Linette's greenhouses - Page 2

dustdevil · December 29, 2014

Your yard looks wonderful! How is the bee population doing where you live?

Linette · December 31, 2014

Thank you, Dustdevil

Bees are disappearing fast around here. Wild pollinators as well.

Farmers grow more and more corn in the area, and I suspect all the chemicals they use on it are responsible. Varroa mites are very bad here too.

We have a linden tree next to the gate. It was humming with bees when it was in flower, this summer it was silent.

barefootgardener · February 10, 2015

Linette, what a charming setup you have. I am wondering how your two grapevines are doing now that they are undercover? My hubby and I planted two grapevines in our 12x18 recycled greenhouse a few years back and boy did they really grow and take off. I trained the vines along wire up to the roofline and the grapes hang down, but they grow so quickly from the heat of the gh (terrible problem I know

) but we do have to trim the vines from time to time, otherwise they grow pretty rampant and take over the gh. I love the beautiful bunches of grapes we get late in the season. Makes a lot of juice and jelly. Thanks for sharing

Ginny

Blueaussi · February 10, 2015

Those are wonderful! I'm envious!

I bought the house I'm in because the yard was so spacious for an urban lot. I have just under 3/4 of an acre. I do have a lawn, but there is nothing pristine about it. I refer to it as being grass-ish, too many weeds to call it plain grass. The dogs need space to run, though, so I keep my lawn type thing.

Linette · February 11, 2015

Hi, Ginny,

Thanks!

It sounds like your greenhouse has been invaded by grapevines! They will if you give them free rein…
Our two plants are severely pruned every year at the end of winter. Normally, when we have time to do it correctly, we cut off everything in March, except for two 1.20m long canes for each plant, which we tie on 4 horizontal wires (it looks like a ladder.)

The plants look naked with only 2 branches each at the end of winter, but very soon they start sprouting new shoots everywhere, and we cut out all the excess growth, the canes that don't bear fruit, and those that have flowers are trimmed just leaving 2 or 3 leaves after each flower.

Vines bear fruit in their second year, so for each plant we keep 2 or 3 new vigorous 1.50m long canes, they will be the replacements for the following year.

The good thing is that you can make mistakes, remove too much or too little - you will have fruit anyway, grapevines are very forgiving . The only rule is to keep them in check, they aren't allowed beyond their allotted space, 1.50m x 1.8m at the back of the greenhouse - the rest is for tomatoes!

Hi, Blueaussi,
I don't really know what the climate is like in Noth Carolina, but I guess you can grow tomatoes, other solanaceae and grapevines without a greenhouse, so I'm the envious one!

December 29, 2014	#16
dustdevil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: WI, USA Zone4 Posts: 1,887	Your yard looks wonderful! How is the bee population doing where you live?

December 31, 2014	#17
Linette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: France Posts: 18	Thank you, Dustdevil Bees are disappearing fast around here. Wild pollinators as well. Farmers grow more and more corn in the area, and I suspect all the chemicals they use on it are responsible. Varroa mites are very bad here too. We have a linden tree next to the gate. It was humming with bees when it was in flower, this summer it was silent.

February 10, 2015	#18
barefootgardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Michigan Zone 4b Posts: 1,291	Linette, what a charming setup you have. I am wondering how your two grapevines are doing now that they are undercover? My hubby and I planted two grapevines in our 12x18 recycled greenhouse a few years back and boy did they really grow and take off. I trained the vines along wire up to the roofline and the grapes hang down, but they grow so quickly from the heat of the gh (terrible problem I know ) but we do have to trim the vines from time to time, otherwise they grow pretty rampant and take over the gh. I love the beautiful bunches of grapes we get late in the season. Makes a lot of juice and jelly. Thanks for sharing Ginny

February 10, 2015	#19
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	Those are wonderful! I'm envious! I bought the house I'm in because the yard was so spacious for an urban lot. I have just under 3/4 of an acre. I do have a lawn, but there is nothing pristine about it. I refer to it as being grass-ish, too many weeds to call it plain grass. The dogs need space to run, though, so I keep my lawn type thing.

February 11, 2015	#20
Linette Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: France Posts: 18	Hi, Ginny, Thanks! It sounds like your greenhouse has been invaded by grapevines! They will if you give them free rein… Our two plants are severely pruned every year at the end of winter. Normally, when we have time to do it correctly, we cut off everything in March, except for two 1.20m long canes for each plant, which we tie on 4 horizontal wires (it looks like a ladder.) The plants look naked with only 2 branches each at the end of winter, but very soon they start sprouting new shoots everywhere, and we cut out all the excess growth, the canes that don't bear fruit, and those that have flowers are trimmed just leaving 2 or 3 leaves after each flower. Vines bear fruit in their second year, so for each plant we keep 2 or 3 new vigorous 1.50m long canes, they will be the replacements for the following year. The good thing is that you can make mistakes, remove too much or too little - you will have fruit anyway, grapevines are very forgiving . The only rule is to keep them in check, they aren't allowed beyond their allotted space, 1.50m x 1.8m at the back of the greenhouse - the rest is for tomatoes! Hi, Blueaussi, I don't really know what the climate is like in Noth Carolina, but I guess you can grow tomatoes, other solanaceae and grapevines without a greenhouse, so I'm the envious one!