Was given a beta grape vine as a gift.... now what?

I was recently given a beta grape (1 gallon) as a gift. I have had a hard time finding reliable info about it- or any grapes in northern climates for that matter. The soil the plant is in seems like clay- when watered, it turns into a mud pie. I am wondering if I should plant it now or if I need to wait until spring. If I wait until spring, do I grow it like a houseplant until then or do I need to provide darkness and cold temps? Any advice would be very appreciated. I think it sounds like fun but I don't want to make a big mistake that would kill it either. Thanks!

There is a lot of information if you do a google.com search, such as:

http://www.naturehills.com/product/beta_grape.aspx

Well thank you, but I have already done a google search and much of the information I've found is conflicting. I was looking for information from real people who could tell me their own experiences. I always do a google search before posting to Dave's garden, I'm not out to waste everyone's time. Specifically I would like to know what to do with this plant NOW- whether to plant it or wait until spring. Thanks again, I appreciate the link, but it didn't answer any of the questions I posed. I guess I will just figure it out on my own- sorry to bother anyone.

There was no intimation that you were 'bothering' anyone - I just did a search and found lots of information. Hopefully, someone will come along and tell you of their personal experience.

Mtnic, you're not bothering anyone...people's experience here is a thousand times better than google any day. Have you seen those funny commercials where people just start spitting out search information that has nothing to do with what the person next to them asked? I feel like that sometimes :) Anyways, off topic!

I don't know what exactly a 'Beta' grape is.... I'm assuming it's just a cultivar of grape right? I have a grape 'Mars' that I got in one of those cheepy bags from HD year before last. I had it in a pot until about June when frost had gone, moving it back and forth inside and out. Now it is growing in my back yard, quite happily. It was not fun to grow it as a houseplant though, I was always worried about it dying, so I'm on the fence with what to tell you. Maybe some more information would help me decide ...
How is the root system, was it just rooted or is it strong? How many leaves does it have/how tall is it and what conditions has it been in? How many more weeks do you have until heavy freeze?
Here's my mars right now...I can't wait for it to start producing!

The grape had a Bailey Nursery tag, it is in a 2 gallon container (I think, possibly one gallon). The tag says Beta Grape- Vitis 'Beta'. I suppose it is two feet tall- it has 74 leaves right now. I'm also worried it may have some sort of fungus as there are some rusty looking spots on some of the leaves. I know so little about grapes though that I was hesitant to trim the bad leaves or to treat it. I assume the root system is alright as it has been in the container for some time. A friend gave it to my mother who had no clue what to do with it so she gave it to me. She lives 1-2 zones cooler than I and it has spent the summer in that container waiting for me to come pick it up. The summer where she lives has been uncharacteristically wet and cool. Our average first freeze date is October 1, but our average first frost is September 21. I didn't think it would be very fun to grow as a houseplant but I don't know if a month or a little more is enough time to establish a decent root system in its new home either. Any help would be appreciated. Sorry if I seemed a bit defensive in my earlier post, but I turned to this site after a fruitless google search. I found plenty of information, but it didn't answer even one of my questions and much of it was conflicting information. I was just getting over a migraine and I was a little touchy I'm afraid! Below is a photo of this grape vine.

Call your local extension service, I'm sure they would know:

http://www.co.yellowstone.mt.gov/extension/horticulture/index.asp

X

I think if I were you, I would go ahead and plant it right now. I think grapes are a lot tougher than I've given them credit for and have just about killed mine with too much care. Even if it doesn't have time to set out a ton of new roots the existing ones should go dormant just fine. When you plant it you might want to add something to stimulate root growth and trim some excess leaves off. I'm still learning about grape pruning so I can't give you any hard advice about where to trim from, but I'd follow a pruning regimen just in case it doesn't grow too much more.
This might be completely opposite advice than what some might tell you, but it's what I'd do. Keep us updated! Susanne

I'm not home yet, I'm still on vacation a zone and a half away, but I will be home at the end of the week so I will plant it soon. I have some quick start I'll use when I plant it unless someone tells me otherwise. Pruning it terrifies me though- I don't want to stimulate new growth by doing so either. I may stop by the nursery I typically use to ask one of the experts there how much I should prune. I'm notorious for my horrible pruning skills- I am absolutely terrible about cutting anything healthy and living regardless of the need. I've been trying to train my hibiscus into a standard and I'll probably give up as I just can't bear to cut off any new growth. Thanks so much for the advice, I will keep you posted.