Grape growing question

[Katy]

Does anyone here grow grapes? We’re in the process of buying a new house, it has a pergola over a raised deck, so it’s almost 2 stories tall.  Can I grow table grapes up the pergola from the ground, or would I need to have containers on the deck?

[Selkie]

I don't know about growing grapes, but wanted to say be careful if you have pets because grapes are very toxic to dogs and cats.

[prairiewindmomma]

We grew grapes a couple of houses ago. You can train grapes up from the ground, but it will take a while to get there and you need to somehow scaffold the vines as you train them up. The weight of mature vines gets to be a lot. Honestly, most grapes are only 6-8 feet in length when mature because you lose a lot of productivity of the fruit once you go beyond that. (Most people prune heavily to keep them productive.)
 

Your better bet is to use wine barrel pots on the deck and go from there.

Edited February 24, 2022 by prairiewindmomma

[Katy]

Yes, we do have a dog, but I know from experience that he thankfully isn’t interested in any sort of fruit. He’s weirdly very likely to climb a bookcase to steal some salad in Italian dressing though. The dog that would eat anything passed away a few years ago. When this dog passes we’re unlikely to get another anytime soon because we want to be able to travel. 

[Faith-manor]

They do get heavy and hold a lot of water. You might not want that on your nice pergola. We use cheap wood trellis and old wood ladder, and try to zip tie them onto the wood. We also don't let them get taller than six feet, and prune as needed. They can get a little.crazy and end up putting all their energy into spreading instead of fruit. They don't seem to understand how much we humans want to eat their yummylicious orbs.

Edited February 25, 2022 by Faith-manor

[Spryte]

Our grapes are well established and possibly would reach that far (I’m trying to picture, and may not have it properly imagined). It takes quite a while to get them going, IIRC. Ours are in the ground, not containers. We have a metal scaffolding installed on the side of our house, along with — something? Wire? Rope? — that they love to vine along. 

I love our grapes, love the look and think they are beautiful. Twice, though, we have given up and tried to take them out because the squirrels just eat them. But, happily, the grapes always come back. I decided a few years ago to just embrace the look, and enjoy them, even though we rarely manage to eat them! That’s my one warning though, if you’re planning on eating them … squirrels will lurk everywhere, and just as the grapes ripen — they’ll nab them! Make a plan for the little thieves.