table grapes for the south

[Tamra]

Anyone growing grapes? I would love to know what varieties do well in the south. I have a spot prepared and ready to go, I just need to pick the plants.

[Jared]

Have you considered muscadines? I haven't tried either, but I hear grapes can give you trouble in the south.

[Tamra]

I have heard that about grapes in the south, and I will be doing this organically, so I know it won't be easy, but I love a challenge.

From what I have read muscadines are not always hardy in my part of Tennessee. There are several wineries near by, so I am hoping if I pick the right varieties, I can be successful.

[Ted McDaniel]

I have had no problems growning Muscadines organically. No pest or disease problems. You are right that Nashville is a bit chilly for them, but you should be able to pull it off with a protected location and good sun.

I wouldn't call them table grapes exactly though. The skin is chewy and a little bitter -- an aquired taste one might say.. I mostly use mine for jelly, but I do eat a few fresh ones. As for thin skinned grapes, Steuben gets great reviews, but the Japanese beatles killed mine in two years.

http://www.isons.com is the home of all things muscadine.

[Jared]

I used to live in Union City, Tennessee, and I knew a few people who had muscadines. Granted, when we get an April freeze like we did in 2007, you probably won't get any. But, I think they are fairly reliable.

But, I wish you the best of luck on your grapes. Let me know how they do.

[Michelle W. Flannery]

John and I are growing muscadines and scupernogs. We have about 100' x 6' of massed grape vines that his father planted many years ago. They grew uncontrolled for years before we started pruning them last year. We still have much to prune, but are too shy to do it all at once.

My father is a champion grape grower. He grows muscadines and scupernogs. The two grow well together, and do very well in the south. He has grown grapes on the NC coast, western NC mountains(concords and pawpaws), and now in Georgia.

When you are purchasing a grape vine check to see if it is self-polinating. If it is, you're fine. If it is not self-polinating you need to purchase two varieties together so they will polinate each other. Dig a hole, fillit with potting soil, and plant the vine. Fertilizer isn't necessary, but a little Miracle Gro won't hurt.

[Joel LeGrand]

HI Michelle,
If you are ever over Statesboro or Shawnee Ga. you should swing by Sylvania ,to Shannon Vineyards.They have a winery & tasting room as well as dinner Friday & Saturday night. They can be found at www.ShannonVineyards.con.
Hi Tamra,
We have no problem with muscadines here in S.C., but farther north gardeners cover muscadines like they do figs. I have a concord grape it does fine here. Your extension Office would know more about your challenge then I. Good luck.

[Michelle W. Flannery]

Ooooh! Sounds nice. Joel, thanks for the information. My husband tells me that Statesboro is way south of us, just north of the Georgia-Florida border. We are NE of Atlanta. So that would be quite a drive for us. We'd have to make it a weekend if we went. Perhaps we will if and when we get some free time (which is rare).

[Leslie Finical Halleck]

Hi Tamra,
I'm in Texas, and at my retail garden center we sell several types that do well in my area. Try checking out this Texas A&M Site, it has tons of info on it, plus organic production info. I would imagine there may be some cross over on varieties for our areas.
http://winegrapes.tamu.edu/grow/grapegrowing.html

[Leslie Finical Halleck]

Here are some of the table grape varieties:
Blush seedless produces sizable clusters of large red berries with little cluster manipulation. The vine is somewhat cold tolerant.
Flame seedless has set the standards for table grape quality around the world. It is a vigorous vine which is somewhat sensitive to cold winter temperatures. Clusters require gibberellic acid (GA) to attain adequate berry size.
Thompson seedless is a very vigorous vine on fertile soil and produces long clusters of small berries without GA applications. The vine is sensitive to cold and should be cane pruned and heavily cluster thinned for best production.
Reliance is a very sweet, small-clustered pink variety with small berries. Production and cold tolerance are excellent, but quality is subjective and atypical.
Glenora is a small-clustered New York grape with excellent cold tolerance. Berries are small but have excellent flavor.
Autumn seedless is a late-ripening white grape with large berries and medium sized clusters. It is somewhat sensitive to cold.
Himrod is a very productive white grape with excellent cold and some frost tolerance. Clusters are typically loose and berry quality is fair to good.
Romulus is a white grape with good quality and good cold tolerance.
Vanessa has outstanding quality and a crisp, fruity flavor. Production and cold tolerance are good.
Centennial seedless produces medium clusters of large, white, oval-shaped berries. Production is fair as the vine is somewhat sensitive to cold.
Orlando seedless is a long-clustered, light green, white berry variety with Pierce's disease resistance. It is a vigorous vine with some cold tolerance.

[Darcy P.]

Ive drank wine from the Tennessee winery Clinch Mountain WInery. I'm not sure of the grapes they use but I tried the Chambourcin table wine and it was quite nice. Maybe they would be a great place to investigate!

[Sharon]

We grow muscadines organically. They really require little attention other than a little pruning, composting and mulching in the spring.

[Jeanine]

Are you interested in Muscadines? They are a snap to grow in South Carolina. Some people even grow the wild muscadines in thier garden but I don't care for them myself. My preference are the larger muscadines; currently growing Hunt, Frye, and a third variety that I can't recall right now. Two of them are large sweet black fruits and the third is a golden/green fruit with a little blush to it. All are very sweet and when my husband leaves some for me (he eats them right off the vine ) I made spreads, jelly and juice.

Some people make muscadine wine, which is usually sweet, but I did find one vinyard in North Carolina that makes an excellent dry muscadine wine.