Western Morning News (Saturday)
A vineSaturday, romance
YOU DON’T NEED A GARDEN BATHED IN MEDITERRANEAN SUNSHINE TO GROW GRAPES. JUST FIND A WARM, SHELTERED SPOT AND IT COULD BE A VINTAGE YEAR
The Romans cultivated vineyards in Britain 2,000 years ago, and today’s warm summers are again making vine-growing a practical proposition.
It is not difficult to do and vines give the garden a delightfully Mediterranean atmosphere with their architectural foliage and bunches of fruit.
However, you do need the right spot – your warmest, sunniest and most sheltered corner, ideally against a south-facing wall where the soil is well drained.
It is also worth growing grapes on a free-standing trellis, pergola or gazebo if you have a very sheltered, sunny spot. To enjoy ripe, sweet fruit, you also need the right type of grape. Most sold in garden centres are wine-making varieties which are too sour to eat, or are ornamental types grown for their foliage.
To be sure of getting a really good dessert variety, go to a specialist nursery.
The best time to plant a vine is while it is dormant between November and early March. If it hasn’t already been pruned by the nursery, cut it down to three leaf joints above ground level when you plant it. This might seem wasteful, but it helps the new vine to establish itself and it will soon make lots of new growth when it gets going the following year.
You can plant vines while they are still in leaf in summer, as long as they have been grown in pots. If you do plant in summer though, wait until the following November or December before cutting them down hard.
Before planting a vine, prepare the soil. Dig out a trench at least 3ft wide and 2ft deep, and bury as much organic matter as you can in the bottom.
A couple of barrowloads is not too much as grapes need plenty of moisture-retaining material underneath them. Put up netting or trellis for tying up the long floppy stems, then mix more organic matter in with good topsoil, and plant your vine at least 12in from the wall or fence.
If you are putting in several plants, space them 3ft apart.
The next spring, when the vine starts to grow, you can take the easy route and let it ramble naturally over the wall, but space out the stems and tie them in for support.
From then on, just shorten the
main stems and remove weak, overcrowded or unwanted side shoots every December.
It will look good as a decorative climber and produce some useful fruit.