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Grapes update

john — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 20:43:20 +0000

Sometimes you make some good decisions. You may not know that they’re good at the time, but they turn out well in the end. Witness my Reliance grapes. This is season two and they seem to be living large. Lots of sun, some nice sandy loam, regular moisture and voila! This fall I will cut back these bad boys to one vertical each. I’ve read that grapes fruit on second year wood so next year should produce more bunches of grapes. This year we only got the one pictured here, but it was more than I had expected.

grapes update

john — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:18:05 +0000

My Reliance grapes were planted last year so this is their second growing season. As you can see, I am training the vines up the side of the trellis. In the fall I will cut them back hard, leaving only the one vertical as my main stem. Right now, I just want them to grow good strong root systems. The south facing location appears to be a winner.

grape trellis built

john — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:10:23 +0000

A fine weekend plus a little motivation can yield results. I planted a grapevine about 8 years ago but the location wasn’t as sunny as it should have been and the vine grew slowly. I finally pulled it two years ago and have had it in the back of my mind to find a nice sunny south-facing location to give it another go. My blackberry project last weekend turned out so well that I thought I’d replicate it for my grape project. I went again with three 4 x 4 posts buried in concrete with wires strung between them at 1 foot intervals.

I chose a varietal called “Reliance Seedless” which seems to be pretty well respected with a good reputation for hardiness.

My only concern is that the soil in this location is almost pure sand. For the initial planting, I dug my holes to 10″ deep and 20″ across and filled them with a mix of composted leaves, chicken manure and sandy soil. This should be enough for the vines to establish. To keep the vines healthy I’m probably going to have to amend the soil over this entire area.

About “Reiliance”: The Seedless Reliance grape produces pink-fruited seedless grape that tops for flavor and texture. An excellent eating grape that is good for jellies and juices. Stores well. Has medium-sized clusters. Hardy and vigorous growing — a good strong variety. You will enjoy a generous midseason harvest. Dr. James Moore at the University of Arkansas developed and patented this variety.