Cultivating Grapes for Home Harvest: A Guide for Personal Fruit Gardening
Grapevines are a popular choice for home gardeners in Ohio, offering a wide variety of flavours and types, from red and blue to white and black. With the right care and selection, Ohio's climate can provide an ideal environment for these fruit-bearing vines.
Choosing the Right Cultivars
When selecting grape cultivars, it's essential to consider disease tolerance, as Ohio's wet springs and hot, humid summers can favour common diseases that attack grapes. The latest grape cultivars recommended for Ohio home plantings include varieties like Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris/Grigio, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Volos, and Everest seedless. These cultivars have been favoured for their adaptability to Ohio’s climate, flavor profiles, and growing performance.
Key Characteristics and Disease Susceptibility
- Riesling: Highly popular with high acidity and floral aromas. Often vinified dry or off-dry with notes of green apple, peach, apricot, and mineral. Riesling does well in Ohio’s climate but can be moderately susceptible to fungal diseases common in humid regions, requiring proper management.
- Chardonnay: Versatile with balanced acidity and flavor range from citrusy to tropical fruits. It thrives in Ohio’s conditions, though may require vigilance against powdery mildew and other common grape diseases.
- Cabernet Franc: Noted for winter hardiness and adaptability in the Lake Erie American Viticultural Area of Ohio. Produces lighter, peppery red wines with hints of tobacco and berries. It has become increasingly recognized for quality in Ohio and is somewhat disease resistant, though site selection and care remain important.
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Gris/Grigio, Pinot Noir: Also cultivated in the region but may require more disease management due to susceptibility to powdery mildew, downy mildew, and other grape diseases in Ohio’s humid climate.
- Cabernet Volos: A newer cultivar showing early ripening characteristics, potentially suitable for Ohio’s shorter growing season. Disease resistance specifics are less documented but it is noted for early signs of ripening in local vineyards.
- Everest Seedless: A seedless table grape variety gaining interest for home plantings. Its disease resistance and adaptability make it a practical choice for amateur growers with less intensive disease management requirements.
Ohio State University Extension emphasizes planting cultivars with lower disease risk for home growers, especially considering threats like the Spotted Lanternfly that harms grapevines.
Proper Care and Management
Pruning grapevines is crucial for maintaining a uniform yearly production of quality fruit. The best time to prune is in the dormant season after the danger of severe cold weather has passed, usually in March in Ohio. Pruning involves considering fruiting canes for the coming year and renewal canes for the year after.
Grapes have their share of insects, mites, and diseases. Selecting disease-tolerant cultivars, good sanitation practices, managing vine canopies for good air movement, pest scouting, and an effective spray program are all part of a successful pest management program.
Weeds should be controlled by hand hoeing or with plastic or organic mulch. A clean area 1.5 to 2 feet on each side of the vine is necessary.
Grapes typically perform best where the soil pH is between 5.0 and 6.0. The commonly suggested rate of fertilizer application in a grape planting is 8 ounces of 10-10-10 fertilizer per plant seven days after planting. Increase the amount of fertilizer to 1 pound of 10-10-10 in the second year and 1.5 pounds per vine in the third and later years about 30 days before new growth begins in the spring.
For additional information on pruning and other cultural management practices, gardeners are encouraged to purchase a copy of the OSU Extension Bulletin 940, Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide. This comprehensive guide provides valuable insights for successful grape cultivation in Ohio.
[1] OSU Extension. (2021). Midwest Grape Production Guide. Retrieved from https://extension.osu.edu/publications/publication/midwest-grape-production-guide
[2] OSU Extension. (2019). Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide. Retrieved from https://extension.osu.edu/publications/publication/midwest-home-fruit-production-guide
[3] OSU Extension. (2020). Lake Erie American Viticultural Area. Retrieved from https://extension.osu.edu/news-trends/news-releases/2020/03/20/lake-erie-american-viticultural-area
[4] OSU Extension. (2021). Spotted Lanternfly. Retrieved from https://entomology.osu.edu/spotted-lanternfly
[5] OSU Extension. (2021). New Grape Cultivars for Ohio. Retrieved from https://extension.osu.edu/news-trends/news-releases/2021/08/03/new-grape-cultivars-for-ohio
- To enhance the quality of fruit and maintain a healthy grape vineyard, practitioners of horticulture should consider the importance of proper pruning, disease management, and soil pH in Ohio.
- In an effort to combat pests, like the Spotted Lanternfly, home gardeners in Ohio are advised to choose cultivars with lower disease risk, such as Everest Seedless, for their home-and-garden plantings.
- To ensure continued success in grape production and pest management, Ohio State University Extension encourages gardeners to implement good sanitation practices, manage vine canopies, engage in regular pest scouting, and adhere to an effective spray program.
