Here in the Napa Valley, devoted almost entirely to grapes, and largely clay soil the grapes do fine. Grapes need well drained soil, clay is fine as long as it drains well. Here in the valley there are small areas that the soil does not drain well and the farmer chooses to either install drain tiles, or simply does not plant in it. Al

Exactly. I wonder what zone you are in and what variety of grape you are speaking to. I'm in Appalachia and the soil here is primarily clay and the varieties grown are mostly concord. They grow so vigorously on clay soil they escape and go wild if not watched carefully and are even included on invasive lists. If clay soils were not fertile whole states would be barren, no? It's all about drainage as Al says.

My mother made our original planting of grape vines in an area where the clay soil is so heavy it coats your boots in a thick layer when wet. That was sometime in the 1960s, I would imagine, maybe even earlier -- I know they were there when I was in preschool, and the exact same vines are still there -- Concord, Delaware, Niagra, Seedless Concord, and then an Interlaken that was added later in the 1970s. Water does stand there for a day or two during periods of heavy rain. They seem to thrive.

But then, my later planting of grapes, a combination of table and wine varieties, was made at the other extreme of the property on top of the hill in sand, and they thrive, too.

I guess the takeaway for me is that grapes aren't fussy.

hi,

i want to grow grapes. i am looking for thompson seedless and few wine varrieties that grow on clay soil. any recomendation where can i get some cuttings. E bay too expensive for me. Thanks

Talk to a local grower to see if you can get some cuttings when they prune their plants in early spring.