I planted these muscadines a few years ago for the photo shoot for our book, Little House in the Suburbs: Backyard farming and home skills for self-sufficient living
Anyway, the only maintenance they really need is something to climb on. Had I put a few random nails in my fence for them to find, they wouldn’t be so bunched at the bottom. But, don’t they look like ivy?
Unlike ivy, they won’t cling to just anything. They do need a hand to hold. Ten nails, and I’d be golden. I have a feeling I’m going to have to do the street side as well since it’s grown through. I don’t want muscadine vines taking over the sidewalk! Maybe it will provide a treat for all those dog walkers and runners that pass by.
Grapevines do need maintenance in the form of pruning in order to bear worthwhile fruit. If you leave every bud, it will overproduce fruit, which will be bitter, small, and difficult to harvest. (There’s great imagery in the Bible about this – if you don’t choose a focus to your life, you’ll run wild like a grapevine on too many opportunities and not be productive in a meaningful sense.) Prune hard, removing all but a few buds. Look up “pruning muscadine for fruit”.
Oh, darn! Another great idea that I can’t take advantage of! : (
I’m in Connecticut, and Muscadines don’t tolerate frost–which we had for the first time last night. Anyone know of another care-free edible fruit-bearing vine?