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I have a lovely vision in my head in which I have a grapevine growing over a garden arch in my allotment, with grapes dangling down from the top. I know it would take 3 years before getting any actual grapes, but even so - Is this feasible? If so, how would I prune/train the vine to best effect? Is one vine enough or do I need two if I want grapes?

I have been reading lots of old threads here and pages elsewhere on the web about cordon and double Guyon and have ended up more confused than when I started!! Oh dear. Most of the advice I have read seems to assume that you will be growing your vine against a wall, but I don't have a wall or fence that gets full sun so I pretty much have to grow it in open ground. (But not a very exposed site, at least, so it's not all bad.)

If a garden arch won't do, what else could I try? Some other vertical structure, or is it best to go for the horizontal option? One thought I had was that if growing it outside it might be less exposed to the risk of occasional high winds if I keep it fairly low growing - ie. growing sideways rather than up. Is that completely the wrong idea?

Sorry so many questions - reading has given me less, not more, of an idea of how to go about it...

Help!! Thank you!

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Warning: I have a dangerous tendency to act like I know what I'm talking about.

Not an expert but i do know loads of people here who have grape vines trained over arches, pergolas etc. I have vines trained over a structure (rusty old iron bits) but they are so old (we reckon about 60 years min- the vines not the rusty bits) that they dont produce much in the way of grapes.
Tony F probably knows - drop him a PM or whatever they are called......

Thanks J, have done that.
Sounds like it might be a goer - I just need to find out how!

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Warning: I have a dangerous tendency to act like I know what I'm talking about.

Hi,

I planted a Dornfelder grape vine three years ago in a pot on our patio - and also got very similarly confused during my research into how I should prune it. Anyway I have kept the thing growing to one main stem, with no main branches leading off - over the end of the pergola, in an arch shape - but not to the ground on the other end.

As the vine has grown I have left the 'short' flowering spurs (or whatever they are called) sticking out, in alternative directions, as far possible, about every six inches.

For the past two years we have picked out all the flowers and removed all the other shoots. Also cut the new growth on the main stem right back to strong woody growth in the winter. This third!!! year the vine has healthy 'half-grown' bunches of grapes on almost every spur. I will have to thin some out I guess, but it has come along terrific.

I'm going to start another vine arch soon!

I hope this helps. Good luck,

Keith

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Demeter,

I'm just finishing building an arch - will post a picture toorrow. So far I have two kiwis (plants not new zealanders) on either side of it (the kiwis were there before the arch).

Also I managed to root a grape cutting my mum brought from Ukraine, the new shoot is only about eight inch tall but i'm quite excited. I'm going to re-plant it next to the arch in November. I think green kiwi fruit and purple grapes will look terrific dangling from the same arch

As for training, I agree with Seabreeze - first train the main stem up the structure by getting rid of all the side shoots (this may take a couple of years) and then form fruit bearing branches on top. In warm climates a grape vine can grow as high as four storeys, with all the leaves and berries being high above the ground.

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