Have you ever thought you would like to try growing grapes at home, but felt like it might be too difficult?

With a little preparation, grapes can be successfully grown in the home garden on a trellis or on an arbor. There are many varieties suitable for Connecticut including wine and table grapes. Mature vines (4 to 5 + years old) can produce 20 pounds or more of fruit per vine each season. Planting early, midseason and late ripening varieties can extend the harvest season to several weeks.

Vines grown and trained on an arbor provide beauty and shade in addition to fruit. Growing grapes successfully requires good site preparation, selection of winter hardy cultivars, annual pruning and fertilization, and management of diseases and insect pests.

Grapes do well on a site with full sun, well-drained soil and good air flow. The best time to plant is early spring as soon as the ground can be worked. Have the support system, whether it is a trellis or an arbor, in place prior to planting. A simple trellis is economical and versatile. Place sturdy wooden posts 24 feet apart and string galvanized wire between them at heights of three and six feet above the ground. Place vines eight feet apart on a trellis or four feet apart for an arbor.

At planting time, prune off broken or dead branches and roots. Prune off all but one vigorous cane from the top growth. Prepare a hole large enough to spread out the roots and place the plants at the same planting depth as in the nursery, usually two or three inches above root level. Do not fertilize at planting time. Keep an area 18 to 24 inches around each vine free of weeds by hoeing or using plastic or organic mulch. If the cane does not reach the lowest wire or support, tie it to a stake for the first season.

Fertilize your new grapevines one to three weeks after planting with 4 ounces of 10-10-10 fertilizer per vine, applied six to 12 inches from the trunk. Water if conditions are dry.

In the second season, apply one pound of 10-1010 fertilizer and in subsequent years apply one to one-and-a-half pounds. Applications may be split between just before bud break and four weeks later.

For wine grapes, decrease fertilizer to three ounces the first year and a half-pound in subsequent years. Maintain a pH of 5.0 to 5.5 for table grapes and 5.8 to 6.5 for wine grapes. Soil testing is recommended prior to planting and every two to three years for lime and fertilizer applications.

Annual dormant season pruning is important for maintaining vine size and form and for optimizing vegetative growth and fruit production. Pruning also improves air flow around the leaves which aids in disease prevention. A popular pruning system for the home garden is the four-arm Kniffen system. It consists of a single main trunk with four side branches, extending out from the trunk along the wires. Late in the dormant season (March) of the second year, tie the cane to the top (six foot) trellis wire and prune it off just above the wire. If the cane does not yet reach the top wire, treat it as a first year cane. Remove all growth except for four to 6 buds near each wire.

As shoots develop, remove any flower clusters that form. In early spring of the third year, before growth begins, select four canes for each of the two wires (total of eight). Tie one cane to each wire in each direction (four canes). Allow these to bear fruit up to the sixth bud along the arm. Cut the other four canes back to a stub bearing two buds. When pruning mature vines, remove the fruiting canes from the previous year. Tie one of the two canes that grew from the stub to the wire and cut after the tenth bud. Cut the remaining cane to two buds for next year's stub and arm.

To train vines to an arbor, the trunk is allowed to grow longer to provide shade. Short permanent arms are trained so the foliage will cover the arbor. For best results, do an annual renewal pruning.

The best grapes for Connecticut are at least moderately winter hardy. American cultivars (Vitis lambrusca) and French hybrid types (crosses between V. lambrusca and V. vinifera) are recommended. European (Vitis vinifera) grapes are generally less winter hardy. Cultivars can be selected based on grape color, size, flavor, end use, ripening time and vine disease resistance.

Some popular table grape varieties include Concord, Lakemont, Reliance, Interlaken, Canadice and Himrod. Wine grape cultivars suggested for Connecticut are Cayuga white, Niagara, Baco noir, and Marechal Foch. Click here for more information on cultivar selection, "Grape Varieties for Connecticut," at the CT Agricultural Experiment Station Web site.

There are important diseases and insect pests of grapes that need to be managed to produce healthy fruit.

The most common diseases are black rot, downy mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis bunch mold or gray rot.

Insect pests include grape berry moth, grape cane girdler, grape flea beetle, Japanese beetles, and grape phylloxera. Controls include culture, sanitation, resistance and chemical sprays. A general spray guide is available at the Web site mentioned above.

Cultural methods improve plant vigor and include proper fertilizing, pruning and care practices that minimize stress. Sanitation involves removal of affected or dead plant material by pruning and removing plant litter on the ground.

For more information on growing and caring for grapes or other home and garden topics, contact the UConn Home & Garden Education Center toll free at (877) 486-6271 or by email at ladybug@uconn.edu.