Home Depot is well-known for selling improperly tagged varieties of fruits. I would go there and complain. Obviously not enough people are complaining, otherwise they could not get away with it.

Scott

I don't think Home Depot was to blame, except for using a disreputable supplier -- but Home Depot would never know. The grape plants were neatly packaged and well marked. I should have kept the packaging. I don't remember the supplier. Perhaps they have the same supplier this year and I can contact them.

Dave, one of the key things businesses should know is the quality of their suppliers. Home Depot only pays close attention to two things: the price of the goods and if it looks like they will move off the shelves. Back many years ago they paid attention to quality as well, but at some point it was put on the back burner and has yet to come off. I buy more and more hardware online these days - Home Depot knocked out all the local places so thats my only option for quality goods at reasonable prices.

Scott

Is it possible that the seeds were "vestigial seeds"? Whatever they are. I'm looking at the Raintree catalog right now and the entry for Jupiter grapes says "Like Venus it sometimes has soft vestigial seeds."

Bart

Scott. Good points.

Bart. These were definitely seeds. Regular old, hard seeds. Now my question is: will all the grape seeds be scattered by birds and start growing all over the garden??

Actually, if the fruits are the right color, they're probably the right kind. It's not uncommon for some of these seedless varieties to grow some seeds, especially if pollinated with pollen from a different grape species, like some of the wild grapes. This may be your problem -- might check to see if you have any wild grapevines growing around. Here in Michigan, they are literally everywhere, climbing in all the trees, the little wild "fox" grapes, which have clusters of tiny little, exceedingly sour grapes which, if you want to bother, do make a terrific jelly.

The vestigal seeds in my Venus from Raintree are pretty substantial. Much moreso than say the white seeds you get in a "seedless" watermelon.

There are much fewer of them, though, than in my seeded Muscat Ottonel. I didn't try chewing them for flavor because I just didn't like the taste of the Venus grapes anyway this year which was the first they produced.

The Muscat Ottonel seeds are bitter unfortunately, I tried to convince myself I didn't mind eating seeds but these were the wrong ones to try on.

Denninmi,

Interesting explanation. I didn't think that the fruit would be affected if it cross pollinated with a different variety, but I'd never considered that a seedless might actually grow a seed if the 'dad' was a seeded variety. I don't know a bloody thing about any of it, but that makes a ton of sense.

I've a friend who says she planted two varieties of grape, but got all the same kind and color of grapes because they cross pollinated. I've always just assumed she bought two of the same variety and didn't know it. I'm not under the impression that fruit would be anything other than the parent, regardless of who the father is. The seeds I knew could be hybrid. I'd never considered that a seeded variety could make a seedless bear seeds.

Brilliant.

Note to self : Hack out wild grape on the other side of the fence.

dave

Last fall was the first year in ten that I got maybe half a dozen Jupiter seeds (maybe 20 pounds of fruit). I was pretty excited when I found them, as the pollen likely came from another seedless muscat nearby, or Reliance which is seedless. I planted them. There is probably a 99% chance that whatever the offspring grow into will be seedless, and very likely muscat-y flavored, which is highly desirable too.

If anyone wants to send me their Jupiter seeds, I would encourage it!! They are quite rare. And depending who the pollen parent is, perhaps quite valuable!

denninmi

So would there be any merit to covering the vines with material to keep the pollenators out? Lotta work. Or should I try some other varieties? -- like Jupiter, or Reliance. I'm sure there are wild grapes growing nearby...somewhere.

If none of your grapes were seedless, you very likely don't have seedless varieties. The pollen parent should not affect the seedlessness (or have any effect on the fruit characteristics), and most fruit is self-pollinated anyway. Rarely, a seedless variety will produce lots of seeds, possibly due to some sort of stress, but this is really rare. If they produce seeded grapes this year, then they are definitely not the correct varieties, and you should complain to Home Depot.

Kiwinut,

Not one grape of the entire harvest was seedless. I guess I can give them one more shot this year. Hate to tear them out as it took two growing seasons to get fruit. The one that was labeled 'Lakemont' did make fantastic juice and was great to nibble on in the garden. I got so I just swallowed the seeds whole without thinking too much about it, but it sure would have been nice if they were seedless.

The 'big box' stores are notorious for buying overruns/seconds from the large propagator nurseries - like those around McMinnville TN - and applying their own 'variety' labels - so... pears become Bartlett & Orient, apples are Red Del. & Golden Del., etc., regardless of what the true identity is. They count on most homeowners either 1)Not knowing(or remembering) the difference, 2)The trees dying before they ever fruit, and the homeowner not bothering to ask for a refund, or 3)The homeowner moving away before the trees ever begin fruiting.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if they're not true to the label name.

Just got back from Home Depot. They had all their grapes out already. I asked a guy (who was actually watering) who supplies them to Home Depot. He said Van - something or other (I don't remember exactly), but it's the same company out of Holland that supplies all the bulbs.

Van Bourgondien. The HD guy was BSing you, or otherwise doesn't have a clue; VB does bulbs and perennials, a few flowering/ornamental trees, but not fruit trees, grapes and berries.

I guess I did not get taken so bad. Last October I purchased a large Early Girl tomato plant from HD and was over wintering it under lights until it started producing little yellow pear shaped fruits. It was 5ft+ tall in a 7.5gallon pot when I chopped it down.

IÂm crossing my fingers that the Navel Orange tree I purchased from them at the same time is truly a Navel Orange tree because itÂs flowering right now.

I have purchased several Red Suffolk grapes. It is almost mid October and I am in Willamette Valley, Oregon. Can you folks help me out? I am a newbie and really want to get this right the first time. Here are my questions. First, here is the post I located on the Garden Web: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fruit/msg0215224324919.html

Do I wait and plant these in spring?
At the very least, I need to put these little guys into a larger container due to rootbound.
What mulch is the best?
Do I need to mulch in the containers they will be in until spring?
What type of mulch?
Best fertilizer? The card hanging on the plants indicate I should fertilize in spring and summer.
Am I leaving out anything that you can think would help me?
Oh, yes, how long before there is actually fruit that you can eat?
Thanks so very much. I am not here very often and do not know if this will automatically give you my email addy so here it is.
peaceinoregon@gmail.com

Thanks again,

Linda