When I first mentioned to some friends that I was building a trellis for grape vines, they gave me a puzzled look and asked if it was indoors.

Nope.

We made this trellis using 10 ft 4x4s, so with the spike post holders it is over 10 ft tall. When I first put it up Naomi thought it was way too tall. And it did look a bit ridiculous in the early spring with just four bare vines climbing up. As the weather warmed and leaves started filling out it looked fine. This is how it looked before our 3.5 week trip east.

And upon our return we found this monstrosity…

It is hard to get a decent picture of this thing as there isn’t much room between it and the fence and it is so big. There are just two Valiant Grape vines in there and they have filled this 10 x 0 ft (3 x 3 m ) trellis. We made the trellis with steel cable strung between the two beams and has turnbuckles to change the tension of the wires. Next year we might make an archway for it to grow over the walkway.

Naomi has enjoyed learning more about how to care for and prune grape vines to increase their yield, as it’s given her greater insight into the passage in John 15 that speaks of Christ being like a vine, with us as His branches. AND we get  grape jelly out of it to boot!

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:1-4