Grapes!

If someone would have told me grapes grew down here, I would have put up a arguement! These were planted already when we moved here two years ago. Last year they didn't do well, this year..WOW!

Gonna stomp some for wine?

They look great!

wow! Mine are still GREEN!
Lisa remember when dale got all those out of the dumpster here-all different kinds-they are loaded this yr!!! I will get pics and post and the ponentilla(sp) are huge and blooming like crazy!

darius, I made grape jelly! no grape stomping here..lol..remembering that "I Love Lucy" show when she got into the grape vat..chuckle.

dori, glad to hear your things are doing so good!

here are my dumpster grapes

close up, they are loaded

Dori & Lisa, congratulations on a bumper crop! We've had some like that in years past. Not this year tho. I don't know why either as I did everything I knew(which isn't really much)to assure a good crop.

Oh wow, I hadn't seen this when I posted my grape thread. Those all look deelish!

I'm growing a dessert grape over a frame for sitting under, to give some shade. Has anyone got ideas on pruning that will still give us a good crop please?

I only grow the wild grapes here (scuppernongs/muscadines) and never mess with them. (Actually I just watch them grow, then pick!)

However, the following is taken from one of my favorite garden books regarding pruning:

Grapes develop on the new growth of the current year. Buds left on the vine at pruning time will produce fruit in summer. Year-old wood is the best yielder of fruit. If you keep these ideas in mind, purning will be simple.

Each fall, cut out the branch that produced fruit last year, thereby leaving a new, year-old arm near the main trunk. This cane will provide the fruit for the following year. Cut back the branching vines at every node to about one or two buds. Also leave a vine that has been cut back to one of two buds near the base of the arm. From this vine will grow the cane that will be saved next year for the following season.

[end of info]

Hope that helps, Folks. The book goes on to talk about propagation (laying, cuttings, etc. If ya'll like I could just scan the pages for ya and post.

THANKS Horseshoe, that was exactly what I needed to know!
.......and if it's no trouble, the scanned page would be ever so welcome (big grin)

♫ Yesss, dear.... ♫♫ ;>)

Will do that this afternoon, a couple pages cus it has such good info!

Cheers ;oD

"Cheers"...she says!

Methinkest Philo is raising a glass of grape juice? ;>)

CHEERS!

(PS...no time to run the scanner today...will do so tomorrow. Sorry.)

It'll be welcome whenever it fits in with you Shoe, thanks, my grapevine isn't going anywhere (apart from up the pole lol).

It might even be fermented grape juice, though the local Floc is my favourite. That's Armagnac mixed with fresh grape juice and left to mature - yummy ;)
Good health! Sante!
My accents have disappeared :( so just imagine one over that last e )

Okay dokey...
The first part (minus a couple introductory paragraphs)...Giving credit where credit is due, this is from "The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening", (Rodale Press) and note this!: This is the 1978 edition, amended/revised version of the 1959 original, and is extremely superior to the "New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening" that was put out a few years ago. I strongly suggest if you can find this edition you buy it quickly!

Next page:

And the last part of the entry:

Hope this helps!

PS...DD and I went picking scuppernongs today...got a great big bagful...(had to pull the van up next to the vines so we could pick the ones that were so high up in the trees!)!
Dare I make some wine?

Thanks so much Shoe that's really lovely of you and what an interesting looking book!
I shall try an internet hunt - as now I'm in France I can't root around in the second hand shops, or at least, they'll only have books in French.
Hmmm, wonder if there's a french edition......

I know another DGer bought a copy via Amazon.com last year. Just don't know what shipping would cost you from US to France...might be pretty expensive, eh?

Ah, but there's Amazon .co.uk and .fr too - so I'll have a look on those - you never know
Fingers crossed :)

Ohhh...didn't know about that. Great!

Just be sure to get the one I mentioned above. The "new" version seems to contain lots of pics but not as much info as the '78 edition. 'Smatter of fact, I've had mine for so many years and have used it so much it got to where the cover (hard cover) was dilapidated and coming apart...but I kept rubber bands around it to hold it together. One year by wife snatched it, sent it off to some book company and they re-bound it, new hard cover(!), same title exactly as it was before. That was my birthday present that year!

Hope that enforces how much I like this book! ;>)

Wow, praise indeed - and how wonderful to have a wife so in tune :)

Yes, I'll make sure it's the right edition, thanks again

Hello Horseshoe,
I've been following this conversation about the wonderful reference book and I have been checking with Barnes and Noble online. the "New" version is selling for $29.95. I found a copy in the "used and out of print" section for $1.99 !!!! I can't believe this, can this really be the right book? It says:

$1.99 Very Good Dealer:
Sea Shell Books
Dealer Location: Saint Petersburg, FL

Dealer Comments: 1978 A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. -, Hard Cover,Very Good /

Cindy Lou

Hi Shoe. I ordered a copy today from Amazon.com They didn't have 1978 edition on .uk or .fr, but even with the international postage I reckon it's still a good buy - the book was 6.98 dollars.

Not quite as cheap as yours Cindy Lou :)

Cindy...jump on it!

That's GOT to be it!

Philo....that is a good deal! I really hope you get this book. (I wonder if I've entered this in the Bookworm...I should go check.)

I jumped all over it! I can't wait for it to get here. Thanks so much for sharing all this great information.

I planted a grape vine early this summer, and I planted a pole about 8 inches away from the vine, and so far it has made some pretty new leaves but it is not climbing the pole yet. I put a fence/cage around it so the critters will leave it alone, and I've been wondering if there was anything else I should do to 'winterize' it?

Cindy Lou

I just leave my grape vines alone in the winter, much colder weather than yours, and have only lost one which I think was due to critter damage rather than weather and one other one that was the wrong variety for below 0 winters but the store carries things that are not suitable and I didn't know. I do wish they wouldn't do that because it makes us think if they sell it here it must do ok, but they are in the business of selling things, not growing them. Some varieties are hardier than others, but most grape vines cost about $5 for a gallon size so aren't too expensive to replace if you do loose one.

just be lisa what did you do?I had bought grapes last year and it was 1-2 tall i pruned it back like suggested and it grew maybe 2-3 feet and that was that now frost came i mulched it well.but not tall or no grapes any ideas

I think your grape vine just needs more time to grow up. In another year or two it should have a good root system and good top growth, then it should start making grapes for you. Baby grape clusters are so tiny but you can see every grape even if they are just the size of the head of a pin. I have one I planted last spring from a one gallon pot that didn't do much but I didn't expect it to so wasn't disappointed. I'll mulch around it for winter.