Growing Grapes for Home Use
American and French-American hybrid grapes
are adapted to Missouri. American cultivars like Concord are
generally hardier and more disease resistant than the French-American
hybrid cultivars. European grapes (Vitis vinifera) and
muscadine ("southern") grapes are not recommended because they are not
winter hardy here, although muscadines are found growing wild in the the
southernmost counties at the sole of the "bootheel" of the state.
Grapes are susceptible to several fungus diseases
in the humid Missouri growing season. Birds may be a problem on
certain cultivars so netting may be needed to protect the crop. A
trellis or support on which to train the grapevine is necessary to keep
the fruit off the ground and well exposed to light and air.
