Grape expectations

Vine taming requires patience, a sure hand and vision, but that won’t stop Toby from raising his grape-growing game

- Toby Buckland

THE ‘Smart Dyson’ might be well designed, but it clogs up on the weedy ground, so the training method for my grapevine (what did you think I was talking about?) has to be one that keeps the fruits well clear of the soil.

I’ve been looking into various vinetaming techniques for the seedless ‘Suffolk Red’ grape planted alongside my garden office, which, if left to its own devices, would turn into a knot of leafy but fruitless stems. But with a little discipline, pruning and training, I’ve high hopes it will provide a reliable harvest.

At first glance, vine care can seem complicated, but in gardens, most are grown like climbing roses, with their main branches tied into permanent supports from which flowering side shoots emerge each summer.