Sensational Seedless Grapes

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by Kris Wetherbee

Grow seedless grapes and fill your pantry with luscious jams, jellies, juices, raisins, wines and vinegars.

Imagine harvesting shimmering clusters of golden, honey-sweet 'Himrod' grapes; rosy-pink 'Reliance' (shown left); midnight-blue 'Glenora;' or spicy, dazzling-red 'Canadice' right from your own back yard. Unlike supermarket varieties, which taste ordinarily mild and tart, homegrown grapes burst with full-bodied flavors ranging from slightly spicy to surprisingly sweet. And besides the pleasures of fresh-from-the-vine dining, you can turn these delicious seedless grapes into raisins, as well as homemade wine, juice, jelly, jam and fruit vinegar.

Grapevines are equally sensational in the landscape. Fast growing and versatile, they're wonderful for covering an arbor, gazebo, fence or trellis early each season to create a shady spot for relaxing during hot summer afternoons. The vigorous vines climb by winding their tendrils around any structure they are near, so you may need to tuck in or trim a few shoots here and there. Colorful fruit and bold, textured foliage bring added interest to the landscape in their own time.

GET GROWING

For table grapes and raisins, most people prefer seedless varieties, which are self-pollinating, quite winter-hardy and grow well in most parts of the country. Some of the best varieties are listed in the chart on Page 60, so you can start with a single "test" vine if you want. (For the best wine-grape varieties, see "Growing Grapes and Making Wine," April/May 2003.)

Grapes can grow in a wide range of soil types and conditions. For optimum growth and production they need a sunny location with good air circulation, and well-drained, slightly acidic soil (5.5 to 6.5 pH) of moderate fertility.

The warmer and sunnier the location, the sooner the soil will warm up in the spring, and the earlier the fruit will ripen. Planting grapes on a southern slope or south side of a building is ideal. In the coldest climates, where late spring frosts can blanket the ground at a moment's notice, choose a location sheltered from cold winds and avoid low-lying basins, where chilly trapped air can create a lingering frost pocket.

Plant bare-root grapevines in late winter or early spring, before the buds begin to swell. In southern areas, plant your vines in the fall. Young container-grown plants, available at many garden centers and farmer's markets, can be planted in spring, summer or fall. Space grapes 6 to 10 feet apart, or closer if you want to cover a structure such as an arbor or gazebo.

After your trellis or other (sturdy) support is installed, dig a hole at least twice as wide and as deep as the grape vine's root system. Add a shovelful of compost and about 1 cup of bone meal or 1 to 2 pounds of rock phosphate to each planting hole. Set the vine's roots in the hole just at or slightly below ground level. Fill the hole with soil, then water well.

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