How to Raise Concord Grapes
Raising concord grapes is a process that began in the late 1800s in Concord, Massachusetts, when Ephriam W. Bull was able to get a hardy crop of the grape to grow around his home. Today, the thick-skinned and sweet concord grape (Vitis labrusca) is grown in the northeastern regions of the U.S., harvesting more than 400,000 tons per year. After they are raised, concord grapes are harvested and used commonly to produce jams, jellies and grape juice, and they are also eaten plain as table grapes. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Instructions
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Purchase concord grape vines/seedlings.
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Find a plot of land to plant concord grape seeds. Look for land on south sides of buildings or hills and in well-drained plots of soil, where plants get full sunlight.
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Dig holes in the ground large enough to expand the root system of the concord grape vine once it is put in the ground. Plant the vine in the hole and cover the roots with soil.
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Snip the cane on two prominent buds on the vine, allowing regrowth and development to occur thereafter.
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Prune grapes frequently once the grape planting is established (the process sometimes takes up to three years), being careful not to over-prune. Prune the grape shoots back to the third or fourth leaf after the grapevine fruits, removing the new growth from the plant and also leaves around it, allowing for sunlight to reach lower branches.
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Pick grapes from the vine once ripe, harvesting in the late fall. Grapes will change color before fully ripe, so wait until ripe and then pluck the fruit by separating from the rest of the plant.
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Tips & Warnings
Concord grapes should be planted in the early spring, as soon as land is workable, and they have a late ripening date, making them popular grape choices in regions east of the Rocky Mountains.
Grapes will change color before fully ripe, so to check for ripeness by tasting a grape before plucking it from the vine.
To protect concord grape plants from pests such as birds, place netting over the vine.
Do not use herbicides or fertilizers containing herbicides (i.e. lawn fertilizers) near grapes, as it will deter them from growing.
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Comments
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New retirement project......concord grapes and blueberries.
