On February 25, 2009, I prepared a small area for planting 8 Mars Seedless grape vines, which I had purchased from Lowe's in Danville,
VA, several weeks earlier.
I paid 9.97 per 2-pack of these grapes.
The weed block cloth was approximately 25.00 for a 100
foot by 3 foot roll.
Grass clippings - FREE!
The location is at the top of a gentle eastern slope, at the outside of our
fenced in dog lot.
This area receives full sun all day, from the rising sun in the east, the overhead noon sun and the western setting
sun, this should be the perfect spot!
I am planning to let the vines climb on the dog lot fence.
I purchased a roll of
3' X 100' long black landscaping cloth (app 24.00 at Home Depot in Hillsborough, NC)
I simply unrolled it over the ground's surface,
and used gardening staples (about 10.00 for a box of 75, also from Home Depot) to secure the edges to the ground.
Then I opened
a space for each grape vine in the cloth by scoring an X in the material using a sharp kitchen knife.
In the opened cloth, I
then used a small shovel to "excavate" an area for the vine, deep enough to cover the roots, and wide enough in diameter that the
soil was loosened well for the roots to spread. I removed grass plants as I worked. I mixed a small amount of organic
fertilizer & lime into the soil, then gently placed each plant in its "next" and covered the roots, firmly tamping the soil
down around the roots.
After all 8 of the vines were planted, I mulched them with grass clippings from our "collection", at a
depth of 2-4 inches.
Now, I can hardly wait for those fresh, seedless grapes, and homemade raisins!
