| Congrats on the new house. You're first step should be to get your soil tested to see what's already in it. You can contact your local county extension office listed in the govt pages of your phone book for instructions on how and what to send for testing. It's generally best to plant trees when they are dormant (mid to late fall or early spring) since you'll have to spread out the roots when you plant it. Doing this when the tree is dormant minimizes shock to the tree and speeds up the process of settling in and establishing a good root system. There's a lot of debate between bare root, B&B (ball & burlap) and bucket. Generally bucket is considered the least favorite since roots often get wound around inside the bucket. Unless your soil test comes back with major problems most feel that it's best to use your soil with very few additions or ammendments. Instead work your soil about an extra 12-18 inches larger than you need so it's not too compacted and doesn't form a "trap" for water around your new planting. For even more indepth information I recommend you post your questions in the fruit forum. It's a lot more active and has a lot more "experts". There's one forum particularly for grapes that can offer suggestions on the best grapes for home cultivation. Jellyman is one of the consistant posters in the fruit forums and has lots of experience growing fruit. happy growing! |