When is the time to harvest grapes? That’s the common question for grapes growers especially for the beginners. As with all fruit ripe grapes are the tastiest. Immature or overly ripe grapes can be very sour. Therefore it is important to know whether your grapes are ripe or not. Knowing the grape variety will help you determine when the grapes will ripen. Some are table grapes, used for eating and making jam and juice. Then there are wine grapes. Varieties are classified as early, mid-season, and late depending on how many days it takes for the grapes to go from full bloom of the flowers to harvest ripeness. Here are some ways to determine when to harvest your grapes.

Look for new, fresh stalks. Dead stalks likely to mean overly ripe grapes. Give the bunch a good shake. If too many grapes fall off the stalk, this means they are weak and have likely started to rot.

Size and softness are two of the most obvious ways to tell if your grapes are ripe. Grapes should yield slightly with a little pressure from your finger and thumb. If they are hard they are not ready pick. Many of the green or 'white' grapes tend to take on a slight yellow hue when at their ripe. Pick them as soon as they are ripe or they will begin to soften too much.

Try eating one, it’s the old way of testing. If it’s not sweet that means it’s not ready yet. But if your grapes have reached full size, are slightly soft and taste nice and sweet, you'll know its time to harvest them. The color and taste of the grapes are important indicators of ripeness. The taste of the grapes should be sweet, or at least without the sharp bit from having too much acid.

The seeds of the grape are also an indication of ripeness. If the seeds are green or light tan, the grapes are usually not ripe. Ripe grapes that have brown seeds are ready to be picked.

Other wildlife such as Birds, raccoons, squirrels like to eat grapes. This can be a sign that your grapes are ripening and ready for harvest. These pests will surely harvest and eat your grapes as soon as they are ripe. So before they do, bird netting and fences need to be constructed.

If you are growing grapes to make wine, you can invest an instrument called a refractometer to measure the sugar content of your grapes. With this tool it is easy to measure the sugar content of your berries.

A hygrometer is a less expensive tool. With this, you will need at least 50 berries to determine the sugar content. Hygrometers are more accurate than a refractometer and that is the benefit of using one. The hygrometer is floated in the grape juice obtained by squeezing the berries and the sugar content. Then it is read off the scale in the neck of the hygrometer.

If you want to have high quality of grapes don't pick them too early but don't wait too long, they may become too ripe and rot. Learning and experimenting will help you become better at identifying when it’s time to harvest your grapes.