a science. In fact it is an enviable science which any wine lover will admit.

But this is no reason for you to be put off grape planting. After all you don’t need a scientific degree to plant grapes. You just won’t be able to do it on the same scale as wine farmers do, and you will need to make sure that you have the right conditions for the grapes that you are going to grow. Don’t doubt yourself, you CAN succeed.

If you do some homework and research about how to grow grapes, including the type of soil you need, how to plant the grapes, and what to do after you have planted them, then you can succeed at planting grapes under most circumstances.

The basic elements required to be able to grow grapes successfully:

Anyone who knows anything about growing grapes will tell you that really good wine is made from really good grapes – and that really good grapes come from good soil and the right climatic conditions.

So first off find out what wine grape types will grow in your region. You will have much greater success growing grapes for wine making if you choose and then plant a variety that is suited to your area – both in terms of climate and soil conditions.

Choose the right grapes to plant:

There are a few very basic things that you need to consider. First off are you going to make red wine or white wine? If you are tending towards red then you need to grow red – or rather purple-colored – grapes that have been developed for wine making. Otherwise you need green grapes that will enable you to make white (or more accurately yellowish) wine.

Preferably buy your grape plants from a nursery that specializes in grape stocks and unless there is one in your area, order about six months before you plan to plant. Generally the best stock comes from plants that are a year old because they usually have a well-developed root system but haven’t started shooting.

Once you get them into the ground, the trick will be to prune them and train them for the first two or three before you start harvesting them.

By: Al Barker

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Al Barker is a grape growing expert. Al has spent the past 16 years mastering the art of grape planting. In Al's many years he has not only grown world class grapes himself, but has also taught hundreds of people how to master grape planting in their own backyard.