r/grapes

Below is my "artist's impression" (space means I can't take a good photo) of what's going on with two young Lady Finger grape vines I planted earlier this year. They're on stakes #2 and #4 of a 5-stake setup, the stakes being about 5'8" tall, and separated by about 3'. Two support wires run horizontally at about 2.5' and 5' off the ground. It was all done according to a YouTube channel's guidance and IIRC it's intended to be a spur pruning situation.

https://preview.redd.it/iuq3601wxljh1.jpg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=feba8450d72bad17809521c4a782e6dd1143c024

It all seems to be doing well -- or, at very least, stuff is growing; the reality is a lot more unruly than my drawing! When I planted them about March time, each of the two vines barely reach the first support wire on their "home" stake. Fast forward to about six weeks ago and they had both reached the top of their home stake and I'd just begun to train them along both wires. And now, having just returned from a trip, I find that they, like an unruly frontier AI model, appear to be making a break for freedom.

So, what do I do with them? Specifically:

1. Am I right that I should prevent any UPWARDS growth past the tops of the stakes?
2. Likewise SIDEWAYS growth to the left of stake #1, or to the right of stake #5?
3. What do I do about the upward growths (are those the "spurs") coming off the horizontal part of the vine on the TOPMOST wire?

That last one is what's concerning me the most. I did wonder, when I first created the stake setup, why the video implied that I should allow horizontal growth on the top wire. Wouldn't spurs from that grow upwards, and if so what would then support them? And now I see the spurs do indeed grow up, I'm just as confused. Was I meant to only train horizontal growth (cordon? espalier? what?) on the lower wire, and let the upper wire be used only to support vertically growing spurs from below?

thanks!

We use the arbor for shade in the yard, and usually the deer come at night when we are gone in the summer and eat the fruit. I travel a lot, so it wasn't a problem. But, this year I was here when they ripened and I got to them first! What should I do with this little harvest? I was thinking about trying a small batch wine but am traveling again soon so I probably can't be here to monitor that. Can I freeze them and make wine later, when I am here for a longer duration? Make juice? Any other options?