HO-45
jird and garden
GROWING GRAPES
John A. Wott
cooperative extension service horticulture department
purdue university lafayette, indiana 47907
Grapes continue to be a favorite fruit with many home gardeners. They can be grown in a wide variety of soil types, requiring only that the soil be well-drained and moderately fertile. And though grapes need ample space, spring and summer cultivation, frequent spraying or dusting, annual pruning, and a supporting trellis, many feel the home garden is incomplete if it does not contain at least a few vines of this attractive and delicious fruit.

VARIETIES FOR INDIANA
Most people are familiar with the Concord grape, a dark blue to black mid-season grape. Several newer varieties, however, are superior to Concord in some respects. Some of the most promising varieties for Indiana are listed below in the order of ripening:

Himrod (seedless): White; very early; berry size medium, about the size of Delaware; high dessert quality; medium productivity; susceptible to black rot.

Fredonia: Black; an early blue-black grape of recent origin; ripens about one week earlier than Concord; quality of fruit excellent; in productivity Fredonia is at least equal to the older variety.
Moore’s Early: Black; requires rich, well-drained soil; berries sometimes tend to shatter; vines of medium vigor, hardy, moderately productive; dessert quality good.

Delaware: Red; very high quality, but clusters and berries are always small, and vines lack vigor to the point that this variety should never be planted on poor soil; requires larger yearly applications of manure and nitrate than most grape varieties.

Niagara: White, popular grape of good "foxy" quality and size; vines vigorous and productive; somewhat more susceptible to the common grape diseases than Concord.

Concord: Black; mid-season grape; fruit is dark blue to almost black when fully ripened; under good care, bunches are large, compact, and the vine is very vigorous.

Golden Muscat: White; provides a nice succession of ripening with Seneca and Niagara; is subject to the same danger of early fall frost as Sheridan; vine vigorous, hardy and productive.

PLANTING AND MANAGEMENT
Grapes grow best in a well-drained garden loam, preferably a sandy loam. Before working the planting site, add 1-2 pounds of
Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, State of Indiana, Purdue University and U. S. Department of Agriculture Cooperating. H. G. Diesslin, Director, Lafayette, Ind. Issued in furtherance of the Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914.