Grapes and Gardens: A Muscadine Field Day for Homeowners
Description:Discover how to grow and enjoy muscadine grapes right at home! Join UF/IFAS Extension agents and specialists for a hands-on field day covering everything from trellising and irrigation to pest management and top-performing varieties for Florida landscapes.
Whether you're just getting started or looking to improve your grape-growing success, this program offers practical tips and expert insights to help your vines thrive.
Topics include:
- Planting, trellising, irrigation, and fertilization
- Common pests and problems in home vineyards
- Recommended varieties for backyard growers
- Florida-Friendly Landscaping considerations
- Cooking and recipes using muscadines
- Optional U-Pick grape harvesting
🎟 Ticket Options:Choose the registration that fits you best:
- General Admission – Attend the field day and enjoy all sessions.
- Grapevine Ticket – Includes event admission plus a 1-gallon muscadine grapevine to take home.
Varieties:
- Southern Home – A unique hybrid muscadine with ornamental, deeply lobed leaves and black fruit with a mild, non-muscadine flavor. Ripens August to November.
- Delicious – A black muscadine from UF with excellent flavor, thin edible skin, and early, even ripening. Ripens from late July through mid-October. Great for fresh eating and shows potential for wine production.
- Welder – A bronze muscadine with a long ripening season, ideal for juice or wine. Ripens from late August to early September and often requires multiple harvests for full yield.
👟 What to Bring:Parts of this event will take place outdoors. We recommend wearing closed-toed shoes or sneakers, and bringing a hat, sunscreen, and a sweat towel to stay comfortable during vineyard activities.
Note: This program includes a food demonstration with samples. For food safety and planning purposes, please complete a separate ticket for each participant so we can collect accurate dietary information.
Speakers:
Julio Perez – Horticulture Agent, UF/IFAS Putnam County
Judy Jean – Horticulture Agent, UF/IFAS Flagler County
Terra Freeman – Florida-Friendly Landscaping & Commercial Horticulture Agent
Dr. Ali Sarkhosh – UF/IFAS Tree Fruit & Viticulture Specialist
Ryan Bjelke – Rural Health Agent, UF/IFAS Putnam County
Important Information:
- Accessibility: The University of Florida is committed to providing universal access to all of our events. For disability accommodations such as sign language interpreters and alternate formats of written material, please contact Julio Perez at pjulio@ufl.edu or 386-329-0318 at least 10 days in advance. Advance notice is necessary to arrange for some accessibility needs.
- Registration & Refunds: General Admission Ticket sales will close 24 hours before the start of the program. 'Admission with Vine' Tickets will close August 6th at 5pm. Refunds and cancellations must be requested and processed 48 hours before the program date. No Refunds will be issued for 'Admission and Plant Vines' purchases after August 6th.
