Hey folks, first time poster. Looks like a great forum!
I want to plant some vines in my area which is in York Region, north of Toronto. I know I am in zone 5 but not sure if it's a or b. Needless to say, I will need a hardier, tough vine to get through late/early frost and pretty tough winters. The site will be on the north side of the property (which we are moving into in March), but I will be screening with evergreens (cedars, fir trees...). My goals is to be able to yield enough to mix in with some vinifera varieties that I usually purchase from local retailers (either kit of fresh grapes). I hope to eventually yield 20 litres or more but I am not sure if this is realistic! We have a half acre of land but I am only going to plant in a small section of the yard - perhaps 10-12 vines?
Anyhow I keep coming across Marechal Foch and Leon Millot grapes for their hardiness and disease resistance. They apparently ripen in early to mid-Sept. which would be ideal since we often get frost by late Sept or early Oct here. I've read that the Leon Millot is the slightly more vigorous of the two and often produces a slightly better wine. It also ripens a few days earlier too, which would be a bonus.
I am not sure where to buy either vine. In fact I have not come across any place on the internet that sells Leon Millot (seems to be more of an East coast grape). Some searches on the Foch have been a bit more successful. I would rather plant the Millot due to the above characteristics.
Are either of these good choices? Any other hardy, vigorous choices to consider? Where can I buy quality vines?
Thank you kindly in advance!
I want to plant some vines in my area which is in York Region, north of Toronto. I know I am in zone 5 but not sure if it's a or b. Needless to say, I will need a hardier, tough vine to get through late/early frost and pretty tough winters. The site will be on the north side of the property (which we are moving into in March), but I will be screening with evergreens (cedars, fir trees...). My goals is to be able to yield enough to mix in with some vinifera varieties that I usually purchase from local retailers (either kit of fresh grapes). I hope to eventually yield 20 litres or more but I am not sure if this is realistic! We have a half acre of land but I am only going to plant in a small section of the yard - perhaps 10-12 vines?
Anyhow I keep coming across Marechal Foch and Leon Millot grapes for their hardiness and disease resistance. They apparently ripen in early to mid-Sept. which would be ideal since we often get frost by late Sept or early Oct here. I've read that the Leon Millot is the slightly more vigorous of the two and often produces a slightly better wine. It also ripens a few days earlier too, which would be a bonus.
I am not sure where to buy either vine. In fact I have not come across any place on the internet that sells Leon Millot (seems to be more of an East coast grape). Some searches on the Foch have been a bit more successful. I would rather plant the Millot due to the above characteristics.
Are either of these good choices? Any other hardy, vigorous choices to consider? Where can I buy quality vines?
Thank you kindly in advance!
Last edited:
