Hi Antonv.

You might try posting in the fruit forum. There would be more grape growers there.

You will probably find that grapes are easy to grow. There is a lot of information on the web about growing them. Just google on "table grape growing new york" or something like that. New York is grape heaven (upstate, anyway). If you really want to be obsessed about them, check the link below. I have the book & have spent more time reading it than actually growing grapes!

For the first year, about all that you need to worry about is let them grow without restriction. You just want them to grow good roots and a sturdy main stem. Next winter you will prune to one main vine each - the style that you use depends on whether you want arbor or trellis. I was intimidated by all of the information on pruning styles, but finally decided that it isnt rocket science, and I think that I got the gist of it.

When you receive the vines they will look puny (at least mine did) but in a good climate, they grow fast.
Dont over fertilize - too much nitrogen makes them all leaves and no grapes, and rampant vines are not as winter hardy. I just use some compost on mine. My parents had grapes in the midwest, never fertilized, and we always had plenty of grapes.

One more thing - you might want to build your arbor or trellis before planting the vines. I planted the vines first, and built the arbor a year later. They did fine, but the placement isnt exactly what I would have done if I had started with the arbor first, then planted the vines.

Before long, you will be sitting in the shade of your vines, picking juicy grapes from above the table.

Hope that helps.

Daniel

Here is a link that might be useful: Grape Resource

Anton and Daniel,
Very good for Anton.
The main problem, cultivating a Not-Known plant, is to keep too many...problems.
Vines (also if I don't know these ones), dont need too much manure, (become less resistant to frosts), and care.
If you want I can send to you a SIMPLE description (with pict. draft), of pruning, as in use traditionally in Italy, for centuries; repeat: traditionally, NOT industrially.
Unfortunately the pruning determine hardly the harvest!!!!.
The pruning, as knows Daniels, is a lot easier to do, than to describe it.
Ciao, Sergio
Excuse my bad language.

I am NO grape expert!

Honesty I prefer to buy them @ $1/lb than dealing with their
associated disease/fungi/vermin(racoon/oppussum - my main
concern)/etc., problems! I think that now after some
research and some previous tip-giving, I figured the
BASICS about grape pruning.

FRUIT IS ONLY PRODUCED ON LAST (repeat LAST!) YEARÂS GROWTH.

Older wood is only good to produce Ânew growth for shaping
ÂmamaÂ, or making Ânew canes for fruiting NEXT season.

Depending on how mother is shaped, there is also a big
question on how many nodes to prune LAST years canes for
fruiting THIS year - best at the maximum that the vine
can support. I think it it around 3-5 nodes?

To produce canes for NEXT year it is 1-2 nodes.

HI George : Your MEtod is called :Spur pruning and___Every spur can have 3 to five fruitting buds for a total of 40 buds for a mature vine or less for a young vine.

The flavor of the home grown grape FAR excels the fruit from the grocery store. Also, each variety has it's own nuance of flavor, so it's hard to stop with one type (sort of like each fig variety is different from the next).

The first year it doesnt matter much whether you will ultimately spur or cane prune, since the vines are just getting started. The main thing is to get them established and have a main stem grow the needed height - to the top of the arbor or trellis.

I agree with Gorgi, the buds from this year's growth contain the potential for next year's grapes. For European grapes, the first few buds to grow this year will have that potential next year. For American grapes, that potential is further along on the cane (although mine had some on the first few buds, last year).

Because of that, I think that the general rule is American varieties, like Concord, need cane pruning. European grapes are usually better with spur pruning. Euro-American hybrids, I suppose, will be variety specific.

There are lots of web sites with pruning methods.

I can't wait to sit under the arbor this year eating fresh, sun-ripened grapes and figs. Heaven.

Eukofios:
A damned hedonist!
...and also I....

About pruning I'm perfectly capable to prune european ones.
As my father and my grand-father teached rigorously me.
I know some thing about the "american one" way, is similar to the "industrial" pruning for all grapes used also here.
I've listened terrible things from the States about pruning, like: "Is sufficient leave 20 % of canes with five nodes" if this is all, is equal to cut the hairs with ten shot of revolver.
This year (I think to be a first in Italy) I've to prune my Muscadines.
I hope that the vines can teach me about they have to be pruned. I'm sure, with my ability in learn, to be able to learn.
The pictures found in net about qualified muscadines pruning seems to be quite a "ten shot of revolver", but may be it is necessary, ..no comment.
Too early to comment, I'll be very happy to give you the results.
Wait the ripening of my figs, that are sure...., and sweet.
Sergio

Sergio - you are right about me.

With the grapes, and the figs, the vines and trees are still teaching me how to grow them. The difficult part is learning how to listen to them.

I ate some grapes in Italy once - they were amazingly sweet. You are fortunate.

True!
Eukofios, if I try to cultivate Muscadines there is a motive, I'll say you the motive next days,
Sergio