Concord Grapes

Concord. Grown by E. W. Bull in Massachusetts from seed collected from a wild vine. 1848. Concord was a vast improvement over other grapes of it's time because it ripened earlier than most and was able to grow in a wider range of conditions and soils than the other grapes of it's time. That adaptability is one reason that Concord is in the ancestry of many modern grapes. Concord has been eclipsed as a table grape by many newer varieties, but it is still the standard variety for making cooked commercial grape juice, which is why it is still so well known. By today's standards it ripens late, as much as six weeks after some of the very early varieties like Price. The vine likes a slightly heavy, fertile soil to do it's best. Hardy to between -15 and -20oF in most conditions. I prune mine to cordons with two and three bud spurs for convenience, but the clusters will be a bit larger when the vine is trained to a cane training method, such as the old Kniffen system.