Starting your own grape vine
When you initially decide that you either want fresh , sweet, plump grapes, or you want personally-produced wine, you are faced with a ridiculous situation: where do you start?
Grape Vine
Like with anything else, grape growing has the potential to be very profitable. By very, we do mean that pretty much anyone can grow grapes and start selling them at a farmer's market, or maybe even negotiate a contract with a larger distributer, essentially making more profit. Some other things you can do with grapes:
-non alcoholic grape cyder
-grape jelly
- raisins (although this is a tough niche to get into)
-wine (we will go further into this because this where you want anything you cant sell fresh to go)
-vinegar
- the list goes on and on...
Now lets start with the land. You want something that is neither too sloped (ie a hill) or too flat (ie steppes) why? because flat ground does not provide shade or protection to the grape vine's exposed lower half. On the other hand, if the area is too steep , the grape's own weight will force the plump, tender grapes to rip off and await their doom, separated on the ground. In the worst-case scenario, the entire plant can be uprooted by it's own weight.
If you need any more assistance on how to find the right land, you can always check with local authorities, farmers or pick up a copy of the virtual book and e-tutorial "My Grapevine" .
For the sake of saving some money if you only want your own personal grape vine , or two, lets say you can use your backyard during the summer season, permitting you don't live in northern Canada( again, reconsider the ebook or local people's advice if your not positive).
The next step is to assure yourself that you have water, yes grapes are very demanding creatures, but if you over-water the vines , you can drown them. So again, reconsider doing specific research on the type of grape you intend to purchase, different types demand different conditions. There are rumors of a type of newly (genetically modified) grape that can survive months without water, in scorching sun. And it still produces luscious, thick grapes.
Our advice to you is to give yourself leniency with water, usually you have to put more water into the plant to get more grapes right?
But let's go back to the land, you need to, and we mean absolutely NEED to check the soil for a ratio of nitrogen to carbon. Consult the ebook or a professional on tools that can do this for you, advice etc. Its just that a mis-balance of these will either yield tiny grapes, or dry grapes. Plants, much like humans, cant just live off water, they need food too (this is always taken in through the soil).
Now for the fun part, choose the type of grape you want to start with, again do some research using Google or Bing regarding your final product. Although any grape can yield pretty much any final product, some do it better than others.
When choosing your grape type, try to go with ones that are not genetically modified, recent studies by leading research firms have confirmed that genetically modified grapes, although they will grow much larger, are carcinogenic. And you don't want to kill off your customers do you?
Now plant the grapes at the right time. Sometimes you don't plant seeds, but pieces of vine, in that case, do it during the end of Winter. If you are using seeds, try early spring, after the soil begins to defrost. Also try burying them deep enough to prevent birds from eating your future.
We will assume you already cultivated the land etc etc. Now we leave this up to you, if you want to you can use pesticides, plant food etc. This will increase your product , yes, it will also keep pests from eating the fruits of your labor (literally), but those are all proven carcinogens, so stay cautious. Our suggestion would be to mix an organic soap with water and spray the grape vines, but that can have negative repercussions for the plant.
A known organic solution is to take tons of garlic (if you want you can plant this somewhere near your field in the millions, it grows like mad anywhere) , and crush it up. After you crush the garlic up, mix it with water and blend it. Take the watery solution and put it in a sprinkle bottle, clearly it must have a larger nozzle.
Spray your plants with the nozzled bottle. If you are growing a farm you might want to consider heavier machinery, or simply use a pressurized hose with a showerhead, though this will smell awful, nothing in the right mind will go near your field. This is organic, nothing carcinogenic here.
Now water your plants as you see fitting, usually more than just damping. You can install sprinkler systems, use gallons to water them one by one (gradually adding more gallons as the plant ages) , or you can hose them, although be careful not to expose the roots to pests and sunlight, both will prove fatal.
Again, if you want better results, consider buying "My Grape Vine" , it will help you tremendously!
So this pretty much summarizes the process of starting your grape vine and somewhat picking your type of grape, although we will write about numerous types of grapes, which situations would prefer vines planted over seeds, and basic instructions on how to take your beautiful grapes and start making money off of them.
Most of all , enjoy your grapes, surely you cant put all this effort into something like this and not taste the sweetness at the end :)
Choosing the right type of grape Beginner's guide to making wine
Grape VineWell, we will take your hand step by step and then suggest some books if you would care to continue your research.
Lets begin at the basics:
You must first decide this:
1) Do I want one grape vine?
2) Do I want a grape vine farm?
Like with anything else, grape growing has the potential to be very profitable. By very, we do mean that pretty much anyone can grow grapes and start selling them at a farmer's market, or maybe even negotiate a contract with a larger distributer, essentially making more profit. Some other things you can do with grapes:
-non alcoholic grape cyder
-grape jelly
- raisins (although this is a tough niche to get into)
-wine (we will go further into this because this where you want anything you cant sell fresh to go)
-vinegar
- the list goes on and on...
Now lets start with the land. You want something that is neither too sloped (ie a hill) or too flat (ie steppes) why? because flat ground does not provide shade or protection to the grape vine's exposed lower half. On the other hand, if the area is too steep , the grape's own weight will force the plump, tender grapes to rip off and await their doom, separated on the ground. In the worst-case scenario, the entire plant can be uprooted by it's own weight.
If you need any more assistance on how to find the right land, you can always check with local authorities, farmers or pick up a copy of the virtual book and e-tutorial "My Grapevine" .
For the sake of saving some money if you only want your own personal grape vine , or two, lets say you can use your backyard during the summer season, permitting you don't live in northern Canada( again, reconsider the ebook or local people's advice if your not positive).
The next step is to assure yourself that you have water, yes grapes are very demanding creatures, but if you over-water the vines , you can drown them. So again, reconsider doing specific research on the type of grape you intend to purchase, different types demand different conditions. There are rumors of a type of newly (genetically modified) grape that can survive months without water, in scorching sun. And it still produces luscious, thick grapes.
Our advice to you is to give yourself leniency with water, usually you have to put more water into the plant to get more grapes right?
But let's go back to the land, you need to, and we mean absolutely NEED to check the soil for a ratio of nitrogen to carbon. Consult the ebook or a professional on tools that can do this for you, advice etc. Its just that a mis-balance of these will either yield tiny grapes, or dry grapes. Plants, much like humans, cant just live off water, they need food too (this is always taken in through the soil).
Now for the fun part, choose the type of grape you want to start with, again do some research using Google or Bing regarding your final product. Although any grape can yield pretty much any final product, some do it better than others.
When choosing your grape type, try to go with ones that are not genetically modified, recent studies by leading research firms have confirmed that genetically modified grapes, although they will grow much larger, are carcinogenic. And you don't want to kill off your customers do you?
Now plant the grapes at the right time. Sometimes you don't plant seeds, but pieces of vine, in that case, do it during the end of Winter. If you are using seeds, try early spring, after the soil begins to defrost. Also try burying them deep enough to prevent birds from eating your future.
We will assume you already cultivated the land etc etc. Now we leave this up to you, if you want to you can use pesticides, plant food etc. This will increase your product , yes, it will also keep pests from eating the fruits of your labor (literally), but those are all proven carcinogens, so stay cautious. Our suggestion would be to mix an organic soap with water and spray the grape vines, but that can have negative repercussions for the plant.
A known organic solution is to take tons of garlic (if you want you can plant this somewhere near your field in the millions, it grows like mad anywhere) , and crush it up. After you crush the garlic up, mix it with water and blend it. Take the watery solution and put it in a sprinkle bottle, clearly it must have a larger nozzle.
Spray your plants with the nozzled bottle. If you are growing a farm you might want to consider heavier machinery, or simply use a pressurized hose with a showerhead, though this will smell awful, nothing in the right mind will go near your field. This is organic, nothing carcinogenic here.
Now water your plants as you see fitting, usually more than just damping. You can install sprinkler systems, use gallons to water them one by one (gradually adding more gallons as the plant ages) , or you can hose them, although be careful not to expose the roots to pests and sunlight, both will prove fatal.
Again, if you want better results, consider buying "My Grape Vine" , it will help you tremendously!
So this pretty much summarizes the process of starting your grape vine and somewhat picking your type of grape, although we will write about numerous types of grapes, which situations would prefer vines planted over seeds, and basic instructions on how to take your beautiful grapes and start making money off of them.
Most of all , enjoy your grapes, surely you cant put all this effort into something like this and not taste the sweetness at the end :)
Choosing the right type of grape Beginner's guide to making wine
Stay Informed
When you subscribe to the blog, we will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them.
About the author
