Question for the experts here. I am wanting to try growing grapes for the first time. I am strictly looking for table grapes that are seedless because I am growing them for my young children. Any recommendations for table grapes in the Dallas Texas area?
Thanks
My favorites in order of ripening are: Flame, Summer Royal, Princess, and Crimson. But in the Dallas area these will require some to a lot of spraying.
For more disease resistance: Reliance, Glenora, and Canadice. I haven’t grown the new releases out of Univ of Arkansas but in your area I’d try Joy, Faith, Gratitude, and Hope if my memory still works. The kids will like them all.
Just out of curiosity what are your experiences with himrod fruitnut?
It’s been a long time since I grew that in Amarillo, more than 30 yrs ago. But I distinctly remember it was nothing I wanted to grow. The clusters are scraggly and shatter. Taste nothing special.
Texas A&M has done testing in the Stephenville and Fredericksburg areas. If you could email Jim Kamas I’m sure he did the testing. I know they included both European and hybrid varieties.
Found a video about Jim’s work. He has a new book about grapes. The only table grape he talks about in video is Victoria Red. I’d bet it’s seeded but the book would likely cover many others.
According to Tom LeRoy, Agrilife fruit specialist, Victoria Red is mostly seedless. Most will have no seeds but occasionally the grape will have two seeds. It is the only table grape that is suppose to be resistant to pierces disease.
Right I think Pierces disease is your main limiting factor and Dallas is in the zone of susceptibility. This greatly limits your options.
My kids never went for seeded grapes, but if that was the only kind you ever provided them they would probably think they were great.
To add another consideration here, if children are too young to spit out seeds, they are still too young to eat all but the tiniest grapes whole. Grapes present a major choking hazard to young children, and need to be cut into safe sized pieces before they eat them. Unlike soft, starchy foods, they will retain their shape without softening or dissolving if they block the airway, a characteristic which increases their riskiness, along with their smooth curvature that lets them easily slip down unintended.
They are yummy and refreshing treats, but do need to be served with caution. If you have to cut them, it doesn’t take that much more time to pop out the few seeds that are in the seeded ones.
Having young children, you were likely to already be well aware of this, but I’d be remiss if I failed to mention it in case someone didn’t already know.
Hey Muddy yes I was aware of the dangers grapes pose my wife made sure I knew! great post with great info. My oldest two kids are able to eat grapes whole now and they have grown used to store bought seedless grapes and I’ll bet that is what they would want to stick with but we do still cut up the grapes for my youngest so maybe I could get one seeded and one seedless variety. Are there any seedless muscadines?
Oh also fruitnut any reccomedation for a source for the varieties you recommend?
Thanks
I wish! My kids would inhale those. They did like some of the muscadines even with seeds.
RazzMaTazz
Not sure about the spelling of RazzMaTazz but it is supposed to be the first seedless muscadine. If memory serves me correct it is actually a hybrid.
I thought that the Fry Seedless was the first seedless muscadine (1983, per the article). Of course, it could be a hybrid as well. This will be year #3 for mine, so I’m hoping for some fruit.
Fry looks like it has been around a long time. I have been thinking about adding a seedless muscadine because of it’s disease resistance. Good luck with it. Bill
I believe Fry and Fry Seedless are different varieties. See Ison’s catalog.
Bob, Keep us updated on the Fry Seedless… rare for 3 reasons. It is a red muscadine. It is supposed to be among the most cold hardy muscadines. And it’s seedless! I’ve been thinking of planting it (along with the Ison variety).
Any winter die-back on yours, Bob?
It does look like a hybrid, the combination of small size and seedless. But the leaf should make all clear, it would be hard for a hybrid to have exactly the same leaf/stem/etc habit as a pure muscadine.
I’m not sure how I missed that guy, I have gone through various lists many times. I think it was not on any of the most recommended lists. See for example
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs100
where it is rated Not Recommended. But, I expect that is mostly about sizing up for commercial production. It looks to be about normal grape size as opposed to monster muscadine size.
After looking at your link I’m pretty sure Fry is the first seedless muscadine. This information has me wondering if there are some other varieties that I don’t know about. I have room for one more and I want to try one of these. We have 9am tennis this morning and after that I’m going to see what google turns up. Thanks, Bill
Man the RazzmaTaz looks really good. Anyone try that one yet?
Not yet, but that was because my vine was mostly growing on the ground, so I just covered it in woodchips. This year, it has actually made it up to the trellis, as well as having a lot on the ground. I’ll probably cover the stuff on the ground and see if the part on the trellis makes it.