How to Trellis Grape Vines

Grapes can be consumed as whole fruits, made into juice or wine. They grow on vines that must have support in order to hold the weight of the grape bunches. If you wish to grow grapes, you’ll need to install a trellis to hold the grape vines off the ground. Trellises also provide the grapes and leaves with maximum exposure to the sun, which is crucial for healthy grape production. You should install the trellis before you plant grapes or in the first season of their development, because young vines are easier to trellis than long vines.

8-foot fence posts
Post hole diggers
Heavy galvanized wire
Grape vines
String or twine

Instructions

- 1
  Set 8-foot fence posts in the ground 2 feet deep and spaced 20 feet apart. You can use wood or metal fence posts and can stabilize them in the ground with concrete poured into the posthole.
- 2
  Brace the end posts of the trellis with another fence post set diagonally from the top of the end posts and extending down to the ground.
- 3
  String two or three strands of heavy-gauge galvanized wire along the fence posts, such as size 9, 10 or 11 wire. You can wrap the wire around each fence post before extending to the next post or secure it with staples.
- 4
  Weave the ends of the grape vines through the strands of wire to train them. As the ends of the vines grow, weave them through the next strand of wire and repeat until you reach the top strand.
- 5
  Tie the vines to the wire with string or baling twine to ensure the vine stays in place and is trained to grow on the trellis. Be sure the knots are loose to accommodate the vines as they grow thicker.
- 6
  Wrap the ends of the grape vine loosely around the top strand of wire to train the vines to grow along the length of the wire. Hold them in place with loosely tied string or twine.

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