GROWING GRAPES AND STRAWBERRIES IN THE CITY

Here are some of Estuye’s growing techniques:

Space. For the growing area, do not plant these fruits in flood zones to avoid the risks of drowning them.

Propagation. He propagates grapes through vine cuttings. “After two months [of isolation] in a seedling bag, when grape tendrils come out, that’s the time [when you can transplant] the rooted grapes seedling to the soil.”

Sunlight. Grapes must be in full sunlight for at least eight hours a day. Daily monitoring of the grapevines and strawberry plants is crucial to prevent any troubles that may arise in the garden, said Estuye.

Pruning. It is best to prune grapes in any period except the wet season. When the flowering stage takes place, do not spray any insecticide or fungicides as this may also destroy the flowers. In this grower’s case, he prunes the grapevines two weeks after the application of fertilizer.

For the strawberries, he removes the old leaves to improve and promote crown growth and to prepare the plants for their fruiting stage.

Cut the strawberry runners or stolons to produce more flowers and berries. Otherwise, you can let the runner grow if you want more seedlings for propagation, said Estuye.

Fertilizer. Estuye also produces his own vermicast for his garden. He integrates this in rearing rabbits for their manure, which he then uses as food for his African nightcrawlers (ANC).

Harvesting. After four months or about 120 days from pruning, the fruits will likely become ready for collection.

Harvesting is not simultaneously performed by Estuye since he grows different grape varieties with dissimilar growth and timelines.

He has influenced others in this gardening journey including the one closest to him — his wife, Marissa, who has also started collecting houseplants like aglaonema, caladium, and more.