Grapes: Indoors & Out: Indoors and Out - Brossura

Two Royal Horticultural Society experts offer all the advice you need to produce your own grape harvest - dessert grapes or for wine. Vitis vinifera has been grown in Britain since their introduction by the Romans but only today are English wines gradually gaining a foothold in the universal world of wine. Maybe it is global warming, maybe it is centuries of experience but today the wines produced in Kent are known across the Channel, featuring on wine lists in top hotels and restaurants. Difficult? Yes, and prone to several pests and diseases, but with a little care and attention it is more than possible to grow your own. In cooler counties in a greenhouse but down South outside is perfectly feasible. From what varieties to choose, which method to grow them on and where, Harry Baker and Ray Waite lead both the uninitiated and the more experienced grower through the steps necessary to get the best out of your vine. Part of the RHS Wisley handbook series, this is a comprehensive and concise look at grapes, fully illustrated and clearly written. Aimed at both the amateur and professional grower, this is an invaluable addition to any serious horticulturalist's bookshelf. - Lucy Watson

Harry Baker was for many years Fruit Officer at RHS Wisley, where he presided over 16 acres of fruit. He is an Associate of Honour of the RHS, a member of the fruit and vegetable committee and one of the country's best-known fruit experts. He lives in Hampshire.