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Cultivating an outdoor vine in North England
Robert17
Posts: 3
in Fruit & veg
Yesterday, I bought a Muscat grape Vine in good condition. It is growing outdoors across a pergola in the Gardening Centre.near Penrith. Should I also grow it outdoors directly west from there in Barnard Castle, a market town in Teesdale, part of County Durham? I had intended to plant it outside my north facing lean-to greenhouse and bring the plant into the greenhouse from the bottom. That way it would be automatically protected from birds and the vagaries of winter.
Which way is most suitable? I've never grown vines before. A close neighbour uses the latter method in a free-standing greenhouse and he grows black grapes.
0
Posts
You will get better grapes with it in the greenhouse but will it fit? How big is your lean-to greenhouse?
Roots outside, shoots inside is the standard way with vines hereabouts. Two of the gardens I work in have them, both use this system and both get good crops.
My dad planted a vine just outside the greenhouse but the plant was inside the greenhouse from the bottom of the stem, on the coast in East Yorkshire. However it was a west facing greenhouse, lots of sun. It still survives to this day 30 years later.
Can you relocate your greenhouse so it's not north facing?
My greenhouse is 10 by 7 feet and I cannot relocate it.
What way should I plant it in the ground just outside the greenhouse?
The soil is quite friable, but do I add any other nutrients or oganic matter and when is the best time to plant it. I've just sprayed it with a fungicide and it looks quite happy.
I would definitely add organic matter if the soil has low nutrients and also blood fish and bone to get the roots growing. Make the whole big and deep.
My dad's vine was at the vent end of the green house, he dug the hole just outside the glass and pushed the vine underneath the greenhouse frame into the greenhouse. It's still quite mild, I would plant it now. Good luck
As it was growing outside near Penrith, it must be quite hardy so you should be ok.
I was given a 'Lakemont' pot grown vine a couple of years ago. Unfortunately I don't have a sheltered place to grow it (I'm in South Lincolnshire) so I've trained it up an arch in a sunny spot. The first year I got a couple of small bunches of tiny green grapes (not too sharp), but none last year. I haven't fathomed out the best way to prune it to encourage fruiting. As a bonus, it has pretty leaves through summer which turn to a pretty yellow display in autumn