The best aspect behind grape growing is that they grow on a vine, with the help of a trellis. Since vines cant support themselves, the trellis gives them a place to hold on to; maximizing space usage. Because of this, grapevine growers can harvest grapes both in a vineyard, and in their own backyards.

The Trellis

Vines are not strong enough to support themselves and therefore need a trellis for support. The way a trellis looks depends upon the person who is growing the grapevine. It can be very decorative or it can strictly be functional. A trellis can come in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit the needs of the grape grower and it can be made out of a variety of materials including iron, pretreated wood, stainless steel, PVC pipe, or aluminum. It can be purchased or a simple functional design can be fairly easily constructed by hand. Although grapevines can be grown in a yard, they are a fairly large plant. You will need a space of about eight feet by eight feet for one vine.

Trellis Construction

Before the grapevine is planted, the trellis must be constructed. When it comes to trellis construction and set-up the rule is: higher trellises for warmer weather, shorter trellises for colder ones. When the trellis is shorter, the vine has a bigger chance of withstanding the cold winter weather. A short trellis uses posts that are an average of 3 ft high, while tall trellises need posts that are at least 8 ft high.

Trellis Location

Before you venture out to get a trellis for your grapevines, make sure you have determined its location beforehand. This way you can make the necessary measurements to order a trellis that fits well in its destination. Remember that, even though, grapevines maximize space by growing on a trellis, they still require a space of 8ft by 8ft for one single vine.

Building

Once you have mapped out the grapevines location, and had your trellis built you can begin digging the holes for its installment. Posts must be an average of 2 ft into the ground. You can either secure them in place using sand and cement, or you can tie them down to the ground using catch wires, Posts are set at a distance of 8ft apart, with two rows of galvanized steel running between the poles. One runs along the top of the posts, and one along the bottom, securing them together. You can use a staple gun to staple the wires in place.

When your grapevine begins to grow, it will climb along these two wires on the trellis. At the beginning, the vine will need your help to grow onto the right places " an aspect that we will later discuss on my grape pruning section.

Pierre Duponte is a grape growing expert. He spends his time teaching others how to make fine wines. For more great tips on How To Succeed with Your Grape Trellis, or you can get his free 10 part mini course on grape growing and how to make wine visit http://www.grapegrowingwinemakingtips.com/.

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