[buckstar555]

Bought a white grape vine (vitis vinifera) from Wilkos spur of the moment thing,again!!! He,he and have done the soaking for 1hour and planted out against south facing fence. Just sat down to my tea ah,ah,ah.and weather forcast says snow warning tonight! Will my wee plant be ok? or will I lose it? Think tommorow I will make clear plastic screen,to protect from wind chill etc.

[mucky pup]

Hi, I have a friend who grows grapes, here in scotland, and gets a very good crop. His method is having the root outside beside his polytunnel and vine trunk coming up inside. Good luck with yours, I think you will have problems with wind and getting the grapes to ripen, but I hope you prove me wrong    we have snow today  mucky pup

[Trillium]

If it hasn't leafed, it should be okay. Grapes are quite hardy, but if it has leafed then do what you can to shelter it.

[elibump]

   Dont know if it helps but here in the Dordogne between Cognac grape growing area and Bordeaux grape growing area there is dreadful weather in the winter and I gather that the vines don't mind how bad the winter is as long as the summer gives them sun and warmth.  Hope it works for the varieties you have over there. 

[realfood]

Grapes are quite hardy in Scotland and there are quite a few on our allotments in glasgow.
I grow mine in a greenhouse and always get a good crop of fruit, but you may have problems getting them to ripen outside.

[buckstar555]

Hi guys thanks for your help! The vine I got doesnt have any leaves yet,but has buds growing. I have put a clear plastic,sleave around it and staked sock open at the top.I planted along south face fence/sheltered from wind? with plenty manure. The snow didnt happen here in Dumfries last night thankfully!! Meant to say the temp is abit better around here S W Scotland with the gulf stream? So might be lucky with some fruit

[buckstar555]

I just checked my grape vine baby? With the help I think of wee clear plastic wind sheild it seems to have survived the cold winds fingers crossed. Question? I know that I might not get any fruit even though ive planted south facing fence.But how big does a vine grow too.Thanks

[elibump]

might be wrong but I think that's a how big is a piece of string question.  They get pruned and tightly controlled here.

[Trillium]

I get hot summers here and enough ripening time, but I'll still be keeping my grape vines pruned so that I get fewer but bigger grapes on the bunches. Mine will stay at about a 3-4 ft height and up to 8 ft in width when mature on horizontal grape wires.

[Babstreefern]

Hi guys, glad we're chatting about grapes, because I've just lost mine.  I bought it in St Emelion, Bordeaux (only 2 Euros) in June 2007.  I didn't think it would survive the drive, but I looked after it and kept it in the shade as it was only a foot long.  I got it home and planted it in a pot (it was bare-rooted-sort of).  Anyway, it surved.  I kept it in my conservatory for the rest of the summer and through the winter and planted it in my greenhouse in Spring, when the danger of frost had gone.  It grew very well, but then in the October/November last, we swapped our plot for another so I had to dig up Sweetpea (my name for it), and put it in my new greenhouse.  I was praying it would be ok, but noooo, we had to have the coldest winter for years - its been a long time since I've seen perma frost, which I don't think Bordeaux gets, it may get snow, but its the frost that kills.  And yes, even though I wrapped the base of the vine with potato sacks to protect it, it died.  I'm now off to Prestbury Nurseries tomorrow to get one which I hope will survive.

[Trillium]

I tried moving a grapevine once and it didn't like it at all...the silly thing died. I now buy only varieties that are bred to suit to my growing zones. Otherwise, I waste a lot of money and time on things that won't survive here. The 2 grapes I now have are hardy enough to grow well almost to the Arctic circle.

[elibump]

  Babstreefern - désolé,  our friend who lives in Wakefield bought vines like you from St Emilion and his is still going strong.  Also, we do get serious frost here in the winter - just after Christmas the temperature hit a high of -3° for 2 weeks running and a low of -10° at night.  However, moving they do not like I am assured by the neighbours all of whom have mini vineyards.  PS our vines also came from St Emilion.

[Babstreefern]

Elibump, you lucky thing.  Personally, I would love to live in the Dordorgne.  I think it must be the luck of the draw about Sweetpea, he had been moved twice, and I had a feeling it wouldn't survive the last move.

I also lost my treefern (that's where I get my user name from),  He was outside on a south facing wall, and sheltered, but he just died.  I even wrapped him (his name was Sebastian) in fleece and put straw down into the trunk - I was diligently following the instructions).  He survived one winter, but died the following winter.

[buckstar555]

Im sorry to hear about sweetpea! Wilkos have loads of these grape vines at the moment? £3 each,I got the white grape so once again guys thanks for your help!!Very intresting comments!

[buckstar555]

I meant to add?I heard dont know if any truth in it? But the Romans,historians reckon that fruit bearing grape vines were grown as far North as Hadrians wall etc?