Grapes denver

They also fit the timing of bud break from May 5 to 15 and grape harvest from Sept. Look for short-season varieties, days or fewer, but plan on providing frost protection so plants have enough time in fall to maximize fruit production.

Grape plants like deep, well-drained, salt-free soil. Developing a healthy root system is the primary focus the first two growing years. Grapes will be produced in the third year, and by the fourth or fifth year vines should be at full production. One of the mistakes backyard grape growers make is not pruning the vines, or pruning them incorrectly, once the plants are established.

Pruning begins in the third year and helps ensure that the vines receive enough sunlight for the grapes to ripen. Mulch heavily in winter to protect against fluctuating temperatures and drying winds. Remove the mulch in summer. She has eight grape plants, six of which were already planted when she moved into her Washington Park home nine years ago.

It seems they were more plentiful and tastiest then. She grows Concord and Niagara varieties. Another unidentified plant has grapes so sweet they taste like cotton candy.

Four others are planted on a trellis near a brick patio that provides a warm, sheltered space. They also like a shot of nitrogen in the spring when they start growing and taking on buds. Like all new gardening projects, getting grape vines started is an exercise in patience. That way you can watch them grow up together. When grapes are ripe in late August or early September, she shares them with her neighbors, squirrels and birds.

Best grapes? Many varieties are being tested in the community garden site on the Boulder Country Fairgrounds in Longmont. A properly planted grape vine should be in a hole deep enough so the major portion of the root will be at least one foot deep. Grapes are very sensitive to 2,4-D and should not be planted close to where this chemical will be sprayed for weed control.

Good fruit production requires good pruning technique. If the vines are growing on a fence or trellis, the plant should be pruned in the early spring, leaving only two to four good canes. These canes should each contain about 20 to 30 buds. The Front Range area has winds which cause drastically fluctuating temperature and humidity during the winter, soonly the hardier grape varieties should be grown there.

The Western Slope, with more stable winter conditions, is more conducive to growing wine varieties and other grapes. Concord Seedless is a mediated fruit producer with medium vine vigor and high winter hardiness. Perlett is a European variety producing white, early season fruit. Beta fruit ripens very dark colored in September and can be used for making juice or wine. James Klett discusses the history of PlantTalk Colorado. Click here to view the history of PlantTalk Colorado.