Seedless Table Grape Variety Evaluation Grown on VSP Training System

• 2010 annual report
• 2011 annual report
• 2012 annual report

Farmers and growers that sell agricultural crops directly to consumers are looking for new crops to expand their marketing opportunities. At Lastowka’s Maple Gate Farm, we are expanding our farm production to include small fruit crops in the past five years. Along with our small Pick-You-Own Blueberry operation, the Town of Merrimack with the town’s Agricultural Commission started a weekly farmers market. I contacted the local county - University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension office to review what crops we could grow to expand our marketing opportunities at the farmers market. Reviewing the commodities that were sold at the Merrimack farmers market and crops that we could grow, table grapes seem to be a good match. We have grown grapes for our own personal use for over twenty years. We discussed table grape production with George Hamilton, Agricultural Resources Extension Educator for UNH Cooperative Extension in Hillsborough County, who informed us that there is little information on seedless table grapes growing conditions found in southern New Hampshire. Grape production in New Hampshire has been focused on wine grapes by farmers raising grapes. We are going to construct the trellis for training the grape vines in the Vertical Shoot Positioned (VSP) system. There is very little information available on raising seedless table grapes in the New England area.