Page 40 - Simply Vegetables Spring 2025

Growing
grapevines
and add a
little flavour
to your
gardening
After years of exhibiting vegetables, I set
about a new challenge. Having admired
vines growing in the French wine
regions and appreciated their delightful
wines, I decided to take notice of the
regular forecasts of climate change and
produce wine from my own allotment.
Not many growers are familiar with the
charm of the Nottinghamshire Wolds. Wine
is produced on my doorstep where vines
are successfully cultivated. Warmer winters
and drier sunny summers already make it a
suitable area for growing grapes.
My own plants have been established in
free-draining soil alongside the allotment
path. They look attractive and make for
an easy harvest. The support system is
consisting of six-foot (1.8m) posts, three
yards (2.7m) apart. The bottom wire is fixed
two-foot (60cm) above ground level and
further wires a couple of feet higher.
Grapes need a sheltered site with
protection from wind which can damage
the plants and fruit and avoid any frost
pockets. Sunny sites are best as this helps
to ripen the grapes. Grapes will grow on
most soils as long as they are free draining
and a pH of 6.3 to 6.5 is best.
My choice of cultivar is Rondo, a dark-
skinned grape suitable for making red
wine in our local climate. It possesses
a high resistance to downy mildew and
winter frost. As it is very early to mature it
overcomes the character of other dark-
skinned cultivars being well-known for their
difficulties in ripening. Like many grape
cultivars Rondo suffers with the fungal
disease Mildew. Diligent winter pruning
and avoiding over watering in the growing
season, are more effective in keeping the
mid-season growth clean than relying on a
bag of chemicals.
A MANAGEMENT CALANDER FOR
JOBS DURING THE YEAR
September
Is the harvest month, providing excitement
and work for the family members.
40 Simply Vegetables
Grapes outdoors pruned
November
Is the month when any new bare root vines
are planted five feet (1.5m) apart into well-
drained deep soil. Water them well and
continue to water them during their active
growing season to help them establish well.
December
Mulching around the vines will protect the
roots against frost damage. Spread two
inches (50mm) of bark chippings to give
additional nutrition and help improve the
growth. Prune the grapes every year along
two horizontal branches, it may sometimes
be referred to as an espalier but is more
correctly called the guyot or rod and spur
system. New fruit stems will grow at six-
inch (150mm) intervals and will need to be
tied in for support.
January
If the task of pruning was not finished in
December it needs to be completed this
month. During a winter of cold weather, be
brave and prune back hard to two buds.
February
Before spring growth starts, remove the
mulch from round the stems. Sprinkle over
the root area with Vitax Q4 or slow-release
high potash fertilizers. To suppress weeds,
replace the three inches (75mm) of mulch
round the plants, away from the base of the
stem.
June
Underneath the mulch water-in an extra
feed of high potash fertilizer to encourage
flowering and fruiting. Water regularly every
week, keeping the roots moist to prevent
any fungal attacks. Remove tendrils as they
appear, tie new shoots into the supports
and keep the growth in check by pruning
unwanted leafy growth. Maiden bushes.
Let them develop without producing any
berries. Water them regularly to encourage
a strong growth of both the root system
and the stem.
July
Until the fruit starts to ripen, supplement
the weekly application of high potash liquid
feed with ‘Growmore’ fertilizer to act a bit
quicker. Summer drought. Be warned!! Do
not let the vine plants dry out or mildew
will attack them. Remove any infected
branches and new shoots to ensure good
air circulation, before they reduce both
yield and quality. Remove flowers and
fruit from new plants in their first year, you
should get your first harvest 2 to 3 years
after planting.
August
Avoid over watering and high Nitrogen
fertilizers at this point in the season.
Older vines grown, specifically for wine
production, will not require the bunches to
be thinned. They will support three to four
bunches of grapes to each plant
September
Harvest the grapes. Extract the juice,
produce your own red wine allow to mature
and enjoy!
Ron Nuttall
FROM THE RHS WEBSITE
The Guyot training method was
developed in the 1800s by Dr Jules
Guyot, a French physician and
wine-grower, and is still widely used
today in cooler-climate vineyards,
especially in Europe. It controls the
vine’s natural tendency to produce
lots of leafy growth, allowing more
plants to be grown in less space, and
encourages consistent crops of good
quality grapes.