Video by Michaela Parker

Muscadines are a great fruit to grow at your home, especially here in Mississippi. They thrive in warm, humid weather, making them the perfect fruit to grow in your backyard! If you have been thinking about setting up a muscadine vineyard, here are a few tips to get you started.

The first thing you are going to have to do is build a trellis system for the muscadine vines to grow on. A trellis is a single horizontal wire attached five and a half feet above the ground that is attached to posts about 20 feet apart. It’s very important to build a trellis system that is strong enough to support a heavy crop and durable enough to last for several years.

The best time of year to plant muscadines is from November through February, so keep that timeframe in mind as you prepare your trellis. Muscadines also require consistent moisture for proper growth. Plan for an irrigation system as you build your trellis system.

Our blog post on how to pick the right muscadine variety is a great place to start when trying to decide which variety is best for you.

In the first year of having your muscadines planted, your main goal is to train the vine to the trellises. You can find detailed information on how to train the vine in Extension publication 2290, “Establishment and Production of Muscadine Grapes.” There are also detailed instructions to help you build your trellis, implement an irrigation system, prune your muscadine plant, and more.