| Muscadine Overview |
| An introduction to a native American grape that grows well in the humid South |
From "Fresh From the Orchard"
episode DFFO-113 |
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Muscadines are native American grapes that thrive in hot, humid climates. Sometimes called scuppernong grapes, they have two primary growing requirements: plenty of sunshine and lots of room to roam. Kelly Givens explains where to site and how to build a muscadine trellis that's strong enough to support a fruit-laden vine. She prepares the soil underneath the trellis and plants a self-fertile variety of muscadine known as Tara.
Incredibly easy-to-grow, muscadines have thick, chewy skin and a juicy flesh that's great either eaten straight off the vine or made into jams, preserves or sweet wine. Muscadines are usually about an inch or more in diameter, and their flavor ranges from wild and musky to sweet and fruity. All muscadines have seeds–they're just part of the package!Muscadines grow on strong, vigorous vines. In orchards and home gardens, they're usually trained to grow on long, low trellises where they can be easily pruned and harvested. Muscadine vines are also sometimes grown on arbors just for their decorative appeal: they can quickly cover an arbor with attractive leaves and curling tendrils that give instant age and stateliness to any landscape. Muscadines like hot weather: the vines grow best in areas where winter temperatures rarely drop below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. On a USDA Plant Hardiness Map, this means they grow best in zones 7 through 10, although they can sometimes be grown in the warmer sections of zone 6. Muscadines also appreciate some humidity, which is why they thrive in the hot, humid South. Varieties Muscadines are classified as either purple-black-skinned (figure A) or golden-bronze-skinned (figure B). Some people call all golden-skinned variety scuppernongs, but that's actually the name of just one variety of bronze muscadine.
There are many varieties of muscadines to choose from. Most of the new varieties have grapes with a sweeter, fruitier flavor than the older varieties; most new varieties also have a "dry scar." This means that after being harvested, the skin of the muscadine has a dry dimple where it was pulled from the stem. Almost all older varieties leave a "wet scar" after picking, which is a tear in the skin that acts like an open wound. When selecting a muscadine variety for your yard, always consider its pollination needs. Muscadines are either self-fertile or female (non-self-fertile). A self-fertile variety can be planted by itself and produce plenty of grapes in years to come; a female variety, on the other hand, needs a pollinator planted within approximately 25 feet in order to produce fruit. Most any self-fertile vine will act as a pollinator to a female vine. On this episode of Fresh From the Orchard, Kelly planted Tara, a self-fertile variety that has fairly large, bronze-colored fruit. For making muscadine wine, Carlos and Noble are good choices.
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