Grape vines are a beautiful feature for your landscape that provide both aesthetic and edible benefits. Grapes can be grown in Illinois if you choose a variety that is hardy enough to survive the cold winter temperatures. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Hardiness Zone Map, Illinois has spans zones 5a through 6b. In addition to selecting for cold hardiness, select varieties for flavor, sugar content, use, maturity, and disease resistance. The first five years of establishment are critical for a long, productive life for your grapevines.

Two categories of grapes are cold hardy for Illinois: American and French-American varieties. American varieties (Concord, Catawba, Niagara, etc.) have the most cold hardiness and better disease resistance than French-American or French varieties. French-American varieties (Edelweiss, Frontenac, St. Croix, etc.) are French varieties of grapes on American rootstocks. American rootstocks allow for increased disease resistance and increased cold hardiness.

Extension's Elizabeth Wahle offers a series of videos to help throughout the growing season.

• Delayed Dormant Scale Control in Grape: Part 1 | Part 2
• Grape Pest Management at 1- 3 Inch New Growth: Part 1 | Part 2 
• Early Season Grape Fertility - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
• Ampelopsis and Grapevine Vein Clearing Virus
• Early-season Vineyard Weed Management - Part 1 | Part 2 
• Grape Canopy Management: Diseases and Shoot Thinning
• Grape Phylloxera and Boron Bloom Sprays
• Assessing Grape Vine Vigor
• Weed Management in the Vineyard Part 3 
• Vineyard Floor and Canopy Management at Lag Phase
• Grape Crop Estimation at Lag Phase
• Replacing a Broken or Leaning Vineyard Post
• Excluding Raccoons from the Vineyard
• Controlling Downy Mildew in the Vineyard
• Exposing Grape Clusters to Sunlight Without Sunburning
• Pre-harvest Grape Berry Sampling