Keeping fit during winter

[Primrose]

I'm very conscious that once autumn comes and the active gardening season winds down, I get far less exercise. The result is that with the arrival of each successive Spring I feel less fit and with increasing years, a little harder to get going again. Is it the same for anybody else or do other people conscientiously exercise regularly during winter to keep themselves fit and supple for all that Spring digging and bending?

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Primrose, i'm very lucky as my job has me working outside most days through the Winter, apart from on the roughest of days.

The evenings are a different matter though.

[Chantal]

Hi Primrose

I try and go swimming before work in the week. As I never adjust to GMT I'm always awake too early and get to the pool for 6:45 for an hour's paddling. I have yet to start this year.

I can't do this in the summer as I don't have the time.

[yummyveggies]

Hi Primrose, I am lucky too .. as I have about 1200 grape vines to prune and clear the prunings away .. so that keeps me active ....

[Westi]

OH yummieveggies you might regret telling us that as pruning
grapes is so confusing you might be the new 'guru of grapes'!


Westi

[yummyveggies]

I will try and answer questions ... . I have only taken over the vines a year ago ... so still learning !! I have decided from last years pruning experience to cane prune rather than spur prune the vigorous varieties ... particularly the reds, and a white variety called Solaris that is great for early sugars - but wild and floppy in its growth --- may suit a higher trellis system for training than it is currently on ....

[Nature's Babe]

Yummy veggies, I am struggling with pruning a very old grapevine, when we moved in the garden had been untouched for about 20 years, and was a mass of overgrown shrubs nettles and brambles, the vine had probably been put in well before that. Last year I pruned it quite hard and spur pruned the 3 leaders, it gave me about 20 pounds of luscious grapes and made a huge amount of growth, have cut out what fruited, and trained one leader into the greenhouse hoping it will fruit earlier, not sure what to do with the rest of the overgrowth LOL we picked the last bunch of grapes a couple of days ago! I love muscat raisins, is there an early fruiting desert muscat vine?
Should I remove some leaves next year so the fruit ripens earlier, they were very late this year, but deliciously sweet and fruity?

[yummyveggies]

hi naturesbabe
sounds like you have done a good job renovating an overgrown vine !
Generally I wouldn't 'winter' prune until all the leaves are off - that way you get a much better picture of the overall structure of the vine.
Good idea to train a cane into the greenhouse - sounds like the old vine house concept where the vines were planted outside the greenhouses and trained in for their topgrowth.
With regards the rest of the growth , once the leaves have dropped take a look at the structure and cut back to two buds per spur ( or at most three) There is a basal bud that can also be viable - but generally does not fruit - so maybe the basal bud plus two buds.
Leaf plucking ( as it is known!) round the fruit zone does increase the sunshine to the grapes as you say - and means they will ripen earlier - but beware that it also makes them a target for the birds !
As regards a muscat grape that ripens outside - Muscat Bleu is a good one - it has seeds - a lovely black grape with a muscat flavour- and a neat tidy growth habit.
Muscat of Alexandria is another lovely white muscat flavoured grape - but really ripens very very late - I am only now starting to eat them from the polytunnel - and last year they didn't ripen at all.
If you are interested in where you can get a Muscat Bleu please pm me -

[Diane]

Hi yummyveggies

Hoping you can help with the naming of an old grapevine of mine. I bought it at Woolworths in 1969 and it was just called 'American Strawberry Grape'. It's an amazing plant and fruits well each year. I try to prune correctly and at the right times. It's on a south facing front wall of the house and it has medium sized, pink, strawberry flavoured grapes. However, it must have a proper name but I've been unable to find out what it actually is.

If you know what it's called then I'd be extremely grateful.

[yummyveggies]

Hi Diane,
mm.. does it have seeds ?
There is a variety called Black Strawberry , which is a labrusca variety ( American , strawberry labrusca flavour ... ) that is a hybrid and is disease resistant. - and according to Brian Edwards (the previous owner of all the vines) several sorts were sold under the name .... so maybe that is it ..... maybe a photo that I could run by Brian would be useful as he is coming over in the next 10 days or so ....

[Monika]

Back to the exercise: besides finishing the winter digging which tends to take us until about January, weather permitting, I too go swimming twice a week and also to a wonderful exercise class in our village hall, run by a qualified instructress, who works us oldies (over 50s) jolly hard.

I am also glad I can't drive because that makes me walk to the nearest shops (about 2 miles). We do have a car and my OH 'rescues' me if necessary, but the sharp walk there and back, carrying the shopping in a rucksack, is great exercise and most invigorating.

[pongeroon]

I run a couple of miles with the dog on the days when I am not working (no time on working days - 12 hour shifts) and we enjoy it especially if it is dry enough to run the paths across the fields.

But I have just joined the gym, cos its all to easy not to run when its cold and wet. So I am doing a bit of rowing machine, a bit of cross training and a bit of weights. Most unlike me, ( ) but it has motivated my Fine Young Man to come along too, after months of him saying he must go. I don't like the sort of people who go to the gym, though, the men have too much testosterone, and the women never break a sweat (huge generalisation there, I know!).So I put on the iPod very loud and think about other stuff.