Choose a variety that is recommended for your climate. Grapes require a long, frost-free growing season.
Grapes start to bear 2 years after 1-year-old vines are planted. Established vines will yield up to 15 pounds of grapes per year, 30 to 40 pounds from a muscadine.
Plant grapes in the spring.
Preparation
Select a site with deep, well-drained, loose soil in full sun.
Set up a trellis system before planting.
Planting
Space vines 6 to 10 feet apart (16 feet for muscadines).
For each vine, dig a planting hole 12 inches deep and 12 inches wide. Fill with 4 inches of topsoil. Trim off broken roots and set the vine into the hole slightly deeper than it grew in the nursery.
Cover the roots with 6 inches of soil and tamp down. Fill with the remaining soil, but don't tamp this down.
Care
Prune the top back to two or three buds at planting time and follow the first-year training steps.
Prune annually when the vines are dormant according to the training system you select.
Do not fertilize unless the soil is very poor or the plants show poor foliage color or signs of nutrient deficiencies.
Cultivate shallowly around the base of plants to control weeds.
Drape netting over vines to prevent birds from destroying your harvest.
See our article Fruit Pests and Diseases for controls of common grape pests such as aphid, scale, anthracnose, and black rot.
Harvesting
Grapes will only ripen on the vine. As they ripen, the sugar content rises to about 20 percent.
Harvest table grapes when the flavor is right; harvest wine grapes when they reach the appropriate sugar content.
