Concord Grapes Grown in Zone 3

Growing Challenges

• Two challenges exist in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone 3 for successful growing of Concord grapes. The first is winter cold, as average annual minimum temperatures plummet to 30 to 40 degrees below zero. Such cold kills back exposed grapevine canes as well as roots. Secondly, Zone 3 geographies are often at such high elevations or high latitudes that the summer frost-free growing season is short. If frosts occurs too early in September or October, developing Concord grapes are destroyed.

Locations

• In the continental United States, USDA Zone 3 occurs only in the highest elevations of the central and northern Rocky Mountains as well as in a large band from Montana to northern Wisconsin. Localized pockets of the zone also occur in upstate New York and along the Canadian border in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The brutality of the Zone 3 winter varies in these geographies, especially pertaining to desiccation from winds. On the Great Plains, more wind is associated with overwintering Concord grapevines as compared with the wooded landscapes farther east.

Concord Grape Growing Tips

• Concord grape vines perform best, albeit still inconsistently, in Zone 3 if properly located in a warmer microclimate. Grapes need full sun exposures in a fertile, well-drained soil. Plant the vine in a sheltered area that receives maximum protection from winter cold and winds. A south-facing hillside works well. To avoid untimely September frosts before grapes fully ripen, site vines out of low elevations where cold air settles. Covering vines at night may be necessary. Once leaves drop off in autumn, untie vines from the trellis system, lay them on the ground and cover with 12 to 24 inches of dry mulch to insulate them during the long winter. Mulch over the crown area -- where the canes transition into roots.

Alternatives

• Because Concord grapes aren't truly hardy in areas where it gets colder than minus 15 degrees, and the fruits take long to fully ripen on the vine, they are not the best blue-black, slipskin grape for Zone 3. You may have success growing Concord grapes in the zone, but fall frosts can prevent crops in many years. Instead, choose more cold-hardy and earlier ripening fox grape cultivars. Examples include Trollhaugen, Toldi, King of the North, Bluebell, Fredonia, Worden and Van Buren.