Admittedly it’s a bit late to start growing your own strawberries for this year’s Wimbledon, never mind planting a vineyard from scratch… but the general idea of being able to grow your own foodie treats appeals to me.
So I thought I’d share a few ideas and tips on strawberries and grape vines… at least until the wine has chilled – and the strawberries are still warm from the sun
Strawberry Plants
Strawberries (Fragaria) are easy to grow and can be grown in pots and containers. In some ways this is easier, as they can be kept free of slugs, snails and rain splashes. Picking the fruit when ripe is more convenient if the strawberries are grown in a raised bed. You could also try growing trailing strawberries in a hanging basket.
The downside with using a container to grow your own strawberries is the increased need for watering, as compared to when they’re grown in the ground. This can be resolved with an automated watering system, or, a more low tech solution, standing your strawberry containers in shallow troughs which can act as a water reservoir.
On the upside if you only have a small garden, and grow the strawberries in a pot in a sunny part of the garden, you can move them to a less prominent place in the garden once they’ve finished cropping. Give the plants a good feed and let them rest in a shadier spot.
Special strawberry pots do not always work as well as you might expect. Watering is difficult as the water tends to run off the ledges where the strawberries are growing rather than getting down to the roots. However, if you can get around this problem they are ideal in a small garden, as the fruits facing the sun will ripen before the ones on the shady side, which gives you a longer cropping period.
Really no room to grow strawberries?
Strawberries are not only a ‘grow your own crop’ they are also a favourite ‘pick your own crop’ too. The varieties used commercially aren’t always as flavoursome as those you can grow yourself, but some of the farms do grow a range so it’s worth asking. Cambridge favourite is definitely tastier than elsanta in my opinion. If you don’t have any strawberries growing in your garden, going to a pick your own farm could be a good solution for that tennis party you’re throwing during the Wimbledon fortnight.
Grapes and Grape Vines
Grapes, or rather grape vines, (Vitis) are mostly hardy and will grow in Britain. The difficulty is having a sufficient number of long sunny days so that the grapes can ripen. If we’re looking at the ‘grow your own Wimbledon treat’ then we want grapes for sparkling wine. Vineyards in Kent and Surrey in particular have been producing sparkling wines that can compete with the rest of the world. The whole wine making process can seem daunting, but there is a lot of help around for the novice who would like to grow their own wine in the garden or on the allotment.
Choosing the right grape for the wine you would like to drink, for your soil type, for the location and whether you should grow outdoor or will need to grow an outdoor vine indoors is a blog in itself, and we will revisit grapes and vines in more detail another time.
Vines are sometimes used to give maturity to a newly established garden as they can grow quickly and develop a twisted, gnarled stem that adds interest and age.
If you’re not particularly bothered about the grapes, vines are an extremely decorative climbing plant, with foliage that often changes colour in the autumn. Vitis, or edible grape vines, are closely related to the ornamental Parthenocissus vines – Virginia creeper is one, renowned for its autumn show of red and bronze leaves.
If you would like to eat the grape fruits then a certain amount of work will be needed. Basically, wine grapes are outdoor and dessert grapes are indoor varieties. Hardy outdoor grape vines can be trained as step over plants to edge a path or border, in the same way that apple trees are often trained. Training the vine against a framework will also maximise the fruit whilst minimising the space the plant takes up. These vines then become decorative and productive making them a useful addition to a potager, or ornamental kitchen garden.
Could you grow grape vines in your garden?
If you live in northern Britain you may not be able to grow outdoor varieties. The most northerly English commercial vineyard is currently in Yorkshire (and they even make sparkling wines!) But there are also vineyards in Scotland and Wales as well as England – over 250. However the small scale domestic wine grower may find growing vines under glass a more reliable method in Northerly latitudes. This can be tricky and is best researched first, not least by talking to locals who have tried and succeeded. Or drop us an email to discuss your needs and queries.
It can take up to five years to get a good crop of grapes if you want to turn them into wine, so for this year, you may like to go and purchase your champagne to raise a toast. And if you haven’t tried an English sparkling wine to drink with your British strawberries, maybe this is the year you should!
If you would like help with edible gardening and designing edible gardens, do get in touch. Plews is able to offer you Garden Design or Planting Design, Gardening Lessons, Garden Consultancy Visit, to suit your needs. Please check out relevant pages on the website for more details
And for further gardening advice and inspiration, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below – You could come and find us on Instagram and Facebook too!
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