Hello :) I live in Nanaimo and would like to build a grape arbor on a south-west corner of the house. I want a pleasant, shady private spot to sit, grapes for eating, and will probably work up to making wine later on. I was thinking of planting two types, one red, one white, with different maturity dates, and having them grow together. Is this a reasonable idea? I'm new to grape-growing and will sure appreciate the help. Thanks! Elly
The basic idea: two vines, red, white, eat them, make wine... all great. The "different maturity dates" can be a problem in our climate; we usually find ourselves looking for early and even earlier varieties here to assure a reasonable expectation of ripening most years. May I suggest an assignment for this year? There are probably 20 vineyards within a 1 hour drive from your home: visit as many as you can; talk grapes and varieties with them. Check here: http://www.wineislands.ca/pages/wineries/cideries/ for a list of wineries and vineyards. Check here: http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/treefrt/homegdn/grapes.htm and here: http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb0775/eb0775.html for some info on varieties. Be aware that many of the "eating" (and seedless) varieties are not acidic enough to make a really good wine, but can often be used successfully in blends. Ralph
20 vineyards? Wow, impressive. Thanks for the info, Ralph, and the assignment, a very sensible one. I don't think I've seen grapes in the nurseries, but I'll inquire there too. Since I want them for eating, it would be best to do the tours in the Fall if they let folks taste the grapes. But since they are wine grapes, they might not be the ones I'm looking for. Perhaps others will share their experience with eating varieties that grow well here. I know I've tasted wonderful ones but no one ever knows the names. Elly
Here's another discussion of seedless table grapes:http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/faculty/reisch/bulletin/table/tabletext3.html As with most decisions, there are compromises to be made. A loose bunch will offer less opportunity for the late season fungal pests, so choose Himrod and Suffolk Red. But Suffolk Red is also described as "mild flavored"... translation: not much flavor. So choose Canadice, except that it has more compact bunches, and you may have to spray it. Often considered a great eating grape: Perle of Csaba, but it has seeds. And so on. Enjoy your investigation, and take comfort that almost any choice will have more flavor than you are used to in store bought Thompson or Perlette or Red Globe. Ralph
My two favorites are Vanessa and Interlaken. There are a lot of good cultivars you can grow in your area. Cheers
