North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Anton Callaway <marillen@earthlink.net>]

Betsy,

Personal taste and degree of ease-of-care are probably the primary factors 
for your final choice. Depending on how large your arbor is you may want to 
consider vigor as well.  Muscadines will be much more vigourous in the long 
run than other grapes.    The Cowart & Seedless Concord would probably be 
fine.  However, grape breeders in this country have really done a fantastic 
job over the last 50 years and there are some newer cultivars that you may be 
happier with.

If you had room for more than one muscadine, I'd recommend 'Black Beauty'.  
To my taste, it's the best tasting black muscadine.  (Insert standard 
disclaimer here about the highly variable nature of personal tastes).  Ison 
is a wonderful self-fertile black muscadine.  Stay away from 'Fry Seedless' 
unless seedlessness is very important to you.  In my opinion, it's only OK in 
flavor.

Seedless bunch grapes for this part of the South that have done well for me 
include 'Reliance' and 'Canadice'  They both have very good flavor. Maybe 
'Canadice' is a little better, but the berries run smaller.  If you want to 
make jellies and preserves and will consider seeded cultivars, 'Daytona', 
'Stover' and 'Diamond' are very good.  The last 2 are white grapes, so you 
may have to add aronia or mix with dark grapes to get that wonderful color of 
purple grape products.  Also be aware that ripening 'Diamond' grapes are 
intoxicatingly fragrant and will attract foxes who will steal your fruit.  In 
my former vineyard, the foxes would feast on the 'Diamond' fruit before 
touching any other grapes ripening at the same time.

My family & I have grown grapes in NE GA & NC for over 30 years, but we 
haven't grown everything, so there are probably many other cultivars that 
would also be very good in your region.

Anton
Piedmont, North Carolina, Zone 8, 16 degrees this morning

-----Original Message-----
>From: Hilborn.E@epamail.epa.gov
>Sent: Jan 12, 2009 10:53 AM
>To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
>Subject: [NAFEX] Grape selection, southeast
>
>I am finally getting my arbor built. I am planning on trying 2 varieties
>of grapes that I have selected for: low care in my hot, humid climate
>and for fresh eating, cooked fruit items, and maybe preserves if I get
>ambitious.  I plan on only using Surround for insect control (Japanese
>beetles are a perennial problem for me). I am currently favoring Cowart,
>a disease-resistant muscadine, and am considering the seedless Concord.
>I grew up loving the seeded Concord in the northeast, I am wondering how
>the seedless will do.
>
>Any thoughts?
>
>Betsy Hilborn
>7a, NC
>
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