The Eight Steps to Growing a Grapevine

Step 1: Planting

• Plant grapevines in full sun and along southern slopes where it is warmer, recommends the University of Minnesota Extension. Soil should drain well. Plant in the spring, as soon as the earth thaws. Using clean pruners, cut off all canes except one. Space grapevines about 6 feet apart, in a hole large enough that the root system has plenty of room to spread.

Step Two: Training

• After planting, trim back the grapevine's cane just above two buds. Train this cane to grow up a thick metal or wood stake that's approximately 6 feet tall. To secure the vine to this stake, use lengths of pantyhose, which are unlikely to damage the vine.

Step 3: Suckers and Mulch

• Throughout the year, and using clean pruning shears, cut off any suckers --- young growth at the base of the canes. A thick layer of organic mulch (such as straw or bark) around the base of vines will help keep down weeds and conserve water. The mulch should not touch the canes, however.

Step 4: Fertilize

• Two weeks after planting the grapevine, use a 10-6-4 fertilizer --- either synthetic or organic -- applied at a rate of 1 lb. per plant. Each spring, before new growth appears, apply the same fertilizer at the same rate.

Step 5: Pruning the First Year

• Cold hardy grapevines are best pruned using the four-arm Kniffen system, according to the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension website. Two wires, stretched horizontally between two posts, are used as support. As soon as the vine reaches the first wire, 36 inches from the ground, remove all shoots growing above it and prune back shoots reaching the lower wire to their two strongest buds.

Step 6: Pruning the Following Years

• In the early spring of the following year, choose the best four canes, two on each side of the main vine. Prune these canes until they have just 10 buds. Secure them to the wires. In addition, leave two young growths having two buds along the trunk. All other canes should be pruned off. In the years that follow, prune back all but the four strongest canes.

Step 7: Pest Management

• According to the Ohio State University Extension, grapevines often suffer from downy and powdery mildew, black rot and leaf spot. To prevent these diseases, avoid overcrowding, prune appropriately and remove dead foliage from the soil around the grapes. Regularly examine grapevines for infestations of common pests like the grape berry moth, Japanese beetle and grape root borer.

Step 8: Harvesting

• Always taste one or two grapes before harvesting more fully, since color alone does not indicate ripeness. Unlike some other fruits, grapes don't continue to ripen once they are picked.