How to Grow Grapes on an Arbor Trellis

Put on gardening gloves and dig a hole every 3 feet on either side of the arbor. The holes should be wide enough for the roots on your grape plants to sit in without being cramped and deep enough for about 1 inch of soil to cover the root system of the grape plants. They should also be around 5 inches from the sides of the arbor. If your arbor is not long, only dig one hole on either side of the arbor.

Hammer in a wooden stake on the arbor-side of each hole, so that around 30-inches of the stake is above ground.

Examine the grape plants and choose the strongest and most vigorous-looking cane from each plant. Use the pruning shears to cut off all the other canes.

Loosen the roots of the grape plants, and trim any broken or long roots. Gently place the plants into the holes. Cover with soil, and lightly pat down around the grape's root ball.

Prune the remaining cane of the grape plant down to two buds, and then tie the cane to the stake with the wire twist-ties. Don't twist the wire so tight that it cuts into the flesh of the plant. Water lightly.

Attach new shoots and canes to the sides of the arbor with wire twists as they develop. Check the wire twists every two weeks to ensure the growth of the grape plant hasn't made the twists cut into the plant. Continue training the growing plant up the sides of the arbor.

Prune the grape vine so that there are around two buds per branch, especially on the lower branches. If there are too many buds left on the branches, the grape vine will not produce fruit well, as all the energy of the vine will be concentrated in the branches and foliage.

Tie netted bags around the grape bunches as they ripen to ward off birds or other fruit-eating pests that like to munch on grapes.