Grape vines

[Cuchilo]

Anyone know anything about them ?
I have bought two one year old grafted vines . A Grape Bianca and a Black Hamburgh . I also have a octagonal green house I planned to use for the vines . I understand you plant the vine outside and train it into the green house ?

 

[ASC1951]

I have three Muller Thurgau vines out in my garden, which have never produced anything beyond a few bunches of very sour pebbles. I suspect I'm really too far north for anything which isn't under glass.

Here are the experts http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?PID=287

 

[ArDee]

We did have a Black Hamburg at our last house in Kent.
We planted it in the corner of the greenhouse house; digging down initially so that the roots could go under the side of the green house and reach out to soil outside.
It grew well and produced a number of good bunches of grapes. It’s worth pruning the number of bunches the vine produces and the number of grapes in the remaining bunches to get grapes of a good size, rather than small raisin sized grapes.

 

[vernon]

I have three Muller Thurgau vines out in my garden, which have never produced anything beyond a few bunches of very sour pebbles. I suspect I'm really too far north for anything which isn't under glass.

Leventhorpe Vineyard would disagree.

 

[Dave 123]

Yes, plant them outside and let them come inside via a hole in the wall or the glass.
I wouldn't allow it to flower and fruit in the first year, it's a waste of energy.
In subsequent years I would remove almost all of the bunches of flowers so that you leave only 4-5 bunches. This will hopefully give you quality fruit, as opposed to lots of middling fruit. As the grapes swell you may want to thin the bunches, again, less grapes of better quality.
Make sure the house is well ventilated as they can be a bugger for mildew.
Is your greenhouse able to hold wires for training the vine? If so then try to train it laterally in tiers.
Make sure that you water well at the roots during spring and summer.
As the plant gets old the bark will go all gnarly, this is a great hiding place for mealy bug, so in early February you can peel it all off, it's very therapeutic.

 

[ASC1951]

Leventhorpe Vineyard would disagree.

I'm sure they would. I've been there and they do have a much better site than my garden, and no doubt a lot more skill.
The OP should be ok growing grape vines in London.

 

[Cuchilo]

Thanks for the tips . The first one has gone in this evening , planted outside and going through a hole in the glass . The wind blew the glass out over winter and left a grapevine hole for me That's the airflow sorted !
I have racked the green house out in timber for growing from seed so the framework is there to support the vines . Ive built a bigger green house since so this one is spare and the shape of it is a pain for starting things off . Perfect for vines I think .
Any tips on fruit trees ?
My 2 year old pear has loads of pears on it but it did that last year and I only got one , that fell off before I could taste it I guess cutting off some would be the same as above with grapes ?

 

[ASC1951]

..
Any tips on fruit trees ?
My 2 year old pear has loads of pears on it but it did that last year and I only got one , that fell off before I could taste it I guess cutting off some would be the same as above with grapes ?

I wouldn't expect a worthwhile crop off a pear tree for five or six years. They are very long-lived trees, 100+ years, and don't become productive as early as apples or plums.
A fruit tree will produce a given weight of fruit, proportionate to the size of its root system. So if you thin the young fruit you will, in principle, increase the size of those you leave on the tree..

 

[Cuchilo]

Hmmmmm I may have to ask one of the old boys at the allotment what bits I should cut off .

 

[Dave 123]

Thinning is the key (for hair apparently...)
Any fruit trees, don't really expect anything for the first 3 years. Just let them get roots down.

 

[Cuchilo]

I thinned them out a short while ago . Some where in the winter and some early spring . Ive got loads of trees
Plumb , pear , apple , cooking apple , cherry , peach and another one that gives furry fruit . My flapjack is going to rock !

 

[ASC1951]

Pruning is absolutely the key for fruit trees - knowing when to do it and, more importantly, what to remove. In the early days I would treat all my apples the same, then whine in the spring because the tip-bearers had 'failed to set fruit again'.

 

[simon the viking]

I thinned them out a short while ago . Some where in the winter and some early spring . Ive got loads of trees
Plumb , pear , apple , cooking apple , cherry , peach and another one that gives furry fruit . My flapjack is going to rock !

Flapjack I thought the point of the above crops were....Wine, Cider and Perry I am available for any tasting sessions (I suppose I could manage a bit of flapjack as well if you insist)