Grapes

Grapes are a popular choice to grow in the home garden. 

Grapevines not only produce tasty fruit that can be used in many ways, but the vines can be trained to provide shade or privacy in the landscape.

Below is a collection of resources just for the home gardener from the UC Master Gardeners of Sacramento County and other external resources. 

Monthly Tips - helpful vocabulary and a calendar of operations for the home grape grower.

Grapes at the FOHC - a history of the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center (FOHC) vineyard.

Master Gardener Publications and Videos

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• Planting and Care of Grapevines (PDF 1MB). (EHN 97)
• Grape Cultivars in the FOHC Vineyard (PDF) (EHN 97a)
• About Powdery Mildew (PDF 62KB)  (GN 106)
• Growing Grapes in the Home Garden (PDF) - easy to understand diagrams for grape culture by Chuck Ingels, Sacramento County UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor.

Videos

• Pests of the Vineyard (3:49 min.) - UCCE Master Gardeners of Sacramento County
• Powdery Mildew in the Vineyard (2:50 min.) - UCCE Master Gardeners of Sacramento County
• Grape vine pruning - Sacramento County UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor Chuck Ingels. (2:49 min.) 
• Spur and cane pruning - as well as shoot thinning by Chuck Ingels, UC Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor. (5 min.)
  
  

External Resources

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Websites

• Plant problem diagnostic tool - UC Integrated Pest Management gives you the ability to solve plant problems.
• Growing grapes - California Garden Web.
• Growing grapes - UC IPM Online Statewide Integrated Pest Management website addresses these individual topics:
  
  
  • Site selection
  • Planting
  • Training and pruning
  • First- and second-year pruning
  • Trellising
  • Watering
  • Fertilizing
  • Harvesting and storage
    
    
• Pests and disorders - the UC IPM Online Statewide Integrated Pest Management website provides extensive information about insects, diseases, weeds, and other grape pest problems.
• Basic guidelines for pruning grapes - Washington State University Extension.

Publications

• Powdery mildew (PDF 632KB) - UC IPM Pest Note (PN 7494) discusses monitoring and treatment options for this common disease affecting grapes in our area. 

ANR = free publication from the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Catalog
PN = free publication from UC Integrated Pest Management
EHN = Environmental Horticulture Notes from the UCCE Master Gardeners of Sacramento County
GN = Garden Notes from the UCCE Master Gardeners of Sacramento County

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