Retiree from Dnipro Grows Over 80 Grape Varieties in His Own Garden

79-year-old resident of Dnipro, Anatoliy Loskutov, has been passionate about viticulture for over 25 years, transforming his backyard into a true collection of grape varieties. On an area of about five hundred square meters, he cultivates more than 80 different varieties of this crop, and according to the owner, there is no space left for new seedlings.

This is reported by AgroReview

Unusual Story of a Passion for Viticulture

Anatoliy Loskutov shares that he became interested in growing grapes by chance — after retiring. Each year, his collection grew, and today, many of the bushes have two to three different varieties grafted onto them simultaneously.

“I planted a few varieties, liked it, then added more. And then the desire to expand arose. Now, I have almost two varieties on each bush, and sometimes even three,” explains the amateur viticulturist.

Collection of Rare and Demanding Varieties

Anatoliy’s collection includes both domestic and exotic grape varieties. Among them is the demanding “Livian,” for which he uses a special technique: he trims the tips of the shoots before flowering to increase yield. The plot also features varieties such as “Kesha,” aromatic “Frumasamabe” (“White Beauty”), American seedless “Jupiter,” and large-clustered “Veles.”

The retiree grows all major categories of grapes:

• Table grapes
• Wine grapes
• Raisin (seedless)

To care for such a large number of varieties, Anatoliy follows a work and rest schedule — he works in the vineyard for up to two hours daily, from mid-April to November. Despite his advanced age, he manages to tend to all the bushes by himself. Currently, the active harvest period is underway in his garden, and the collection continues to offer many new discoveries and pleasures each year.