Concord Grape
Vitis 'Concord'
Concord Grape
Vitis 'Concord'
How are the heights measured?
All tree, and nothin' but the tree! We measure from the top of the soil to the top of the tree; the height of the container or the root system is never included in our measurements.
What is a gallon container?
Nursery containers come in a variety of different sizes, and old-school nursery slang has stuck. While the industry-standard terminology is to call the sizes "Gallon Containers", that doesn't exactly translate to the traditional liquid "gallon" size we think of. You'll find we carry young 1-gallons, up to more mature 7-gallons ranging anywhere from 6 inches to 6ft.
How does the delivery process work?
All of our orders ship via FedEx Ground! Once your order is placed online, our magic elves get right to work picking, staging, boxing and shipping your trees. Orders typically ship out within 2 business days. You will receive email notifications along the way on the progress of your order, as well as tracking information to track your plants all the way to their new home!
Why are some states excluded from shipping?
The short & sweet answer is: "United States Department of Agriculture Restrictions." Every state has their own unique USDA restrictions on which plants they allow to come into their state. While we wish we could serve everyone, it's for the safety of native species and helps prevent the spread of invasive disease & pests. We've gotta protect good ole' Mother Nature, after all.
About Me
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The Concord grape is often called ‘America’s Grape’ because this hardy variety was developed to give Americans a grape that was adapted to their local growing conditions. It is the grape for classic grape juice and grape jelly, with a distinctive purple color. The vine is hardy throughout zone 5 and will also grow right into zone 9, so this heirloom grape can be enjoyed almost everywhere. If you are interested in growing grapes, Concord is the grape to start with. It is hardy, strong-growing and relatively disease-resistant and will grow well in any well-drained soil.
- Hardiest grape variety for cold regions
- Large crop of purple grapes
- Ideal for juice or jelly
- Disease resistant and easy to grow
- grow on a fence, arbor, trellis or wires
Plant the Concord Grape in a sunny place, in any soil that does not hold water for long. Train this climbing plant on a fence or grow it up an arbor. It can easily be grown on just two wires stretched between stakes. Some simple pruning will produce the best crop, but this tough plant is easy to grow. With very little effort you will be harvesting baskets of delicious purple grapes for the table, to juice, to preserve as jelly or even to turn into wine. This grape has a unique and special flavor you will love.
- Plant Hardiness Zones 5-9
- Mature Width 10-20
- Mature Height 20-30
- Sun Needs Full Sun
Grapes are one of the easiest fruits to grow. Because they are a vine, not a tree, they can be grown on a fence or wall without taking up any room or shading your other plants. If you don’t have a suitable support, an easy one can be made from some wire and poles and is an attractive way to divide one part of the garden from another without needing to plant a hedge. Another great use for a grape vine is to cover an arbor over a seating area, where the vine will give cool shade all summer, grapes in fall and let in the sun during winter – the perfect combination.
The Concord grape is the hardiest of grapes and so it is the perfect choice for anyone gardening in cooler regions, as well as for anyone who wants to enjoy the juice and jelly of the classic American grape. It is self-fertile so just one plant will let you enjoy a big crop of deep-purple bunches of delicious grapes. If you are looking for a white grape that is almost as hardy, the Niagara grape is a close relative and is an excellent all-purpose white grape.
Growing Concord Grapes
The Concord grape vine grows throughout all of zone 5 all the way through zone 9, so it can be grown in all but the coldest parts of the country. It is especially popular for the north-east and the number one choice for colder regions. The plant is a vigorous vine that can grow many feet in length but your vine should be kept pruned for maximum production, so a mature vine is going to cover 6 to 10 feet of fence or support. To cover an arbor, plant a vine at each corner. For a very large arbor you should also plant a vine in the center of each side.
Planting and Initial Care
Grapes grow best in a sunny position with at least 8 hours of sunshine each day. Sun is especially important in fall to ripen the fruit. The soil does not have to be very rich and should be well-drained. In fact vines do well even on poor soil and are an excellent choice is you have rocks in your soil. Grapes are drought-resistant once established but watering during very dry spells will increase your yield. Your Concord grape will begin to bear fruit in just a couple of years after planting and vines live to a great age.
Once you have chosen a suitable spot, enrich the soil with some organic material like garden compost or rotted manure or even rotted leaves. Dig a hole three times wider than the pot and place your vine at the same depth in the hole as it was in the pot. Put back most of the soil, water well and when the water has drained away replace the rest of the soil. Water your new vine well each week during the first growing season and then when the soil is dry. See our general section on Grapes for tips on building a support system and for directions on how to prune your Concord grape vine.
Appearance
The Concord grape is a climbing plant or vine that produces strong, thick stems as it ages. The stems will twine around any support and young stems also have tendrils, which are modified leaves that curl around anything they come into contact with. Older stems are covered with a peeling, brown bark. The leaves are large, up to 8 inches long and the same across and are lobed like a hand, with scalloped edges.
The flowers appear in clusters in the spring and are not very conspicuous. They develop into bunches of grapes, which at first are green and turn purple in late September. It takes around 115 days from flowering to harvest. Each bunch of Concord grapes will be around 5 ounces in weight, but each vine will produce 10 or 15 pounds of grapes – quite a harvest. The Concord grape is a deep purple color, with a white powder, called ‘bloom’ on it. It makes the classic grape juice and is also the best variety to use for jelly. It can be eaten fresh or turned into wine. You can tell when the grapes are ready to pick when the skin changes color and when the seeds turn from green to brown.
History and Origins of the Concord Grape
When the first settlers came to America they brought their favorite grape-vine varieties with them from Europe. But they did not grow well, so pioneers looked for ways to improve them. The wild American Grape (Vitis labrusca) grew very well and was hardy, so in 1849 a farmer called Ephraim Wales Bull, who lived in Concord, Massachusetts, planted some seeds from wild grapes, picked the best seedling and called it ‘Concord’.
Genetic analysis has shown that it was actually a hybrid and is ⅓ European grape, probably from pollen from a nearby variety called ‘Catawba’ that Bull was growing. ‘Catawba’ is also a famous very early hybrid of the American and the European grape. Since Concord is such a special grape, it must be grown from branches taken directly from plants of the right variety. It will not grow from seed, so beware of cheap seedling vines that will only be a disappointment.
Our Concord grape vines are true to type and we are constantly getting new stock so that our customers receive the best, freshest plants. However this very popular variety is often in short supply, so order now to avoid disappointment.