Growing Seasons for Concord Grapes

Harvest

• Concord is a midseason cultivar that ripens in the late summer to midfall. According to the Oregon State University Extension, color is not a good indication of maturity in grapes. You should judge if your grapes are ready to be picked by their taste or seed color. They should be sweet, and the seeds will have changed from green to brown. Concord grapes will not continue to ripen once they are picked.

Planting

• The best time to plant young vines is in the early spring. This gives Concord grape vines time to establish before the first frost. The Ohio State University Extension website does not recommend fall planting for Concord grapes. Planting the vines too late in the season means they most likely will be killed by heaving during their first winter.

Patience

• It normally takes three years for a grape planting to become fully established and to bear a full harvest. The vines should be trellised or trained before growth starts during the second year.