The message
from Pam Moore contains these words:
On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 10:41:55 +0100, "David W.E. Roberts"
wrote:

Black Hamburgh - sold by my local Notcutts as a foliage plant but grows
vigorously and produces plenty of grapes.
These are not like the ones you buy in the shop - much smaller - but
distinctly edible.

Thanks David
Black Hamburg is the one I have on my allotment, and it only produces
(When it does!) fruit the size of blackcurrants and pippy! This is
the one which didn't flower at all this year, until NOW!

When I was an anklebiter we moved to a new house with an acre of garden,
which had been pretty well laid out, and provided with a lot of
features.

Before the war there had been fully-functioning features, to a greater
or lesser extent surviving until 1950, when we bought the house. There
had been a tennis court: the surrounding netting had gone, but the net
posts, net, white-line marker remained. There had been a bowling green
which had retired, leaving a summer-house thatched with reed, two
shiplap garages, one of which had a potting shed on the end, about
thirty-six fruit trees and a lot of other more ornamental things.

I was given the potting shed and a thicket outside it as my private
territory. Amongst this thicket was a black Hamburg vine, and later, I
discovered that there had been a greenhouse there. I put some of the old
tubular tennis court surround poles in and lashed crosspieces along, and
grew the vine along it.

I knew nothing about pruning vines then, but in a good year it cropped
well, until a nearby sycamore tree overshadowed it and put paid to that.

The grapes were small, and full of seed, but very sweet and flavoursome
if they did ripen. One year (when I was about 12 or 13) I made a gallon
of wine with them, and it was really rather good. Well, I thought so
then, and we weren't unused to having a bottle of wine with Sunday
lunch, so I did have a datum.

When the parents retired they bought a smaller place with - oo-er! -
about seven acres. A greenhouse was put up, and a Black Hamburg planted.
(Outide, where it should be!)

This was kept properly pruned and produced large quantities of good
sized grapes.

Nothing the matter with Black Hamburg - I've just bought one to grow up
the red-brick south-facing gable end of my house.

Pic prior to buying property on:
http://www.users/zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/hsefront.jpg - the box on the side
is where the roofgarden is going. Fig tree in a bath.....

--
Rusty Hinge
No m'lud, it wasn't a sneg. My joints creak.