| You can grow grapes, the ease of growing them might depend on the area of MB that you are in. We have to either choose the hardiest varieties or if not take them down from the trellis and provide winter protection, or both. If you want the vine to grow long enough to cover your arbor that's another reason to stick with the hardiest varieties as you don't want the vine to die back to the ground each winter. I planted a 'Valiant' Grape last year spring in a one-gallon pot and it reached about six feet tall before the end of the season. I wasn't sure how much winter damage it would suffer, but I took a chance and didn't protect it. As it turns out it survived very well (a few branch ends died) and now it's about 10 feet tall and loaded with grapes. Not bad for a vine just planted last year. I can tell, however, I'm really going to have to trim regularly if I don't want the thing to overtake my yard. Other hardy varieties to try include one called 'beta' and vitis riparia, which is just the native grape which grows wild in Manitoba. Depends on what quality of fruit you want too, but most of these are blue colored grapes. Glen |
Here is a link that might be useful: Growing grapes in Manitoba
