Grapevine in my conservatory?

[sussexwoman]

I know absolutely nothing about plants.

In a cafe's conservatory on the Isle of Wight I saw a beautiful, long grapevine strung across back and forth.

Now I am wondering if I could have such a grapevine in my own UPVC conservatory. I live on the coast near Hastings.

Would the conservatory have to be heated 24/7 during winter?

Would I have to start the grapevine as a tiny plant and wait years for it to grow?

Would it take a lot of looking after such as pruning, watering, etc?

I found someone selling them but only 15" high.

http://www.dobies.co.uk/Shop/Fruit+...mpaign=Fruit-Trees-and-Bushes&utm_term=480826

Thanking you!

Sussex Woman

 

[Jasonb]

The problem with growing vines in a conservatory or greenhouse for that matter is they ned their roots outside so you need a hole through the wall to grow them through.

You really just need to keep the temp above freezing but even then its not totally needed, plenty of vineyards in the south of england that are outside.

Jason

 

[JohnD]

I live on the South Coast and have two white dessert grape vines outside, on a south-facing fence. They get covered in frost and snow during the winter but are sheltered from the wind.

They seem quite happy and I get more than a bucketful of fruit off them each year.

 

[sussexwoman]

Thanks for the replies. I won't be able to have one

My UPVC conservatory is airtight and nowhere to thread the vine inside from the ground.

Oh well

Maybe there is some other kind of fast-growing plant that I can buy?

 

[JohnD]

I meant, you could grow it outdoors

 

[Miser1]

Sussex Woman,you've got some great advice from the replies here.
You could drill a hole in the wall,(i'm assuming there is some brick and not 100 %glass/upvc) ,(perhaps 4 inches in diameter),(or maybe replace a pane with a custom made entry point) and grow the roots of the vine outside the conservatory and then thread the vine inside, as jason has suggested, but it doesn't really matter too much that the conservatory is airtight,though the transpiration from the leaves would probably cause condensation on the window panes on hot sunny days,and the grapes might be a bit more susceptible to mould.

If there's no soil, i.e. just hard standing outside your conservatory then you're a bit scuppered really, but if you've got lawn adjacent or a border then i'd say go for it as there will be plenty of soil and water for the roots.

You can grow a vine inside a greenhouse,(again i'm assuming the greenhouse is not totally on hard standing and is adjacent to a lawn or border),the roots will find their way to water quite happily.

Vines will grow very well outside in southern england and should survive frosts to minus 10,but in poor summers the fruit will not ripen very well, and even in good summers they're not really ripe until very late september into october,but if you choose a nice variety,they can be excellent eating they're always a good talking point,even if they're only good enough for winemaking

But they do grow very fast, within 3 to 4 years you will have 20 feet of growth and many dozens of bunches of grapes !

A vine if left uncut will fill a greenhouse in three years !

So,It depends how determined you are to get a vine into your conservatory

But try one in the garden by all means