Your reasons for growing grapes. You may want to eat the fruit, make jam, make wine, or just add the beauty of grapevines to your yard. Find out which varieties are best for your intended purpose. Your climate conditions. Different varieties of grapes are better suited to certain geographic areas and climate conditions. Learn about grapes that are known to perform well in your area. Natural variation among grapes grown from seed. There are some genetic differences even among grapes of the same type, so the grapes you grow may not turn out exactly the way you expect. Go into your project with an open mind, and be prepared to experiment.
Look at the seed’s color. In a healthy grape seed, you will be able to see a pale gray or white endosperm under the seed coat. Put them in water. Healthy, viable seeds will sink when placed in water. Discard any seeds that float.
Prepare a bed for your seeds. Fill an airtight bag or other capsule with a soft medium like wet paper towels or sand, vermiculite or peat moss that has been dampened. Peat moss is the best choice for grape seeds because its anti-fungal properties will help eliminate seed-damaging mold. Tuck the seeds into the bed. Cover them with about 1/2" (1. 25 cm) of growing medium. Refrigerate the seeds. The ideal temperature for stratification is a steady 35-40 ºF (1-3 ºC), so the refrigerator is a good place for this process. Keep the seeds refrigerated for two to three months. Do not allow them to freeze.
Make sure your seeds stay warm enough. To properly germinate, the seeds need daytime temperatures of at least 70ºF (20ºC) and nighttime temperatures around 60ºF (15ºC). Use a greenhouse or warming mats to keep your seeds at the correct temperature. Keep the soil moist but not too wet. Mist the surface with a fine spray of water when it starts to look dry. Check for growth. Grape seeds typically take between 2-8 weeks to sprout.
Choose a sunny spot. Grapes need 7-8 hours of full sun daily for best results. Make sure you have plenty of space. Space your plants about 8’ (2. 5 m) apart to allow for growth.
Check the pH of your soil before planting your grapes. Different types of grapes thrive best with different soil pH levels (5. 5-6. 0 for natives, 6. 0-6. 5 for hybrids, and 6. 5-7. 0 for vinifera), so it is best to either plant in an area with a pH level in the right range, or adjust your soil’s pH before planting. [7] X Research source If you are planning to grow grapes for wine, be aware that different types of soil (e. g. , sandy, silty, rich in limestone, or rich in clay) will affect the flavor of the wine. [8] X Research source
Year One: Watch for growth. Choose the strongest three shoots on the plant and allow those to grow. Pinch off all others. The three remaining shoots will grow stronger and more vigorous. Year Two: Fertilize using a balance fertilizer. Remove flower clusters as they emerge; allowing the vine to fruit this early will deplete its energy. Remove any buds or shoots that grow below the three main ones you selected the prior year. Prune properly. Loosely tie long shoots to the arbor or trellis. Year Three: Continue fertilizing and removing low buds and shoots. During this year, you can allow a few flower clusters to remain and produce a small crop of grapes. Year Four and Later: Continue fertilizing and pruning. This year and thereafter, you can let all the flower clusters fruit if you wish. As you prune, be aware that grapes will fruit on one-year-old wood (i. e. , wood that grew during the previous season).
