[shaz]

Had our allotment 2 months about took on a plot with loads of stuff lucky us. Greenhouses with grapes please help dont know what to with them. loads of fruit just been watering . They are getting bigger. Any advise welcome with open arms. :?

[twysted1]

get lots of demi johns    

[Oliver]

Greenhouses with grapes

You lucky devil, you!
One of her friends has grapes growing in her conservatory - the friend thins the bunches (removes some of the baby grapes) so the grapes have space to grow. Its a pretty labour intensive business, but the end result if terrific. They taste lovely I'm told. She gives bunches away as presents - lines a supermarket plastic tray - the kind you get a roasting chicken on (yum yum) - with tissue paper and puts the bunch on top. Look lovely.
I'll get my human to ask her about pruning and things if you like.
Here's a picture of her grapes.

[noshed]

I've inherited a grapevine too (outdoor) and I've done a bit of research. I think they grow like mad whether you like it or not but if you want bigger grapes you have to take off some of the bunches and even some of the grapes within the bunches.
I've decided to leave mine this year and see what happens, I'm just tying it on the adjacent (tall) fence as it grows. And I just mulched it with manure in January, (after cutting it right back because I though it was a dead triffid and then I realised what it was.)
The woman whose plot it was told me (after I'd been at it with the secateurs) the grapes were nice, so I'm looking forward to the results.

[mixdiver]

Can also stuff the leaves (greek dish v v nice) if you have to much greenery

Mixdiver

[comic_muse]

More useless 'guess work' (sorry)....inspired by my allotment being covered in the bl**dy things ! when I took it on.  You really need to know the variety & get a decent reference book on pruning !  Mine were outside.....Glory of Boskoop, Gloire de Boskoop, black, dessert / wine dual purpose.  I toyed with keeping some in situe but too much of a mess.  My 'mate' !!....who's ground it had been pestered me to keep some 'roots' which I did.  I've tried my darned'est to see them off......but they've kept going & on very old very spent Grow bag compost with water when I remember & are like a 'thicket' in pots in the greenhouse......guess I'll have to plant them out sometime !  Seriously complicated business getting them set up, but it seems to get easier once you've got a 'regime' organised.  ( & yours are obviosuly established ) Basics seem to be, don't thin for wine, but thin drastically for the table ? get pruning bang on from the start, taking off all new growth in the 'winter' ?  I'd 'google' it there's bound to be some step by step guides somewhere....keep us posted, especially if you work out how to give them their come-uppance, cos I've failed despite all efforts !

[shaz]

GREAT ADVICE THANKS ALL ILL TRY IT   hubby wants to try to make wine kids want to eat then know.  think i might thin out leave bigger bunchs :!: