I don't have grapes down yet....

3 years ago, we planted some grapes. A row of 7 concords and a row of 7 ummm ....green ones...LOL

After all the studying we did (and are still doing) on grapes, we decided to put them in a "Four Arm Kniffin System"

So you set all this up and then plant your grapes and then keep them pruned until they get trained in the position you want. So we did that, and this year, some of them were in that position, so I let them fruit.

Not knowing when to harvest them, I waited till they turned colors and then waited some more cuz what I read said just because they turned, don't mean they are ready.

Being a farmer, I know that the animals know exactly when to "harvest" so I was trying to take my que(cue?) from the birds.

They have been around my grapes a lot lately, so I went out to taste one and decided it was time to harvest them.

This is all I got out of 4 plants that I allowed to fruit.

I assume that's a bad harvest. I also assume that's not enough to do anything with. So I'm just gonna put them in the fridge and let the boys devour them. 

But HEY!! I got grapes! FROM MY VINES!! I'm sooo totally stoked and at the same time depressed. You should see my vines! they are a mess....I think. 

This plant is a bad example, I was just learning here and cut off the bottom two "arms"

Please dont look at the ground level...I need to mow and trim, and speaking of that, is there a way I can stop all that nonsense too?? I know they don't like grass and crap around them...so I want to put something around them that will keep it dead and I can still mow. 

They don't look like the pictures I've seen but everything I've read, says to not prune till fall. And then you only prune certain canes!! Look at them! they are totally all. over. the. place!! SURLY this isn't right. 

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!! 

I'll get it. eventually. Both me and the grapes are still in training.   

I want grapes from my own vines too much, not to mention how much money, time and effort we put in to these things. See those posts?  There are 16 of them, all hand dug 3 feet underground. Yea, that was a day!

But the long and short of it is....I got some grapes this year. Maybe not more than enough to last thro an episode of Top Gear....but I got grapes!! And next year will be better.....I hope. 

If anyone wants to give me some pointers on these things...I would love you forever!! I think I got a good thing going....It just needs tweaked quite a bit.