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Perennial Fruit Tree · zones 5–10 · 57 varieties

Grape

Vitis spp.

Vitaceae — the only crop in its plant family here.

Grape (Vitis spp.) is a perennial fruit tree for USDA zones 5–10. It wants full sun and pH 5.5–6.5 soil, with about 0.5–1 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 3 yr. Watch for grape berry moth and black rot. Below: its full sourced profile from 12 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 5–10 — USDA USDA
Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
First harvest 3 yr
Mature size 3–6.5 ft
Spacing 96–240 in
Soil pH 5.5–6.5
Frost Hardy
When to plant grapetypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Growing
Establishing
Flowering
Fruit set
Ripening
Harvest
Dormant

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing grapeevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones
5–10
Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
5.5–6.5
Soil texture
Loam, Clay, Sandy, Well drained
Frost tolerance
Hardy

No published figure for the temperature that would kill it. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.

The plant

Mature height
3–6.5 ft
Mature spread
3–6 ft
Growth rate
Fastest
Spacing in row
96–240 in
Between rows
120–144 in
Planting depth
At soil level
Container size
15–20 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
Support
Needs staking or a trellis
Grown from
Cutting, Grafting

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
0.5–1 in/wkest
Critical water
Fruit set, Ripeningest
Feeding
Moderate

Timing & fruiting

Years to first harvest
3 yr
Chill hours
100–600 hrs
Pollination
Self fertile
Harvest cues
Fruit coloring
New spring growth damaged at
27–28 °F

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsGrape berry mothJapanese beetleGrape root borerLeafhoppersMealybugsFlea beetlesBirds
DiseasesBlack rotPowdery mildewDowny mildewPierces diseaseAnthracnoseEutypa diebackCrown gall

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

Different parts differ — the edible part is the fruit; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.

Petsdogs

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

All 57 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety Type DaysColorSizeDiseaseWhat it is known for
Alden Heirloom Hybrid — Red
Autumn Royal — Purple Large Wikimedia Foundation describes this asno seeds
Black Monukka Heirloom — Purple Medium Raintree Nursery describes this asno seeds
Buffalo Heirloom Hybrid — Purple
Cabernet Franc Heirloom Vinifera —
Cabernet Sauvignon Heirloom Vinifera —
Canadice — Red Cornell University (Cornell Fruit Resources / School of Integrative Plant Science) records this asno seeds
Carlos Muscadine — Brown
Catawba Heirloom — Red
Chambourcin Hybrid — Red
Chardonnay Heirloom Vinifera — Green
Concord Heirloom — Blue
Concord Seedless — Purple Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this asno seeds
Cowart Muscadine — Black GOOD_DISEASE_RESISTANCE
Delaware Heirloom — Red Small
Diamond Heirloom — Green
Einset Seedless — Red Cornell University (Cornell Fruit Resources / School of Integrative Plant Science) records this asno seeds
Flame Seedless — Red Medium Wikimedia Foundation describes this asno seeds
Fredonia Heirloom — Black Large
Frontenac — Purple Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this astakes the cold
Fry Muscadine — Brown Large
Glenora — Blue Cornell University (Cornell Fruit Resources / School of Integrative Plant Science) records this asno seeds
Himrod — Green Cornell University (Cornell Fruit Resources / School of Integrative Plant Science) records this asno seeds
Interlaken Heirloom — Green Cornell University (Cornell Fruit Resources / School of Integrative Plant Science) records this asno seeds
Jumbo Muscadine — Black Large
Jupiter — Blue Large Wikimedia Foundation describes this asno seeds
La Crescent Hybrid — Green Wikimedia Foundation describes this astakes the cold
Marquette Hybrid — Purple Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this astakes the cold
Mars — Blue Wikimedia Foundation describes this asno seeds
Merlot Heirloom Vinifera —
Neptune — Green Large Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this asno seeds
Nesbitt Muscadine — Black Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center records this astakes the cold
Niagara Heirloom — Green
Noble Muscadine — Purple
Norton Heirloom Hybrid — Black
Pinot Noir Heirloom Vinifera —
Reliance — Red Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this asno seeds
Riesling Heirloom Vinifera — Green Double A Vineyards describes this astakes the cold
Saturn — Red Rebschule Schmidt describes this asno seeds · takes the cold
Scuppernong Heirloom Muscadine — Brown Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center records this astakes the cold
Seyval Blanc Heirloom Hybrid — Green
Somerset Seedless — Red Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this asno seeds · takes the cold
Southern Home Muscadine — Black
St. Croix Hybrid — Red
Steuben Heirloom — Purple Medium
Suffolk Red Hybrid — Red Raintree Nursery describes this asno seeds · takes the cold
Sugargate Muscadine — Black Large
Summit Muscadine — Brown Large
Supreme Muscadine — Black Large
Tara Muscadine — Brown Large
Thompson Seedless Heirloom Vinifera — Green Wikimedia Foundation describes this asno seeds
Traminette Hybrid — Green
Triumph Muscadine — Bicolor
Vanessa — Red Double A Vineyards describes this asno seeds
Venus — Purple Briggs Nursery describes this asno seeds
Vidal Blanc Heirloom Hybrid — Green Wikimedia Foundation describes this astakes the cold
Worden Heirloom American — Purple Wein.plus describes this astakes the cold
Sources12 cited · 10 organizations
  • ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
  • Alabama Cooperative Extension System
  • Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
  • Mississippi State University Extension
  • NC State Extension
  • Penn State Extension
  • University of Georgia Extension (CAES)
  • University of Maryland Extension
  • University of Missouri Extension
  • Utah State University Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 19 of the 23 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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