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Vineyard Spacing, What is Working Well on our Farm
Tight in-row vine spacing in the vineyard helps us to fill the whole trellis. Not every vineyard site should be designed the same way. Differences in soil texture, fertility and water holding capacity can play a big role in that decision making, as well as variety differences. When I began growing grapes in Vermont over 20 years ago, it was common to see vines planted 8’ apart in the row, or more. Looking at those vineyards now, I unfortunately see a lot of empty trellis space. With the cost per acre of growing grapes being so high, that is tough to see. The soils on our farm are light and lean, and our vines are spaced 3’ apart in the row. Each season presents a little differently, but generally the vines easily fill out this space each year. If and when they overgrow their space, we are set up to remove some foliage and shoots to prevent shading and to help each shoot harden off and ripen its fruit. I would much rather cut off some extra growth each year than not have my trellis full! It can help to explore mechanization to help with this task. We use a hedger 1-3 times per season on our VSP trained vines. Hi wire vines can be skirted to prevent shoots from running too long. You may or may not want to plant as tightly as we do, but it is worth considering the benefits of moving vines closer together in your next planting to increase production and get a more consistent stand of vines.
