By Steragram
Pembrokeshire,
United Kingdom 
Outdoor grapes: I'm tempted to try a grape vine on my trellis arch. Have read that they dislike wet soil , which there is in that spot in winter. So wondering about growing it in a large pot. Is there any advice out there re what size pot I would need? And what compost do they like?
(It might be too windy for it in winter but would be interesting to try!)
16 Oct, 2019
Answers
I wouldn't advise growing grapes in a pot. They will quickly outgrow the pot and get hard to keep up with. They are extremely hungry & thirsty plants and more so as they get big enough to yield a decent crop. Consider the vineyards of Bordeaux.
16 Oct, 2019
Hi Sue, here's the information from the r h s.
rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=288
Derek.
16 Oct, 2019
Very helpful - thank you everyone. From what I can see its a bit ambitious to try it with an ordinary 8 foot wooden archway but nothing ventured nothing won!
Sbg, how is your cousin's vine supported?
16 Oct, 2019
Its trained up a substantial pergola/arbour arch type thing. 6" square timbers. he made it himself and he joked at the time he'd be able to set up a swing on it for him and his wife. She is still waiting !
16 Oct, 2019
Tell her not to hold her breath....
The vine I want is a small one, only 4-6 feet at maturity so I don't expect it to get very heavy. In fact I don't really expect it to succeed but would like to have a go anyway...
Does your cousin live in the north or is she a long way from you?
17 Oct, 2019
Eileen what about one of those plastic half barrels? Never looked at one closely but I guess they'll have drainage holes.
19 Oct, 2019
worth a try and if there aren't holes its easy enough to drill them in.
19 Oct, 2019
as big a pot as you can put there as once its in you wont want to repot further down the line. My cousin has one in a pot that is about 3ft across and 2ft deep and hers is in a John Innes no 3 compost. she scrapes the top 2" off every spring and replaces with fresh soil and slow release fertiliser
16 Oct, 2019