RESEARCH MUSCADINE VARIETIES BEFORE PLANTING
By Kevin Starr
County Extension Director
N.C. Cooperative Extension Service


Muscadine grapes, native to the southeast, are popular for commercial growers as well as home gardeners. Along with rabbiteye blueberries and figs, they are among the easiest fruits to grow at home without having to spray. Because of the great number of varieties, it pays to do a little research to see which types really suit you best.

The most basic breakdown in varieties is between the black-fruited varieties and those that produce bronze fruit. Still others are described as having red fruit although it’s not the type of true red that would normally come to mind. Another grouping is according to pollination requirements. Some muscadines have perfect flowers. This means the flowers have both male and female parts, resulting in the fact that they can pollinate themselves as well as other varieties. Other muscadines have only female flowers and must be located near a perfect-flowered (pollinator) variety in order to produce fruit.

Other important characteristics to consider are fruit size, sugar content, disease resistance and cold hardiness. Most varieties are fine in terms of hardiness in this area but there are a few that are less reliable. It’s worth checking out these factors before buying the vines because you may have them for years.

Everyone has their own favorite varieties. Here are a few you might want to consider:

‘Nesbitt’- Large, black fruit. 18% sugar. Pollinator. This is my personal favorite right now.
‘Supreme’-Very large, black fruit. 22% sugar. Female flowers.
‘Summit’-Large, reddish fruit. 20% sugar. Female flowers.

The old ‘Scuppernong’ variety is still preferred by some. It is has medium, bronze fruit. The sugar content is 17% and the flowers are female. Some people describe this variety as if it’s different than a muscadine. In fact, it is only one of the varieties in the overall species which is known as the muscadine grape. If you are into making wine at home, you might want to consider varieties such ‘Noble’ or ‘Carlos’. They are not popular choices for fresh eating.

Late winter is a good time to plant grapevines and other fruit plants. Garden centers should be getting their new plants in very soon and they are available through mail-order nurseries as well.

An excellent source of information on growing muscadines is the website maintained by our Extension specialist, Connie Fisk. The address of the site is www.ces.ncsu.edu/muscadines.

If you have questions, please call Cooperative Extension at 704-736-8452.
Don’t forget that our 4-H plant sale will be ending on February 25. Please call 704-736-8458 if you are interested.