Monday, March 12, 2012

I wasn't expecting a big box....

....and, sure enough, I didn't get one.
This is the box with the grape vines in it.

They're bare root so of course you can pack a lot in a small space.

And because they're bare root they're correspondingly cheaper than if you buy pot-grown (which cost arms-and-legs if you want more than one or two).

They're doing a passable impression of a candle at the present because they've all got the 'top end' (forgive the technical language) coated in thick green wax. Don't know what I'm supposed to do about that. Marshalls have [un]helpfully enclosed a growing guide which describes pruning your grape vine but says sod all about planting it and what to do if it turns up covered in candle wax. And in the growing guides on their website there's a similar lack of info about grape vines. Come on, Marshalls; how hard can it be???? Not good enough.

Howsoever, I'm just gonna plant them at what seems like a sensible distance, which happily coincides (Ha!) with the space I've got available for them, and assume that as they burst into growth they'll fling the candle wax off with wild abandon, as you do.

I should have got their supporting framework (see, I'm not a complete know-nowt on this) in place by now, but I haven't. It'll all have to be done post hoc and after they're planted. Post hoc, eh? Get you, simple Northern oik, showing off. Post hole would be better.

More pics when I've planted them. Try to contain your excitement.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

think they saw you coming - you sure they're vines !

Sue Garrett said...

You're not like me I'd have been on the phone having an argument with some condescending 'teenager' at the other end of the phone by now!

Gordon Mason said...

Hmm. My inclination is to say "Have Faith", but I do think Marshalls haven't covered themselves in glory here. I've emailed them!

Martin and Amy said...

How unusual.

No idea what to suggest.

I am so luck to have found a vine on my allotment when I took over it. I'm just about to sort out the supports for it in the coming weeks.

Good luck!