GRAPEVINES FOR GREENHOUSES - (Back)

Reads Nursery are the National Collection Holders of Citrus, Figs and Grapevines for the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens NCCPG.

NATIONAL COLLECTION HOLDERS - BLACK GREENHOUSE GRAPES

Our collection of Greenhouse Grapes covers a wide range, but we are always interested in acquiring more. If you have a variety not in our list we should be delighted to hear of it.

We offer an unrivalled collection of Grape varieties for the vinery. Sweetwater grapes are particularly suited to the amateur coldhouse, although later ripening grapevines can manage without heating in favoured situations in the South of England and East Anglia. All our grapevines are container grown, and are normally available throughout the year. Where space is at a premium, grapevines may be grown and fruited in containers as standards with stems between three and four feet high. Good crops of high quality grapes may be obtained by this method, and the short standards are easily managed by wheelchair bound gardeners. We offer ready formed Standards or you can grow your own from Planting or selected canes. Use 12" well crocked pots and John Innes No.3 compost.

Green house grapes fall into four categories:

MUSCAT GRAPES. (M)

These Grapes ripen late autumn, and have the finest Muscat grape flavour but require a little help with pollination and some heat to mature, when they will keep well. A minimum of about 45°F / 7°C from ripening to picking the bunches of grapes . They do not require heat after harvesting the grapes and are well worth the additional effort. The Frontignan varieties are the easiest of the muscats.

SEEDLESS GRAPES.

These seedless grapes are frequently asked for on the nursery and we can recommend several. Most seedless grapes are more suited to greenhouse or conservatory,but several seedless grapes are suitable for the garden. Some are so late as to require heat and will provide seedless grapes late in the year. In such circumstances most will require some thinning. We are presently conducting trials of a range of newer varieties which are supposed to have improved flavours, and will report on these in due course.

SWEETWATER. (S)

These are the first to ripen and are the best choice for the completely unheated
greenhouse. They are all sweet and juicy with thin skins but do not keep for any length of time.

VINOUS. (V)

These ripen last, and were those used by the Victorian gardeners to keep for several months. They require a longer period of heat to mature the bunches. They crop well.

Within these Grape categories there are variations in grape ripening times and in many years some of the early Muscat grapes will manage quite happily without heat. In heated conservatories where many types of plants are grown grapevines should be grown in pots and moved outside or to a cold greenhouse after fruiting. This will ripen the wood and provide the necessary cold period of dormancy. The pots and rootballs must be protected from frost.

All trees and vines require what are called, 'chill hours' , in order to ripen the wood and create 'inflorescence' ie. the setting of fruit buds. Some need more than others - grape vines can work from only 1 to 200 hrs, some peaches require 800 hrs. These are hours at or below 42.f for 10-12 hours per day, if the day temp is higher then this will negate the effect, a complicated thing to calculate. It can be easier to open the vents in December and then shut them in January!

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