Muscadines

[Lee Borden]

Hoss, you said this would be a good time to plant muscadines. Really? Somehow we had it in our minds that the muscadines, along with other fruit trees and vines, should be planted in the middle of the winter.

Muscadines grow wild on Longleaf Breeze, although this year was really disappointing, we assume because it was so wet.

Two years ago we picked a couple of gallons of berries and made excellent muscadine jam. We do look forward to being able to make muscadine wine, although both of us are nervous that it might be too sweet.

Your thoughts? Others?

[H0$$]

All wines start out as dry. The sweetness is up to you and is added/adjusted at bottling time. It really is a good wine.

Yes, it was a hard year on muscadines because of the wet weather. They tend to drop early if there is a lot of water. Especially if it is preceded by drought which is what we had. Dry June and wet July and August.

You can plant them from now through about May if you can find them. Most people tend to believe that plants such as trees and vines should be planted in January and February but actually right now is a good time. Finding them is the key. I would not order any plants from online or mail order as they are shipped bare root and I have never had any luck with them. I bought some the other day from a local nursery here in gallon pots for $6.95 each. They were good looking vines, probably two years old. It takes about a three year old vine to start producing but once they do they increase every year. Muscadine vines will live 50 years or more. If you read up on them you find they contain very beneficial ingredients.

[H0$$]

Here is a winery that makes muscadine wine but it tell you a little about them and their benefits. Notice the reference to the vine that is over 400 years old.

http://www.woodmillwinery.com/muscadine.html

[H0$$]

Also Lee, although the "tame" varieties are better because they are genetically superior to wild muscadines, you can "root" your own plants from the wild ones. Find a vine end that is close to the ground, lay it on the ground and cover it with dirt leaving 18" to 24" sticking out on the end. Within 3 or 4 months the area that is covered with dirt will start to root. You uncover it, clip it off and plant it and start your own vine. You can do this with the tame ones also. It is a pure variety when done this way.

[Lee Borden]

Excellent! Thanks, Hoss.

We have salivated at the plump, juicy muscadines growing on the vines at Petals from the Past near Jemison, AL, so we probably will shop there for our muscadine vines as well as for our other fruit trees. Now that I hear from you that we can start planting now, we'll speed up the timetable for our conversation with Dr. Powell at Petals from the Past and get a planting plan established.

[livealittle]

Lee,

what all else are you planning on planting as far as berries and fruit trees?

[Lee Borden]

Tentatively, blueberries, muscadines, figs, pears, apples, pomegranates, and maybe paw-paws. We also hope to plant about 10 pecan trees on the other side of the property.

[H0$$]

I just set out six beautiful blackberry bushes. The new thornless ones are great and the berries are huge.

Lee, another fruit tree that is hardy, produces lots of fruit and the wildlife love them is native plum trees. They're the small orange colored plums you used to eat as a kid. Makes excellent jelly.

[Lee Borden]

Of course! Sorry, meant to mention plums too.

[pp13]

Old thread, I know...

Lee, if you ever feel froggy, there is a winery in Shelby County called Morgan Creek Winery and they do daily tastings and tours.  They have some fantastic muscadine and blueberry wines, among several others.

http://www.morgancreekwinery.com/

[Lee Borden]

We'll have to give it a try. My wife Amanda hopes and expects that we'll be able to make decent wine from centurion blueberries. Hope she's right!