By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

MORROW, Ohio — If you’re wanting to grow wine grapes there’s no better place to grow them than in Ohio. And if you’re looking for a place to learn more about cultivating and harvesting this delicate fruit there’s no better place than the Valley Vineyards Winery in Morrow, Ohio.

Valley Vineyards Winery will again host the Southwestern Ohio Fruit & Vegetable School on Thursday, March 5. This one-day event is co-sponsored by Ohio State University (OSU) Extension of Butler, Clermont and Warren counties and offers information for both commercial and backyard growers. A panel of experts in fruits and vegetables will address key issues and concerns facing such growers. And the host winery annually attracts growers from the tri-state region, especially those interested in grapes.

“We’re seeing an increase in the number of individuals who want to start growing grapes,” said Maurus Brown, Small Fruits specialist at OSU South Centers in Piketon, Ohio. “There is some interest in small acreage producers who would like to grow table grapes for fresh market as well.”

Brown will also speak about ribes, currants and gooseberries during the backyard portion of the program. Co-worker and horticulture expert Brad Bergefurt will speak about small greenhouses and tunnels for backyard gardening, but the hot topic this season will be grape production.

“Grapes are quite hardy in most cases,” Brown said, “however, there are some wine grapes that require special consideration, namely the vinifera varieties.”

Brown will touch on all aspects of backyard wine grape production, speaking about climate, spring frosts, topography and soil drainage.

Brown will also address grapevine propagation (layering, grafting), vineyard establishment (site preparation, vineyard design, trellis construction), pruning and training of vines, canopy management, crop control, as well as a myriad of grape disease and pest management.

“There are several wine grape growers in both Ohio and Indiana,” Brown said. “We’d like to see additional growers, especially if their farm is a good site for growing grapes.” The backyard session is designed for backyard gardeners and Master Gardeners to gain practical gardening knowledge. Brown will lead a tour of the grape plantings on the grounds of Valley Vineyards, rain or shine.

The commercial program is designed for the commercial fruit and vegetable growers to fulfill their pesticide recertification needs. There are four hours of credit available in private categories; CORE, 3a and 4. Horticulture specialist Shawn Wright will address high tunnel bramble production as well as beneficial pollinators.
“Fruit and vegetable crops either require or benefit from insect pollination,” Wright said. “We will take this opportunity to look at some of these pollinators that help to provide a more abundant and diverse diet. The honeybee is not the only pollinator out there, but the one most people are familiar with. We’ll look at the honeybee and other native pollinators that fruit and vegetable growers should be aware of.”

Also addressing the commercial growers will be Dr. Jozsef Racsko, horticulture and crop science program coordinator at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) in Columbus.

Valley Vineyards is at 2276 E. State Route 22/3 in Morrow, Ohio. Preregistration is required and the deadline to register is Feb. 25. The cost is $30 per person (lunch is provided) and checks should be made to OSU Extension and mailed to OSU Extension, Warren County, 320 E. Silver Street, Ste. 101, Lebanon, OH 45036.