Grapes are perennial, leafy vines that have been cultivated by humans for thousands of years. Growing grapes is an entire science, called viticulture, but that doesn’t mean you can’t successfully grow them at home in your yard. 

Grapes are remarkably willing to grow, and provide delicious fruit and an attractive vining display of greenery, even for those who aren’t experts. As homegrown fruits go, grapes are heavy producers, and in 2-3 years, you’ll begin enjoying your first harvests of fresh grapes while the peach tree you planted is still looking like a stick.

Grapes are used as fresh fruit, as the staple ingredient in jams and jellies, and juiced for use in fresh juices, syrups, and wines. Famous grapes like the Concord have been around for years, but you might be surprised at the depth of flavor. Fresh Concord grapes are much more intensely flavored than the fake grape-flavored sodas and jellies named after them. Biting into a sun-ripened grape is an experience in itself.

Grapes are most often grown for fruit, but they are also attractive and versatile landscape design elements. A pair of grape vines planted at each foot of a sunny arch will fill the structure with vining foliage, creating an entranceway that becomes a focal point. Vines spreading on a trellis attached to a fence or garage wall provide a lush green wall, and grapes on an overhead support structure provide lovely dappled shade for a patio table and chairs.

Choosing a grape variety

Choose grape varieties based on their intended use, of course, but also by their suitability for your location. There are grape varieties suitable for every use available for climates as chilly as USDA zone 3, all the way to the hot summers and temperate winters of the Southeast US. I’ve even been to vineyards in Arizona. The key is selecting varieties that will perform in your climate, not attempting to force a variety to grow and fruit where it isn’t well adapted.

Grapes are self-fruitful, meaning a single variety, or even a single plant, will bear fruit. Many gardeners enjoy growing seedless grapes for the table, and Reliance and Catawba are long time favorites. While any grape can be eaten fresh, some are more suited for table grapes and others for juice, jam, and wine. Match your most desired use to the variety for the best results. Check out all of our live grape plants here.

Selecting a site for grapes

Grapes grow on a variety of soils, but drainage is critical. Grapes need well-drained soil. Avoid areas that are consistently wet throughout the year. If that sounds like your property, consider building a raised berm to plant them in. 

Grape vines don’t need high fertility conditions, and in fact some vineyards are famous for their stony soil. Making the grapes struggle a bit is credited with improving their flavor for use in wine. The influence of local soils and climate on a grape’s flavor is called terroir (pronounced terr-wahr). But in the home garden setting, a well-draining loamy soil is perfectly fine. Most grape varieties grow best in slightly acidic soil with a pH of 6.0-6.5, but soil slightly on either side of that range will work.

Grape vines should be spaced about 8 feet apart, in rows at least 8 feet apart. Grapes on an arbor can be spaced at half that distance. Leave space between the rows to work and for your mower, taking into account that the grapes will hang over a foot or more on each side of the trellis. Proper spacing reduces crowding, allowing good air circulation that is important for reducing disease issues.

Full sun is important, at least six hours per day, for the best growth and production. Grapes will do best in the sunniest location you have. Imagine all those hills of grapes in California and France getting full sun and excellent drainage. That’s what you are trying to achieve.

Unpacking live grape plants

Live grape plants are often shipped bare root and dormant, and most vendors ship them so they arrive near the appropriate time for planting in your area. They may not look like much when you open the box, but don’t worry. They’re fine and will wake up after they are planted.

Open the box right away and inspect your grape plants. While the plants are dormant (no leaves yet), you still want to ensure that the roots don’t dry out. If you can’t plant them right away, keep the packing material around the roots moist, wrap them in a plastic garbage bag to hold humidity, and store the grape plants in a cool, dark location, such as a refrigerator drawer or a cool corner of the garage or basement.  

Planting live grape plants

Grapes can be planted in spring as soon as the soil can be worked, and dormant bare root grapes should be planted when they arrive if possible. Don’t wait for them to wake up. On planting day, remove the grapes from their packaging materials and soak the roots for 2-3 hours in a bucket of water to ensure they are well hydrated. Trim off any broken roots, and cut back very long roots.

Prepare a hole slightly larger than the root system. The hole should provide enough room and depth to spread the roots out. They shouldn’t be bent in half or wrapped in a circle in the hole. Plant the grape at the same level as it was in the nursery, as indicated by the soil stain on the stem. 

Backfill the hole with the soil you removed. No need for any compost or fertilizer in the hole. Gently firm the soil as you refill the hole to remove air pockets, and build a little wall of soil to make a bowl about a foot away from the stem to hold water when you irrigate.

Here’s the hard part. After you’ve planted the grape, cut the main cane (the strongest stem with the best attachment) back. Leave only 2-3 buds on the main cane, and remove all other branches. It seems counterintuitive, but this initial pruning triggers healthy new growth.

Caring for first-year grape vines

Water the new grapes well when planting, and then weekly. In dry periods, they may need watering twice a week for the first year. Grapes have deep roots and are quite tolerant of dry weather once established, but during the first year, they are still developing their root systems and need a bit of help. Keep the area around the grapes clear of weeds and grass during the first 2-3 years. Mulch near, but not touching, the plants can help with the weeding.

Grapes do well in poor soil, but can be fertilized during their first and second year to help them establish. Use a balanced (like 10-10-10) granular slow-release fertilizer.  Apply the product in spring in a ring 6-12 inches from the stem around the planting.

If small fruit clusters form in the first year, pinch them off to allow the plant to put all its energy into establishing a strong root system.

Trellising and pruning grape plants

Grapes will need support, or they will sprawl all over the yard looking for something to climb. My grapes still try to escape the trellis and climb up the garden fence, the bean trellis, or anything else they can reach, including the nearby pine tree. They are truly vigorous once they get to growing. 

While there are many methods for trellising and pruning grapes and entire books on the subject, you can relax a bit. The first year, there isn’t much you must do. If you aren’t ready to commit to a trellis system yet, one-year-old grape plants can be supported with a sturdy stake about six feet high. Loosely tie the vine to the stake at intervals as it grows during that first year. 

To learn more about systems for trellising grapes (and how to prune them), either snag a book or search online for University Extension sources (signified by a .edu domain name) on the subject. Since most pruning happens during the dormant season, you’ll have time to learn more about trellising and pruning while your grapes establish this year.