Grow Your Own Grapes

FRANCE IS WELL KNOWN FOR ITS GRAPE AND WINE PRODUCTION, BUT THE LIMOUSIN IS NOT REALLY WELL KNOWN AS A WINE GROWING REGION BECAUSE THE SOILS AROUND MOST OF THE LIMOUSIN ARE TOO ACID

Grapes thrive best on calcium rich soils that develop over limestone and the flavour of the grapes is influenced by the type and range of minerals in the soil as well as by the variety of grape and the microclimate in which they are grown. However, it is perfectly possible to grow a good crop of grapes for domestic use, whether they are a dessert variety (eating grapes) or for grape juice or wine.

The vines themselves are also very decorative and can be grown over a pergola or arbour to create shaded seating areas

The vines themselves are also very decorative and can be grown over a pergola or arbour to create shaded seating areas, or planted in rows, trained on wires for a bigger harvest, or you can train a single vine along the wall of your house or barn if you just want a few.

It is possible to grow grapes from seed, but they may not come true to type. You can grow them from cuttings to ensure that the variety will be true to type but it is best to purchase a named variety that has been grafted onto a rootstock which will help the vine to tolerate a variety of soil types and conditions, resist soil borne pests and diseases, and improve the vigour, particularly if you want to be sure of a good reliable harvest. But it can be fun to grow your own from seed or cuttings.

Grapes need a sheltered sunny spot and it is wise to improve the soil with some wellrotted organic matter before planting. Always plant to the same depth as they are

Caroline has been a lecturer in horticulture for 20 years and now runs a nursery and ‘garden craft’ courses in the Haute-Vienne at Le jardin créatif in the pot, do not bury the graft. They will need to be watered in and then watered well during dry spells in the first season. One of the key principles of managing your vines is pruning and training. This will depend on whether you are planting them in rows or singly against a building or pergola and whether you want wine or dessert grapes. There are two popular systems of training which I will describe. For a single vine grown against a wall or up a pergola, you can use the ‘Geneva single or double curtain’ system where you allow the main shoot (‘rod’) to grow vertically until it reaches the top of the support (you may need to tie this into a wire initially). Once it has reached the desired height, pinch out the tip just above a node. This will promote lateral growth that can be trained horizontally along the pergola or wall (again using wires to tie node beyond the 2nd or 3rd bunch. After harvesting, when the vines are going into dormancy, you can cut all of these sub laterals back to just one bud; they will produce from the same point each year. The single or double Guyot system is a good choice if you are planting multiple vines in rows as in a mini vineyard. Ideally, they should be planted on a south or west facing slope, with the rows running from top to bottom (not across the width of the slope) so that cold air can easily roll down to the bottom of the slope and the rows of vines do not shade each other from the sun which is required for ripening the fruits. Plant each vine at 1.2 metres apart. You will need a system of posts and wires to be able to support and train them. In this system you allow the vertical rod to reach the height of the lowest wire then pinch it back. The subsequent laterals are then trained horizontally along the lowest wire (one for a single Guyot and two for a double). The sub laterals then grow upwards, scrambling up the wires. This system is generally used for wine grapes so you can allow 2 or 3 bunches to grow before pinching them back. You may need to pinch back several times through the season to allow the fruit to ripen in the sun. The other main difference in this system is that during the dormant season you cut back all the lateral growth except the two sub laterals closest to the main rod - these are laid down on the lowest wire ready to produce the sub laterals the following season. These are replaced each year where in the Geneva double curtain system they are permanent and develop into thick branches. For further reading, the RHS book ‘Pruning and Training’ is an excellent resource, and there is also good, detailed information on their website advice pages too. You can also pop along on a Saturday and chat to us. There is also a blog post on our website that contains a short video of pruning a Geneva double curtain: https://lejardincreatif.net/2018/06/05/k eep-your-vines-in-line/

You can purchase vines in most big garden centres. We produce just one variety, the ‘Strawberry Grape’ Vitis fragola’, which is a dessert variety with a hint of strawberry flavour.

Stephanie

Stephanie is a freelance writer who puts her knowledge of astrology together with her love of gardening. British born, then living in the USA, she now lives in rural France