Potted vine ready to ship

We’re proud of the healthy, vigorous vines that come out of our nursery. All of our vines are produced in our greenhouse from hardwood cuttings. We root these cuttings in the late winter, and plant them in pots. They grow in the greenhouse during March, April, and May. By late May, we “harden them off” in preparation for planting out in the vineyard. They’re ready to plant out in the first week of June, after the danger of frost is past.

The finished plant comes in a peat pot with the roots already showing through the sides of the pot. The original hardwood cutting sticks about 6 inches above the pot, and a new shoot about 5 to 6 inches long with leaves and tendrils grows from the buds in the cutting.

Although it’s best to have your site ready, and to plant the vines right away, it would be possible to hold the plants for up to several weeks, if necessary, as long as you keep them watered.

There are several advantages to these potted plants. Young roots growing through the sides and bottom of the pot take root in the vineyard soil as soon as they are planted. The plants become established almost immediately. The small size of the pot – compared to bare roots – requires only a small planting hole, which can greatly speed up the setting out of a new vineyard.

These plants need to be watered and protected from weeds. We plant all our new vines through black plastic mulch. We’ve had excellent results with this, and highly recommend it. With well prepared soil, and black plastic mulch, these potted vines often out-grow bare root vines in the first year.

About us: We’ve been farming here in Vermont’s Champlain Valley for 23 years – apples, strawberries, and grapes. (All the pictures on this website were taken at our farm.) Our success with these grapes makes us confident that an entirely new crop is available to growers in northern areas.

Chris and Michaela Granstrom, owners

Cuttings in March		...and in May