Hi,
Can anyone recommend a red desert grape that I would like to grow on a south facing wall?
Is it a good time to plant now?
Many thanks.
Regent workd well for me here.... but it has seeds so you need to be very ruthless and keep it down to say a dozen bunches and thin the fruit to get good sized grapes or you spend all your time spitting out pips...
Container ones you can plant now, but better to wait until you can put in a bare root vine at the end of the season.
Reliance is fantastic - red/pink seedless, early and reliable (from Sunnybank or Reads) it has a different flavour - much more flavour to my taste (about halfway between the flavour of ordinary grape juice and Welch's concord juice).
The only grape that can compare for intensity of taste is Muscat - but they are seedy and need a greenhouse.
To me it's a no-brainer - the idea of growing something that can't be bought in the shops is the ultimate reward of gardening.
Cheers.
Thanks for your help, I've ordered a 'Reliance' from Reads.