Grow Your Own Magazine

We have a grapevine in the polytunnel and, in the 14 years we've had it, it has never ever flowered/fruited. It has grown beautifully every spring, but abundant foliage is about as far as it gets. Is there anything I should do to get it to flower and bear fruit?

Suppose it depends what variety it is. I planted one up outside about 6 years ago and it didn't do much for a bit, however last year it started to produce grapes which actually ripened and this year it's gone mental. The grapes are a bit on the small side and rather full of pips but are beautfully sweet to taste. Not too sure what type it is (will have to look it up in my rather hapazard filing system) but it seems to thrive on pretty much total neglect - haven't pruned it back properly for a couple of years and rarely feed it. If you're getting loads of foilage you may be overfeeding? Alternatively it could be the variety, not really an expert on this but some are obviously better suited to the UK climate.