does anyone know anything about growing grapes?

[mom wewantchicks!]

we are doing some remodeling to our house,on one of our may trips to lowes we brought home some concord grape plants. this may be a dumb question,but we have a archway that was built for our wedding. my dad build it so it is pretty unbreakable! what im wondering is,it is taller than it is wider.all the arbors i see for grapes are wider on the top. this arch is probably 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide. will this work for growing 2 grape plants,or do i need something shorter and wider?

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

It isn't the size of your archway that matters. My grapes grow on a vertical set of wires between heavy duty posts.

Just remember not to cut them back until mid winter. But do cut them back pretty heartily each year. New growth produces more grapes.

Oh, and it needs LOTS of sun!

Good Luck.

 

[mom wewantchicks!]

thanks! i was worried they need a flat wider top to grow across. my hubby will be glad to finally get the arch into one spot and leave it,its really heavy! im really excited,this is our first home,i have bought 4 fruit trees,grapes,and 20 strawberry plants!! now just hopefully everything grows!!

 

[AHappychick]

Geraniums are good to grow around them it is their "partner" plant It takes a little while and some pruning like she said in the winter to get them going. There is a ton of info on them it is wonderful to have them. I might do 4 though 2 at each corner. Are they the little stick like things in the small square pots or are the well established plants on a trellis already?

 

[AHappychick]

plant the strawberries in a raised bed if you can they will produce better

 

[chickiebaby]

Anybody know what variety of grape grow best in our fairly northerly climes? Still lots of snow on the ground righ now, tho we are having our first realy warm day today.

I was thinking maybe Concord grapes? Other ideas?

 

[AHappychick]

just figure out what zone you are in you can use a website like parkseed or gardeners.com to use thier chart and then just buy what does well in your zone. Each area of the country has a number for their zone I am in NY and mine is zone 6. When doing anything with plants the first thing you want to know is that , then you can go nuts like I do

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

I'm big on the companion plants too I have rose bushes at the end of each row. The geraniums didn't do so well with our set up, they got trampled too often.

I am not sure what breed we have, I'd love to find out, it is a heritage plant cultivated from a farm that was turned into a development. (About an hour from us.) The old man was heartbroken about his grapes so we took some and promised we would grow them.

 

[chickiebaby]

Happychik, I know my zone (!) I'm asking a specific question about what grapes people have done well with. Looking for personal suggestions, not the back of a seed package, y'know?

 

[sweetshoplady]

Wow, thanks for the tips on the rosebushes and the geraniums. I'll plant those out by my grapes.