Three Problems to Growing Grapes in the Backyard

Are you one of those home gardeners that don't know the three stumbling blocks to successfully growing grapes in your backyard? Don't worry, you're not alone.

I have grown grapes successfully under the worst of conditions since 1975 and I can tell you that most of the problems gardeners encounter are because they don't understand the nature of the beast that they are growing. So let's look at the problems that I see when people, like you, have me come and analyze what problems they are having growing the backyard grapevine.

The first problem I see is that gardeners want to grow some grapes but they are unaware of the variety they are growing and its growth habit. This leads to many problems from the get go. Each variety has to be treated as an individual. The most common varieties in local nurseries are either Concord types or the European vinifera grape.

Planting Concord Grapes in Pots or Containers

We all know about the rolling acres of vineyards where people grow grape vines with thought of space. You probably didn't know that you can also grow grapes in containers. According to a study done by Martin L. Kaps, of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture, a vine needs about "8 to 10 square centimeters of leaf area per gram of fruit weight." As long as you don't limit the growth of the vines too much, you can grow a healthy crop of grapes in a container.

Step 1
Set your container in an area where it will get full sun. Try to set it in place before you add the potting soil and water or it may get too heavy to move. Plan on setting up some sort of support for the vines for when they start growing rapidly. Your container should have good drainage at the bottom so that the grapevine's roots are not sitting in water.