wow grapes will be alot of $$$$$$$$$$

[kendo]

talked to a few of the grape sellers in the everett ma area, $45-50 for a lug of CV...and for Delta packing, paso robles, $50-60lug, thats expensive no?..man last year i bought some nice lodi grapes for $36 bucks a lug!!

 

[Minnesotamaker]

Seems the cost of everything is going up. One of the benefits of printing money and dumping it on the market.

But on the bright side, look how much more I'm saving by growing my own.

 

[Smartdog]

Seems the cost of everything is going up. One of the benefits of printing money and dumping it on the market.

But on the bright side, look how much more I'm saving by growing my own.

Growing your own money?

 

[joea132]

I posted about this a few months ago. Demand is high and they expect to have a 15 percent increase from last year.

 

[Startwining]

I'm also in the Everett area if you don't mind me asking where are you getting the grapes?. I no the brew store in Woburn usually gets em in for a good price. I don't remember what the Chileans went for back in may though.

 

[btom2004]

I'm about to order a few grape vines and plant them. I can't see giving that kind of money away for grapes.

 

[FTC Wines]

I understand the higher cost of grapes has everyone thinking of planting. BUT, you plant them, trelis them, prune them, feed them, water them, fight fungus, control Jap bettles, etc. THEN 4 years later, the birds & deer EAT them. That's my experience for my 16 vines! Not sure I would do it again unless I could plant a larger scale home vineyard & have better controls in place. It's FUN, & LOOKS good, & adds credibility to a "home wine maker" but not sure it's worth the time & money for a few grapes. Just my 2 cents! Roy

 

[TMaxx]

I am new to wine making but have been growing since I can remember. I have 6 muscadine vines along with 2 blueberries, 1 fig, 1 apple, 4 plums, 1 tangerine and watermelons. I absolutely love growing things but I think to grow grapes to save money will take a few years to recoup the initial cost of starting. Most grapes will not produce a large crop until about the 3rd year. I would grow because you like too not to save money.

 

[grapeman]

To add to FTC's list, you also need some land, have access to tillage equipemnt, spray equipment , some sort of tractor- even if a garden tractor. Investments can easily add up to thousands even for a home winemaker and 15,000 or so per acre for someone growing commercially. Yearly costs are several thousand dollars per year, so those lug prices don't seem that bad to me either.

 

[FTC Wines]

Grapeman, Everyone thinks YOUR job is easy! I truly don't how farmers, vineyards etc. do it. I would be sleepless nights for me if it didn't rain/rained TOO much, out shooting deer, birds etc. not to mention the 2 really bad frosts here in Ga. in the last 4 yrs. Heck it could drive a man to DRINK! Wine of course. LOL Roy

 

[joea132]

Heard possibility of cabernet sauvignion being $10-12 more this year. Save up boys and girls...

 

[JohnT]

Grapeman,

you are making me think twice about growing.

I too, like to grow things. I have this field that has a gentile slope and great sun exposure during the day. When I purchased the house, I had planting vines in mind, but I never got around to it.

Is there a effective, low cost method for grapes? I figured on planting 10 or 15 vines and would REALLY like to know what I am in for before I commit.

To compound the problem, My area is infested with deer. How do you go about keeping the deer away?

 

[FTC Wines]

johnt, You will need serious deer restraints. The 4th year, last year, the deer ate all my grapes, then came back 1 week later & ate all the years new shoots. The vines were FULL & robust when we left for a 3 day camping trip, when we got home there was hardly a leaf left. My vines line my drive way on each side, so I can't really fence them in. I have also seen the deer eat ripe tomatoes off my plants inside of tomatoe cages. We only have the mom & 2 fawn's in the area, saw the buck only once in 5 yrs. Good LUCK! Roy

 

[joea132]

johnt, You will need serious deer restraints. The 4th year, last year, the deer ate all my grapes, then came back 1 week later & ate all the years new shoots. The vines were FULL & robust when we left for a 3 day camping trip, when we got home there was hardly a leaf left. My vines line my drive way on each side, so I can't really fence them in. I have also seen the deer eat ripe tomatoes off my plants inside of tomatoe cages. We only have the mom & 2 fawn's in the area, saw the buck only once in 5 yrs. Good LUCK! Roy

I believe a Remington 750 will solve the deer problem. And help keep the cost of groceries down

 

[FTC Wines]

BUT the wife says "their SO cute!" Roy

 

[grapeman]

Grapeman,

you are making me think twice about growing.

I too, like to grow things. I have this field that has a gentile slope and great sun exposure during the day. When I purchased the house, I had planting vines in mind, but I never got around to it.

Is there a effective, low cost method for grapes? I figured on planting 10 or 15 vines and would REALLY like to know what I am in for before I commit.

To compound the problem, My area is infested with deer. How do you go about keeping the deer away?

JohnT
A few vines is not that expensive, but will still take dedication on your part as labor may substitute a lot of the expense of mechanization needed for larger plantings.

I don't have a large deer problem as I thinned them down in the early years with a Winchester. A few vines is tricky as they have easy access to them. A larger vineyard discourages them because of all the wires for them to trael through or over. The spacing of the rows makes it tricky for them to jump multiple rows. You will need to protect the vines somehow for only 10-15 if you have a lot of deer. Good luck.

 

[rivertonroadlove]

Thinking about growing grapes I have a three acre field it was once a fettle daiy pasture
What should I plant that is in demand and what value could be had on three acres?
Thank you

 

[DCJRW]

If you are thinking about planting to save the few bucks you spend on grapes then you probably won't want to spend the money, OR time, OR energy into what it will take to get a good yield from your own vines. Especially not waiting five years for a decent crop. If you are going to grow a small amount of vines it should be because you want more control over what is done to them. Unless you enjoy the process of growing then don't do it. I realize you probably still will but remember this post a few years from now.

It looks cheap but remember the adage. How do you get a farmer worth a million dollars? . . . Start him with five million.