Grapes are widely grown in home gardens for fruit and landscape purposes or commercially for wine, raisins, or fresh consumption. Grapes, on a commercial scale, are the world's most widely grown deciduous fruit crop. Selection of cultivars adapted to prevailing climatic conditions in a particular area is an important step.

Four types of grapes may be grown in New Mexico.

Vitis vinifera, developed mostly in France, are excellent for wine or table use. These grapes require long, warm, dry summers and moderate winter temperatures. Grow them only in southern New Mexico.

Vitis labrusca are used mainly for juice. These grapes are more cold hardy and more resistant to some disease and insect pests than European grapes. They may show some leaf chlorosis (yellowing).

Early American settlers found grapes growing wild along the East Coast and assumed that higher quality European varieties would also grow well where the wild grapes grew. But severe winters, disease, and insects caused the imported Vitis vinifera to fail.

Vinifera grapes require mild, dry climates like those in California, Arizona, southern New Mexico, and west Texas. They may be injured by temperatures below 00F (?I80C), and their susceptibility to certain diseases and insects restricts their culture to dry climates.

American species DIV. labrusca, V, rotundifolia, (and others) are winter?hardy and tolerant of many diseases and insects. 'Isabelle', 'Catawba, and 'Concord' were among the first cultivars developed to improve these native grapes. However, American grapes are generally considered inferior to European cultivars for wine and table use.

Through hybridization, the high fruit quality characteristics of the vinifera grapes have been combined with the hardiness and resistance of V. labrusca to develop groups called French and American hybrids. Much of the wine?grape acreage in the East is now planted to those cultivars.

Grape culture in New Mexico dates back to the coming of the early Spanish settlers. The first European grapes were probably grown on the mission grounds. The cultivar 'Mission', a vinifera grape, probably came from these early plantings. European grapes were largely confined to southern areas of the state, and they still are.

Many types of soils are used for growing grapes, but they are most successfully grown on sandy or fine sandy loams with average fertility and good drainage. On soils low in fertility, grapes grow slowly and produce low yields; on extremely fertile soils, vines usually grow excessively and the crop matures late. Fine, tight soils that contain much clay are not suitable for grape production.

Regardless of soil type, the drainage must be good. An Impervious layer of clay or caliche closer than 4 ft to the surface may cause poor drainage and salt accumulation.

Unless drip irrigation is to be used, land for a vineyard should be leveled and disked before planting. Spacing depends upon the cultivar, the training system, and the type of machinery if any, that will be used in the vineyard . Vinifera grapes trained to the head system are planted 7?9 ft apart in the row, in rows 8?12 ft apart. The distance between rows depends on the trellis used. In commercial vineyards, adequate space must be provided for roads at the ends and sides of the vineyard, and driveways through the center of the planting, to give ready access for harvesting and cultural operations. Twenty to 25 ft is generally adequate for driveways.

In home plantings, grape plants may be spaced closer, provided there is adequate room to prune and thin the grapes and to control insects and disease. A 6 to 8 ft spacing is satisfactory when planting grapes for an arbor or along a carport.

Order plants a year ahead of planting to be sure of obtaining the cultivars you want. Request delivery for January or February. Get virus?free plants, if possible. Or take cuttings in the early spring of varieties that you most desire. Cuttings will produce fruit in as little as three years depending on the variety and its vigor.

If the young vines are to be planted immediately upon arrival, unpack them and keep the roots damp until they are set. If planting is to be delayed, bury the plants in a furrow deep and wide enough to hold the roots and most of the upper portion; keep them moist. A wet burlap sack placed over the tops aids in preventing growth in the event of warm temperatures.

At planting, prune vines to one cane with two buds. Set the plants slightly deeper than they grew in the nursery, in holes wide enough to hold the roots without crowding. Pack soil slightly and apply 2?4 gal of water per plant.

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