David E. Ross wrote:
On 5/2/2009 4:21 PM, Jeff wrote:
Billy wrote:
In article ,
Jeff wrote:

Hello,

I'm a new gardener, and new to this group. If any I ask should be
better asked elsewhere, let me know. I'm in Atlanta.

I've acquired from a neighbor a "wishing well", think of the as a
large pot, 16" deep and 16" across or so (inside dimensions). I have a
sunny entrance to my yard but it is on the edge of a concrete driveway,
so I thought of the "wishing well". I can set up a long "trellis" for
this to grow along

Can I grow a grape in such a container and have it yield fruit. What
sort of soil and do I need drainage in such a large pot? Will it need a
companion grape and does that have to be of the same type?

If this is all crazy, I'll find some other use for the wishing well...

Jeff
You need soil that will drain. Any potting mix should do. Typically
Europeans plant wine grapes 1 meter X 1 meter. In California it is 10' X
6'. They are self pollinating.

Thanks to you and David. I think I'll give up on the "wishing well"
and look for another place to plant. I have a typical 1/3 acre lot with
just the edges in full sun and was thinking of letting it grow from the
sunniest part. I think now I'll plant it back it a bit where it can root
well and grow into the sunniest.

I see lots of grape plants for sale and had decided to try it
without realizing what a science it is to raise and prune grapes. My
neighbor across the street was an old Frenchman who used to have a
number overhead "trellises" under his walkways with grapes. I wish he
was around now... Table grapes is all I want...

Jeff

If they grow well in your area (ask at a nursery, not at a hardware
store or lumber yard), try 'Perlette'. The vine will produce many very
large bunches of quite sweet yellow-green seedless grapes.

Are these the kind of green grapes you commonly find in grocery stores?
I've never been to fond of them (so I'm thinking/hoping not).


Another
variety to consider (if suitable for your area) is 'Black Monukka', a
dark red seedless grape that is also good for raisins; this one is not
as prolific a producer of grapes as is 'Perlette' but is worth having.

Grape vines can be quite heavy. Make sure your trellis or other
supports are strong enough. See my
http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_grapes.html for a suggestion if
you are planting on a slope.

For a flat area of garden, consider using a clothes line as a arbor, the
type with two T-bar posts and 3-4 wires between them. Make sure you
have ample footings for the posts, set into concrete. Align the clothes
line to run east-west so that the vines get uniform sunshine. You can
plant a vine at each post and train them overhead to meet in the center,
creating a nice shady arbor.

I think I'll do that, and where I want to set this up it would be
running east/west and run about 16'. I take it that's enough room for
two vines? I can buy vinyl covered cable. How far apart should I space
the wires, 6"??? horizontally (I assume)?


You might plant different varieties at
each post. Plan ahead regarding the height of such an arbor. You will
want to reach the wires for pruning the vines every winter, but you will
want to be able to walk and sit under the vines.

OK.


Optional:
Set up a wood or vinyl grid on the south side to complete your arbor and
provide shade for a sitting area. The top of the grid should be about
2-3 ft below the cross-bars of the posts to make sure enough light
reaches the vine where it hangs down from the clothes line; the grid
should extend the entire length of the clothes line, not from post to
post but under the south-most wire. Put a bench or a couple of lawn
chairs under the arbor with a small table. Paradise!

Here's is about what I *was* thinking:

I've found I can rip 2*4's into 4 slices of about 7/8" by 1 1/2".
Standing with the 1 1/2" up (set into a slotted 2*4), I've used several
of them to make a nice plant stand for my girlfriend. I thought I'd run
about 6 of these 6" apart (for a 3' width) and train the grapes on top
of that.

I can't quite visualize your hill side setup, but I think it is a
single wire?

What motivated me was the neighbors house (the one the Frenchman used
to live in) burning down. The contractor tearing down the house "gave"
(dumped) me all the old bricks (~ 90 years old) from the foundation and
chimney and I scavenged all the old stepping stones (including some blue
slate). So I started chipping out single bricks (this took a while!) and
then came the patios and walkways. I terraced the back a bit and thought
it was good spot for a vegetable garden and a dwarf peach tree and a few
blueberries. I suppose Obama and his arugula had something to do with it
too!

Jeff