How to Make a Grape Arbor for Shade

Build the Arbor

• 1

  Start the building process in spring when the ground thaws. This timing provides the easiest digging and the best planting time for the grapevines.

• 2

  Choose a site that offers at least 10 square feet of bright sun, quick year-round drainage and air circulation. Grapevines can't grow without bright sun and good air movement. Choose a flat, even site for the easiest and most successful construction.

• 3

  Measure and mark the outline of your arbor. Dig four, 3-foot-deep holes at the corners of the planned arbor for your supports.

• 4

  Mix quick-set concrete in a bucket to the side, per the directions. Put 3- to 4-inch-wide, 12- to 14-foot-long treated posts in the holes as your corner. Handle the posts one at a time for best success. Have a friend hold the posts straight in the holes, and pour concrete around their bases to fill the holes and secure the construction. Allow the concrete to cure for at least 12 hours before proceeding.

• 5

  Stretch lengths of wire between the tops of the four poles to build a box shape as the outline of the roof. Wrap the wire once around the first pole and secure it. Run it to the second pole, wrap it around once, then repeat for the remaining poles. Secure the wire when you get back to the initial pole.

• 6

  Stretch wire across the top of the arbor, from one length of fixed wire to the opposite length, to build a roof. Put a length of wire at every 2 feet for best coverage, and repeat in both directions for a checkerboard effect.

Grow and Train Grapes

• 7

  Plant a grapevine at each post for growing and training. Prepare sites 1 foot from the posts for adequate root space. Dig 6 to 7 inches of compost into the top 10 to 12 inches of natural soil for a loose, quick-draining foundation, and prepare 3-foot-wide sites for each grapevine.

• 8

  Plant the grapevines in holes as deep and twice as wide as their root balls. Spread the roots wide in the holes and cover them completely with amended soil. Poke your fingers into the soil every 2 to 3 inches to eliminate any air pockets, and press the soil down firmly.

• 9

  Prune the grapevines down to one cane each, with five to 12 growing nodes on each cane. This pruning encourages quick, healthy growth. Irrigate the grapevines with 1/2 gallon of water each, and put them on a schedule of 2 inches of water every week.

• 10

  Feed the grapevines with 10-10-10 fertilizer the week after planting. Sprinkle fertilizer in a circle 6 inches from the bases of the vines, turn it into the soil, then water. Repeat this feeding every year in the spring for best growth.

• 11

  Mulch the soil around the grapevines with 1 to 2 inches of organic mulch for the best soil protection. Mulch helps maintain soil moisture and warmth, and discourages weed growth.