Starting a vineyard

[Jimmyp5]

Hi I dont want to start a vineyard but I do want to properly trellis the two grape vines i have coming in. I may down the road take cuttings and root them to make more. Is there a trellis system that you recommend over the other, or have a supplier link to trellis parts.

Are there any grape varietys that like very damp soil?
(I have an area on my property that is damp from a sometimes creek (sometimes it has water sometimes it doesnt). The water drains down to my neighbors pond. But it leaves the area damp.

Thank you for your time,
appreciate it.

Hi, grapes do not like wet feet they get rot fast. As for a Trellis, let me make a suggestion, if they are wild they will not take to normal pruning. They "wild vines" tend to like "hedging" works just like it sounds as you would a bush. If you just have two vines, why not build a simple arbor, you can go a cheep as 4 8' T-post, and some cattle pannels (etc...) wired and bent over to make a nice shelter in the summer. The vines love the panels, you can train the vines to make it look really cool and wife friendly. If you really want to trellis, go with a high wire system, less maintenance and easy to get to grapes, vines. I plan on doing this to some wild grape vines I am grafting with a table grape, that way folks can sit, pick, eat.

 

[forgeblast]

Thanks, the vines are not going to be wild ones, they are from millers nursery
ontario and hardy woden.
I was thinking of the arbor direction, with one variety on each side.

 

[Jimmyp5]

If you want to keep the wife happy., use landscape timbers, cow panels on the sides, get a piece of cheep lattice work and cut that into the half round top, wire it in and in a year you will see nothing but vines and grapes.

 

[forgeblast]

The cow panels, how much do they run. Would it be easier to just run some woven fencing that i have between a frame work of 4x4's with lattice on top?
Thanks,

 

[Jimmyp5]

The cow panels, how much do they run. Would it be easier to just run some woven fencing that i have between a frame work of 4x4's with lattice on top?
Thanks,

The standard 4 inch square will run you $19.95 at TSC...you might find them cheaper at a Ag Supply store. These are 4 ga and will hold up under the weight of the vines. If you go with woven fence, your going to play heck pruning them each winter. Vines like open space and normally grow on plain wire and can be trained to follow a track. Also you can get the panels to form a nice half arch just wire them with say a 8 inch overlap. At 4 ga they can stand up and attach directly to your vertical post (wire to t-post or screw to wood). The lattice idea was just to make the top half circle look nice. Franky, I would not do it myself and don't plan on it. I am going with large T-post the wild vines I want to graft to are out in the field away from view, so I am playing with them. I will have to lug water out to them, since I have not got the water line run out that far yet!!

Hope this helps.

Jim

 

[forgeblast]

i saw the 4'' square panel. That is the type of fencing i have. I used it around my 3 rail fence to keep our dogs in. I have also used it around my orchard (plus a top of stone wrap wire) to keep the deer out. When i get the hops in place that will be used there also.
I was thinking that a Anchored End Post System
with a Tie-back Post might be a bit too much for the area. I may go with the arbor idea. And let it become a grape trellis too.
http://viticulture.hort.iastate.edu/info/pdf/domototrellis.pdf
showed how to install a vineyard it had a lot of great info.
Thanks all
Forgeblast

 

[SpringHollow]

The wild grapes here love the wet clay i have - i assume they are wild - they grow all over. We have not had the grass burn out in 17 years and i never water. I am constantly going through my property cutting the vines because they kill the trees. Some are 3" or more in diameter. I must admit, they were particularly large, sweet, and good tasting this year. Surprisingly, most are still on the vine and uneaten by birds, bears, etc. Not sure why.

Ken

 

[czechsonofagun]

Although this first year is to establish root system and overall settle in, it gives me a great pleasure to watch some of the Cabernet Sauvignon (I got them 3 year old) push hard for grapes this year.

I would never believe how much I enjoy tinkering in the vineyard

And for anybody who wants to know more about wine growing and making, this is a book covering all the basis and still quite easy to read: Amazon.com: From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own Wine: Jeff Cox: Books

Also I am getting ready for the final product too - collecting bottles; it is a job for a real man