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• To step
• Method 1 of 1: Another way to prepare grape seeds
• Tips

Have you ever thought about growing your own grapes? Vines are both beautiful and useful and are one of the oldest cultivated crops. Grape vines are usually obtained from cut branches or grafts. But if you're determined (it's hard!) And patience (it takes a long time!), You can grow grapes from seeds. Read here how to do that.

To step

1. Choose the right kind. There are thousands of grape varieties in the world. In order to grow grapes successfully, it is important to choose the strain that suits you best. Find information and pay attention to the following points:
   • Your motives for growing grapes. Do you want to eat the grapes, make jam or wine from them, or do you just like vines in your garden? Figure out which strains best suit the purpose you have in mind.
   • The weather conditions. Some varieties of grapes are better suited to specific geographic zones and climates. Find out which grape variety does well where you live.
2. Buy grape seeds or get them from grapes. If you know which strain you want to grow, you can get the seeds from grapes you bought, or buy them from a nursery, or get them from another gardener.
3. See if the seeds are viable. Examine the seeds to see if they are healthy and in good condition.
   • Gently squeeze the seeds with two fingers. A healthy kernel feels firm.
   • Note the color. In healthy seeds you can see light gray or white germ white under the shell of the kernel.
   • Put them in water. Healthy, viable seeds sink in water. Remove kernels that float.
4. Prepare the seeds. Collect the viable seeds and wash them thoroughly to remove pulp and other debris. Soak them in some distilled water for 24 hours.
5. Stratify the seeds. Seeds often need a cold period in humid conditions to initiate the germination process. In nature, the seeds are in the ground in winter. You can simulate these conditions by stratification. For grape seeds, December is the best month to start stratification.
   • Prepare a seed bed for the seeds. Fill a resealable bag or other container with soft material, such as wet kitchen paper or damp sand, vermiculite or peat moss. Sphagnum moss is the best choice for grape seeds because it has fungicidal properties.
   • Put the seeds in the seedbed. Cover them with about 1/2 inch of growing material.
   • Place the seeds in the refrigerator. The ideal constant temperature for stratification is 1-3 ºC, so the refrigerator is a good place for the stratification process. Leave the seeds in the refrigerator for two or three months. Make sure they do not freeze.
6. Sow the seeds. Remove the seeds from the refrigerator at the beginning of spring and sow them in pots of potting soil.
   • Sow one seed in a small pot, or leave at least 1/2 inch of space between the seeds when planting them in larger pots.
   • Make sure the seeds stay warm. In order to germinate properly, the seeds need a temperature of at least 20ºC during the day and about 15ºC at night. Place them in a greenhouse or use a heating mat to keep the seeds at the right temperature.
   • Keep the soil moist, but not too wet. Spray the area with a fine plant sprayer when the soil starts to look dry.
   • See if any plants start to grow. Grape plants usually take 2 to 8 weeks to germinate.
7. Transplant the grape plants. When the plants are about 8 cm high, you can transplant them to larger pots. Keep the plants indoors until they are 30 cm high, have developed a good root system and have at least 5 or 6 leaves. This way you get healthy plants.
8. Plant the vines in the ground. Grape plants need plenty of sun, good drainage and support to survive.
   • Pick a good spot. Grapes need 7-8 hours of full sun per day for best results.
   • Provide good soil. Grape vines need a water-permeable soil. If the soil contains a lot of clay or other poorly permeable substances, you can use decomposed compost, sand or other additives to make the soil more porous. You can also mix sandy loam soil with compost in a raised planting bed.
   • Place the plants about 2.5 m apart, so that they have room to grow.
9. Provide adequate support. Grape vines need a fence or pergola to support. In the first year, when the plants are still small, sticks are enough to give them support. When they get bigger, teach them to use the fence or a pergola for support. Place the end of the suckers along the fence so that they can attach to it.
10. Take good care of your plants, this takes a lot of patience. Grape vines need three years before they give a good harvest. It is important to take good care of your plants all the time so that they give good harvests later.
    • The first year: Watch the growth. Choose the three strongest offshoots on the plant and let them grow. Cut off the other shoots. As a result, the three remaining offshoots grow even more strongly.
    • The second year: Use a balanced fertilizer. Remove flowers when they emerge; if you let the grape plant bear fruit in the first year, it loses its energy to the growth of the grapes, instead of the growth of the plant itself. Cut off any flower buds and shoots growing underneath the three offshoots left the year before. Give it a good pruning. Tie long offshoots loosely to a fence or pergola.
    • The third year: Continue fertilizing and remove low flower buds and shoots. In this year you can leave a few flower clusters for a small grape harvest.
    • The fourth year and beyond: Continue fertilizing and pruning. This year and the years after, you can have all the flowers you want to bloom.

Method 1 of 1: Another way to prepare grape seeds

1. Prepare the grape seeds by letting them dry for a few days. Place the dry kernels between two sheets of damp kitchen paper in a container or put them in moist soil in a bag or glass jar.
2. Put the container, bag or jar in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 months.
3. Remove the seeds from the refrigerator. Clean them if they were in the soil. Get the dirt off with sandpaper and cover them. Shake the seeds for a few minutes.
   • If you don't have sandpaper, you can use a grater.
4. Put the seeds in a solution of water, washing-up liquid and bleach in the ratio 4: 2: 1. Let the seeds soak for 15 minutes and then rinse them. Then soak the seeds in water for 24 hours.
5. Place the seeds between 2 sheets of damp kitchen paper or put them in the soil.
6. Grow the grape plants.
   • Prepare for the grape plants, such as a garden spot, biological pest control, and a grape plant fungicide (they are very susceptible to fungi). Baking powder and milk also work well against fungi.
   • When the plants start to grow, you can put them outside when they are between 13 and 20 cm high.
   • Monitor their growth and create a fence or trellis for them to grow against.

Tips

• Do not expect your plant to give exactly the same grapes as the mother plant. It can be a big surprise!
• Grape seeds can be stratified for a long time (even years), because the seeds go into hibernation at a cold temperature, as it were.
• If you are unsure of how to tie or prune your vines, seek advice from a garden center or nursery.
• If the seeds don't sprout on the first try, put them back in stratification and try again a season later.