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Hello everyone

I have brought on some grapevine cuttings to be planted out at some stage in rows. The question I have never managed to get answered is how far apart the rows should be spaced and how far apart the vines within the rows?

The vineyard is going to be a small one on an allotment plot in SE london. Soil is heavy clay, and vines will run N-S with full sun most of the day.

Cheers

I don't know for certain, but trying to remember the last time I was in a vineyard, I would say about 6 feet between plants and also 6 feet between rows.
If you are short of space you could probably reduce both of those measurements to 5 feet.

I think many commercial vineyards spacings between rows are driven my the need to get tractors/machinery between them. This summer in the Loire valley (Chinon) I noted the "goblet" low pruning method - vine plants are less than a meter apart and the rows are about a meter and the plants don't grow more than a meter high.

Here's a pic

I agree with dave45, a metre apart is a good spacing for the plants to not compete with each other. I started growing my grape vines about a year ago but recently found this care guide online which is helpful https://www.tree2mydoor.com/blog/2017/0 ... are-guide/. IT doesn't mention about the spacing but it's got some useful information on other areas of caring for your grapes.

Oz vine spacings are probably different - Dave45 is correct in that row spacings are determined by machinery needs although in Oz it seems that with more mechanisation for picking and pruning (usually straddle machines) and availability of smaller 4WD tractors the row spacings are reducing. I look at table grape trellising and spacing recently; these were recommended at 1.8 to 2.0 metres generally but a little tighter for Muscat - this is on T or Y shaped trellisses. Wine grapes seem to be planted more densely at about 1.5 to 2.0 metres.