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Lon Rombough
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The Grape Grower: A Guide to Organic Viticulture Hardcover – January 1, 2002

by Lon Rombough (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 124 ratings
Grapes are the most popular and widely grown fruit in the world. From the tropics to Alaska, grapes will grow successfully in almost every climate. Whether you raise them for fresh eating, or for making wine, juice, or jellies and preserves, the right grapes will reward you with abundant crops for a modest investment of time and effort.

Now for the first time comes a book for grape growers who wish to use organic growing methods to raise healthy, thriving vineyards in the backyard or on a small commercial scale. The Grape Grower distills the broad knowledge and long-time personal experience of Lon Rombough, one of North America’s foremost authorities on viticulture.

From finding and preparing the right site for your vineyard to training, trellising, and pruning vines to growing new grapes from seeds and cuttings, The Grape Grower offers thorough and accessible information on all the basics. The chapters on grape species, varieties, and hybrids are alone worth the price of a college course in viticulture. And technical information on the major (and minor) insect pests and diseases that affect grapes, as well as their organic controls, makes this book an invaluable reference that readers will turn to again and again.

Rombaugh also provides a wealth of information on hardy but little-known grapes that are native to North America, and on a wide range of topics, including:
• pruning neglected or overgrown vines
• growing grapes on arbors and in greenhouses
• controlling animal pests in the vineyard
• bunch grapes and muscadine grapes for the South
• winter protection, and how to increase the hardiness of grapes
• creating your own new varieties

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  1. Print length
    340 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Chelsea Green Pub Co
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    8.5 x 1 x 10 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    193149830X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1931498302
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A great how-to book. The only reference you need if you want to raise a few grape vines." -- Rocky Mountain News, March 29, 2003

"It would be difficult to find a book covering any aspect of growing grapes that is not included here." -- Gardening Newsletter, February 2003

"Packed with useful information, this book benefits from the author's personalized writing style. Immensely enjoyable." -- Choice Magazine, May 2003

About the Author

Lon Rombough is a well-known garden writer, nurseryman, and fruit grower. He has more than thirty-five years experience growing grapes and maintains hundreds of varieties in his small vineyard. A prominent member of North American Fruit Explorers, or NAFEX, he lives in western Oregon.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chelsea Green Pub Co
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 2002
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 340 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 193149830X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1931498302
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.95 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 1 x 10 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #4,583,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 124 ratings

About the author

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Lon Rombough

Lon Rombough

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I have produced a video on how to prune grapes, available from my website http://www.bunchgrapes.com or from Amazon at

http://www.amazon.com/Proper-Pruning-of-Grapevines/dp/B001NZT7KK/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1229535084&sr=11-1

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
124 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this viticulture guide to be a comprehensive resource with detailed information about grape cultivation. The book is straightforward to read and serves as a good reference, with one customer noting it's suitable for both beginners and experienced viticulturists. They appreciate the content quality, with one review mentioning successful results, and another highlighting its excellent advice on sprouting techniques.

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Information contentReference valueEase of readingContent qualityGrowth advice
26 customers mention "Information content"24 positive2 negative

Customers find the book informative, with comprehensive details about grape cultivation, and one customer describes it as the most comprehensive book on the subject.

"Amazing! Excellent book. Very accurate and informative about everything you need to know to successfully grow grapes...." Read more

"This book is steeped in knowledge around the grape...." Read more

"This is a well-written, scholarly, and comprehensive book for people in the various states and geographic areas who wish to grow table grapes...." Read more

"This book contains information I haven't seen compiled in any on place before. Information is relevant to agriculture other than growing grapes...." Read more

6 customers mention "Reference value"6 positive0 negative

Customers find this book to be a very good reference, with one customer noting it serves as an excellent resource for both beginners and veterans.

"Very good reference book. I learned a lot." Read more

"I bought this book as a gift for my dad, and he said that it was a great resource that used a lot of plain language, not jargon...." Read more

"This is a well-written, scholarly, and comprehensive book for people in the various states and geographic areas who wish to grow table grapes...." Read more

"...Read the book and keep it handy; it is a great reference for varieties, propagation, habits, pruning essentials and much more...." Read more

4 customers mention "Ease of reading"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book straightforward and easy to understand.

"Lon Rombough has written an easy to understand book with many helpful suggestions based on a true understanding of how grapes grow and what they..." Read more

"...This book covers every aspect of viticulture in easy to read /comprehensive details...." Read more

"...This Guide simply has it all, and not too complicated, either, for the lay grower. You don't have to be a farmer or agriculturalist. Great book...." Read more

"...It is very straightforward and gives a great introduction to the growing of grapes in general, with enticing tangents about grape propagation and..." Read more

3 customers mention "Content quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the content of the book to be of high quality, with one customer mentioning that their results have been bountiful.

"...but the book focuses more on the growing of vines and the wonders of table grapes...." Read more

"...The results have been bountiful and delicious...." Read more

"great imformation..." Read more

3 customers mention "Growth advice"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the growth advice in the book, with one mentioning it provides excellent guidance on how to sprout grapes.

"This is from a man who immersed himself in the history, growing, and uses of grapes...." Read more

"...us Bronx Seedless cuttings, and The Grape Grower gave us excellent advice on how to sprout, plant, protect, and harvest them...." Read more

"in depth information. all useful and needed to grow grapes. types that grow in the pacific NW and which ones are best" Read more

We've grown the most delicious table grapes
5 out of 5 stars
We've grown the most delicious table grapes
Our daughter had gifted us Bronx Seedless cuttings, and The Grape Grower gave us excellent advice on how to sprout, plant, protect, and harvest them. Our area of the SF Bay Area has quite a few wine grape vineyards, but these are the first table grapes we've seen around here. The results have been bountiful and delicious. This book will guide you every step of the way -- especially helpful if you've only managed berries, apples, and tomatoes before this!
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Top reviews from the United States

  • AE Brown
    5.0 out of 5 stars We've grown the most delicious table grapes
    Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2024
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Our daughter had gifted us Bronx Seedless cuttings, and The Grape Grower gave us excellent advice on how to sprout, plant, protect, and harvest them. Our area of the SF Bay Area has quite a few wine grape vineyards, but these are the first table grapes we've seen around here. The results have been bountiful and delicious. This book will guide you every step of the way -- especially helpful if you've only managed berries, apples, and tomatoes before this!
    Customer image
    AE Brown
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    We've grown the most delicious table grapes

    Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2024
    Our daughter had gifted us Bronx Seedless cuttings, and The Grape Grower gave us excellent advice on how to sprout, plant, protect, and harvest them. Our area of the SF Bay Area has quite a few wine grape vineyards, but these are the first table grapes we've seen around here. The results have been bountiful and delicious. This book will guide you every step of the way -- especially helpful if you've only managed berries, apples, and tomatoes before this!
    Images in this review
    Customer imageCustomer imageCustomer image
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Kevin maloney
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great grape book
    Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2023
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I wish the author could have lived forever. I happened to buy a property with a big backyard grape vine. This Guide simply has it all, and not too complicated, either, for the lay grower. You don't have to be a farmer or agriculturalist. Great book. Someone borrowed mine and never returned it, it's that good. Of course I bought another one!
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Bill Farmer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fine book for growing table (eating) grapes
    Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Although this book has become older (what hasn't), it will remain valuable for quite a while for those of us into grape growing. We live in Oregon and found his advice so helpful that we made a trip to visit him a few years ago. Now that Mr Rombough has passed away (winter of 2012), his family is responding to inquiries.
    Read the book and keep it handy; it is a great reference for varieties, propagation, habits, pruning essentials and much more. We have found no other book that covers the same ground.
    There is information about wine grapes but the book focuses more on the growing of vines and the wonders of table grapes. Don't expect much about processing grapes but if you are into the plants, this book is definitely worth the read.
    7 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Susi Q
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Grape Grower
    Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2011
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I was looking for a basic book about growing grapes commercially, from roots to shoots. Although I am in Australia and the Book is written in America, the basic viticulture is identical, grape varieties of course are totally different. This book covers every aspect of viticulture in easy to read /comprehensive details. It provides the facts of viticulture and some tried & tested ideas. Fantastic framework and I recommend it to new and experienced viticulturists. Excellent reference.
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • Teacher's Pet
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource for beginners and veterans
    Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2007
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    After growing grapes casually (ornamentally, really) for the past five years, we somehow in a drought year came up with an outstanding crop of the most delicious grapes. Seeing some potential for our 40 acres, I recently invested in a small library on grape growing and winemaking, and find this book to be first-class. It is very straightforward and gives a great introduction to the growing of grapes in general, with enticing tangents about grape propagation and breeding. I did not find the book burdened by the "organic" in the title. He offers a wide variety of solutions to grape growing problems, and while his philosophy favors organic methods, I didn't find the book awkwardly tied to only those solutions. I thought it was very balanced.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • LULU
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Information
    Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2022
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I purchased and planted 45 new table grape vines of different varieties. This book was a helpful guide with lots of information on varieties, planting and other topics.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
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  • E. Coffin
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best for wine production students
    Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2010
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    The Grape Grower is fine if you only want to grow grapes for jellies or live in a climate that can only support non-vinifera varieties. However, if you are studying viticulture with the aim of getting into the wine industry (especially in states with large scale production like the West Coast) then you will need more than just the basic overview this text provides. While Rombough does provide a nice overview of the basic principles of organic viticulture, he spends very little time discussing particulars relating to growing Vinifera for commercial wine production. Far too much of the text is spent discussing details relating to table grapes, cool climate hybrids and Labrusca varieties which have very little application to serious wine production of vinifera varieties.

    The book is fine if you have no aspiration of working with Vinifera in the wine industry but it merely scratches the surface of the type of information that a wine production/viticulture student needs in today's wine industry.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Tasha
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice book.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2020
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This by far exceeded my expectations on information. Being interested in table grapes, knowing what varieties for my area prove difficult without some digging. This book was detailed enough and has nice descriptions, I am very pleased with this book.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • massimo mirabile
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2014
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    If you want to know about grape growing and organic viticulture, this is the bible!!
    Report
  • Vermeijruben
    5.0 out of 5 stars Aus Amerika, in englisch, aber ...
    Reviewed in Germany on April 16, 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Dieses Buch stammt aus Amerika und wurde von jemand geschrieben, der sich mit Herz und Nieren dem Weinbau verschrieben hatte. Leider ist der Autor 2012 verstorben, aber seine Frau und Söhne haben den Betrieb übernommen.

    Dieses Buch behandelt viele, viele Aspekte des Weinbaus, z.B. Krankheiten, Schädlinge, Schneidetechnik, Veredelung, Propfen, Eigenzucht, und und und .. Wer sich also über den deutschen Weinsektor hinaus begeben möchte, ist mit dieses Buch hervorragend beraten.. Interessant finde ich die Beschreibung der Weinsorten, inbesondere da hier genau beschrieben wird, wie empfindlich der Wein ist bezüglich Kälte und Weinkrankheiten (Botrytis, Mehltau, etc.) Schade nur, daß es schier unmöglich ist, Weinreben aus Amrika zu importieren ...

    r.v. 2013
    Report
  • Client d'Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in Canada on September 9, 2019
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Excellent
    Report
  • A. Kent
    4.0 out of 5 stars A great guide to growing grapes in cold climates
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    It covers training, varieties, diseases & pests and how to deal with them, history and even grafting and breeding new varieties. It is very well written, but I have a few complaints - it is aimed at an audience for the east coast of America - their cold winters, their varieties (most of which aren't available here in Europe) and also my copy of the book was missing 5 pages.
    But the pros outweigh the cons, it is a very good book and I recommend it to anyone wanting to grow grapes who wants to progress beyond amateur level.
    Report
  • Robert Firman
    4.0 out of 5 stars Growing vinifera cannot be grown everywhere in North America!
    Reviewed in Canada on January 26, 2019
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    For the new grower this book would be very informative. I have grown grapes commercially in the Southern Okanagan for 30 years and it would have been nice to have this book 30 years ago
    Report