DESERET NEWS, MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2009
Good time to start growing grapes in Utah
C3
Gardentips
Garden
tips
AND
LARRY SAGERS
A
FEW WEEKS AGO, I
devoted this column
to the topic of pruning grapes. If you are not yet
growing the fruit of the vine,
this might be a good time to
start.
Providing you select the
right kinds, grapes are a tasty
addition to your backyard
food production.
Few plants have been
cultivated as long as grapes.
In our area, they are reasonably pest free, so they don’t
need extensive and expensive
sprays.
They are drought tolerant
and require little — if any —
supplemental fertilizer.
Additionally, grapes are capable of producing a full crop
by their third year, and they
fit in well in many landscape
situations because they are
fast growing and ornamental.
They also allow growers
to produce food vertically —
against a fence or a building
or in other places where most
fruit would not grow easily.
Grapes are grown on more
than 20 million acres worldwide, and there are more than
60 species.
In northern Utah we are
concerned about two of
those species and the hybrids
between the two.
European grapes (Vitis
vinifera) are the Old World
species. These include many
wine and table grapes. These
have an exocarp — or skin
— that adheres to the flesh
when you eat them.
Most of these are semihardy in northern Utah. The
vines often die back and that
kills the fruiting wood, so
they do not produce reliable
LARRY SAGERS
Grape arbors at Thanksgiving Point after they have been pruned, left, and after they have fully leafed out, right
Grape variety recommendations
American-type juice grapes
Blue-black
Concord: Most popular juice and jelly standard of quality
Buffalo: Earlier than Concord juice, must age for best flavor
Fredonia: Later than Buffalo, ahead of Concord; same uses
White
Canada Muscat: Mild foxy flavor; early ripening
Niagara (mistakenly called White Concord): Good flavor
European/American hybrid table grapes
Red
Reliance: Large clusters of red, medium-size
berries; cold hardy
Suffolk Red: Large grape with excellent
flavor; clusters shatter
Candice: High-quality large clusters
White (makes good raisins)
Interlaken: Very early; premature berry drop
Himrod: Early with loose clusters
Lakemont: Later than Himrod; large clusters
Black
Venus: Large early excellent quality
Glenora: Vine is somewhat tender
Alden: Reddish-blue, large seeded grape
crops.
Popular varieties include the
desert types such as Thompson Seedless, Black Corinth,
Black Monuka, Tokay, Flame,
in addition to the many wine
grape varieties.
American grapes (Vitis
labrusca) are species that are
native to the Americas.
These grapes have an
exocarp — or skin — that
separates from the flesh.
These types of grapes are
often referred to as slip-skin
grapes.
Popular varieties include
Concord, Catawba, Delaware
and Niagara.
These are often seeded and
are usually used for juice, jam
or jelly.
Because these are not the
best for fresh eating, we often
Niagara
grow cold-hardy European/
American hybrids that are
crosses between V. vinifera
and V. labrusca species.
Most of these have few
seeds (or very undeveloped
seeds), and with most varieties the skin adheres tightly to
the flesh of the fruit.
Popular varieties include
Himrod, Interlaken, Canadice, Lakemont and several
Welcome spring with porch remodel
R E N O V A T I O N
Solutions
ANN
ROBINSON
I
ANNIE
SCHWEMMER
T’S SPRING AND our thoughts turn
to outdoor living.
We long for the days soon to come
when we can sit on our back porch
and relax outside, and our mouths are
already watering for the first barbecue
of the season.
With the spring weather come opportunities to focus on the exterior of our
homes and begin to prepare them for
summer.
If you have a porch, you can start planning today to get it ready for another
season of outdoor living.
At the very least, every porch needs a
good cleaning each spring.
An old-fashioned bucket of suds and a
sturdy brush may do the trick. If your
porch needs more than elbow grease,
consider using a power washer. You can
rent them at most home-improvement
stores or equipment-rental outlets.
Because porches sit outside in the elements, they are subject to damage from
the constant exposure to wind, water
and sunshine. In addition to getting a
good bath, your porch may also need
some repairs or updating to ensure it is
in prime condition.
First check the roof. Correctly built, a
porch roof is flashed to the wall of the
house. This means a piece of bent metal
— usually copper or galvanized steel —
is placed to run up under the siding on
the wall and under the top course of the
porch’s shingles.
This will keep water from leaking at
the joint into the roof structure or into
the house.
Make sure your roof is properly flashed
and the flashing is in good condition.
Older porches were often roofed
with tin sheets. Soldered together, the
seams eventually separate and leak.
If you need to replace the roof, new
plywood sheathing can be covered with
a bituthene membrane (such as Ice and
Water Shield) and topped with half-lap
mineral-surfaced roll roofing.
You can also use fiberglass-asphalt
Porch railings and steps
can also be
replaced if
they have seen
better days.
Today you
have several
materials from
which to
choose. Douglas fir is the
least expensive option if
you wish to
use real wood.
It is also the
least durable
and will require the most
maintenance.
Redwood
or cedar are
better choices
for exterior
applications.
In our
ANNIE V. SCHWEMMER climate, these
Whether your porch needs just a good cleaning or a complete
types of wood
renovation, now is the time to spruce it up for the summer.
benefit from
regular apshingles for a more finished look. You
plications of some type of oil to combat
shouldn’t use organic felt shingles on
dryness. These species will turn a silverlow slopes, because they will soak up
gray color unless a tinted stain or paint
moisture and rot.
is applied.
Porches should always have gutters
As an alternate to natural wood, there
and downspouts to direct runoff water
are manufactured products meant for
away from your home’s foundation.
exterior use on porches or decks.
If the floor of your porch is wood, it
These products are made from apis vulnerable to damage from weather.
proximately 50 percent reclaimed plastic
When the end grain (the end of wood
and 50 percent reclaimed wood, makslats) is exposed, the wood will soak
ing them an environmentally friendly
up water and begin to mold and rot.
choice.
End grains should be protected with a
Though they will fade slightly, they
finished trim piece of wood on the edge
require no maintenance, and you won’t
to help keep moisture out.
have to worry about splinters in bare
If you are replacing floorboards, you
feet. Coordinating railing and fence opshould paint all sides and ends with oiltions are also available.
based porch-and-deck enamel paint that
And one final tip: Make sure the snow
will help keep the wood dry.
shovel and bag of ice melt are safely
Moisture in the flooring can also
tucked away in the garage.
impact the framing beneath the porch
In their place, a pot of flowers will go a
and the bottoms of columns and stair
long way to welcoming another summer
railings that rest on the flooring.
season.
Ann Robinson and Annie V. Schwemmer are
Any rotted framing should be replaced
with pressure-treated lumber that resists the founding principals of Renovation Design
Group, www.renovationdesigngroup.com,
water damage; natural wood should
a local design firm specializing in home
not be in contact with the ground or
remodels.
concrete.
others.
Whenever I write about
growing grapes and which varieties are recommended for
northern Utah, I usually get a
call or e-mail that the person
is growing one or more of the
longer season, European-type
grapes.
It is important to remember
that the length of growing
season and the effect of the
microclimates allow some
longer-season grapes to grow
here.
In general, American type
grapes and the European/
American hybrids need 150160 frost-free days to produce
the best crop.
If you have 170-180 days
with no frost, you can
produce some of the earlier,
more cold-hardy European
and European/American
hybrids.
Most European grape varieties do best with 200 frost-free
days, meaning they do well in
St. George but not in Logan.
Parts of Alpine, for example, have an average frost-free
season of 140 days, while
some areas of Orem have a
frost-free season of 185 days.
Most nurseries now have
their grape stock in, so buy
and plant your vines as soon
as possible.
EVENTS
The Utah Orchid Society is holding an orchid
show April 4, 10 a.m.7:30 p.m., and April 5, 9
a.m.-5 p.m. at Red Butte
Garden’s Orangerie.
Regular garden admission applies; members
get in free. For more
information, go to red
buttegarden.org.
Red Butte Garden
is offering a class on
creating a garden with
complementary color,
texture and height on
April 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Cost is $23 for members,
$25 for nonmembers.
Registration is required
at 801-587-5433 or
continue.utah.edu
/lifelong/index.php.
Thanksgiving Point is
offering a course on basic
landscape design April 7,
14 and 21, 2-4:30 p.m.
or 6-8:30 p.m.; a course
on flower bed design,
April 7, 14 and 21, 10
a.m.-12:30 p.m.; and a
course on growing plants
in the greenhouse April 7,
14 and 21, 5-7 p.m. Cost
for each course is $40.
Register at 801-7687443 or online at www
.thanksgivingpoint.com.
Look for top-grade, No. 1
plants. You can get bare root
or packaged plants cheaper,
but vines in containers can
be planted throughout the
season. And remember, all
common varieties don’t
require pollination.
Larry A. Sagers is a horticulture
specialist for the Utah State
University Extension Service at
Thanksgiving Point.
FAMILY FRIENDLY
CONCERTS
AND FESTIVALS
Easter Eggs-travaganza: A
Celebration of Artisan Eggshell
Carvings, April 1-30, Utah Cultural
Celebration Center, 1355 W. 3100
South, 801-965-5108
LIBRARIES
AND BOOKSTORES
Game @ Your Library, April 4,
1 p.m., Main Library, 210 E. 400
South, 801-524-8234 or www.slc
pl.org
Digital Music for Teens,
through April 27, 3:30 p.m., Chapman Library, 577 S. 900 West,
801-524-8234 or www.slcpl.org
No Girls Allowed: The April Adventures, April 3, 2 p.m., Sprague
Library, 2131 S. 1100 East; also
April 4, 1 p.m., Sweet Library, 455
F St.; 801-524-8234 or www
.slcpl.org
Book Baby, Mondays, 11 a.m.,
Chapman Library, 577 S. 900
West; also Tuesdays and Thursdays,
10 a.m., Anderson-Foothill Library,
1135 S. 2100 East; also 11 a.m.,
Wednesdays and Thursdays, Main
Library, 210 E. 400 South; 801524-8234 or www.slcpl.org
Monday Night Storytime, Mondays, 7 p.m., Main Library, 210 E.
400 South, 801-524-8234 or www
.slcpl.org
Dog Day Afternoons, April 4, 1
p.m., Day-Riverside Library, 1575
W. 1000 North, 801-524-8234 or
www.slcpl.org
Kids’ Corner Storytime,
Mondays, 11 a.m., Barnes & Noble,
5249 S. State, Murray, free; also
Super Saturday, Saturdays, 11
a.m., free; www.bn.com
Storytime, Tuesdays and Fridays,
11 a.m., Barnes & Noble, 1104 E.
2100 South, free; www.bn.com
Preschool Storytime, Wednesdays, 10 a.m., Barnes & Noble,
10180 S. State, Sandy, free; also
Bedtime Storytime, Fridays, 7
p.m., free; www.bn.com
Small Fry Storytime, Wednesdays, 11 a.m., Barnes & Noble,
7157 Plaza Center Drive, West Jordan, free; also Pajama Storytime,
Thursdays, 7:30 p.m., free; www
.bn.com
SCOTT G. WINTERTON, DESERET NEWS
A horned owl perches at
the Tracy Aviary bird show.
Pajama Party Storytime,
Thursdays, 7 p.m., Barnes & Noble,
7119 S. 1300 East, Midvale, free;
also Greatest Storytime in Town,
Saturdays, 1 p.m., free; www.bn
.com
ONGOING ATTRACTIONS
Hogle Zoo, 2600 E. Sunnyside
Ave., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., $8 adults, $6
children/senior citizens; 801-5821631 or www.hoglezoo.org
Bird Show, Monday-Sundays,
11:30 a.m., Tracy Aviary, 589 E.
1300 South, free; 801-596-8500
or www.tracy aviary.com
Pioneer Memorial Museum,
Monday-Saturday, 300 N. Main,
Salt Lake City, free; 801-532-6479
or www.dupinternational.org
The Living Planet, SundayThursday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday
and Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., 725
E. 10600 South, 801-355-3474 or
www.the livingplanet.com
Clark Planetarium, 100 South
and 400 West, many activities are
free; 801-456-7827 or www.clark
planetarium.org
Wheeler Historic Farm,
Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.,
6351 S. 900 East, 801-264-2241
or www.wheelerfarm.com
Museum of Natural History,
1390 S. Presidents Circle, University of Utah, first Monday of every
month is free; 801-581-4303 or
www.umnh.com
E-MAIL: [email protected]