Dean Family Acres

25/10/2026

Rooting muscadine cuttings is one of the most useful skills for anyone who wants to grow their own muscadine vines—and this latest video takes us inside the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Test Vineyard to learn more about it.

Dr. Conner explains how he roots muscadine cuttings and produces new vines, while we talk about muscadine propagation and what backyard growers can learn from the research being done at UGA Tifton.

We also discuss why muscadine meetups are so valuable. You get to learn from researchers, compare growing experiences, discover new varieties, and meet other people who are serious about growing muscadines.

In this video, we interview John-Mark from Arkansas about his vineyard and why he came back to the event for a second time. He drove more than 20 hours to attend—and his story is a great example of the friendships and connections that make these events so special.

If you are interested in rooting muscadine cuttings, starting a backyard vineyard, growing fruit at home, planning a you-pick operation, or connecting with other muscadine growers, this is a video you’ll enjoy.

Watch the full video here:

https://youtu.be/PYVyNhHCrpk

One of the most interesting parts of attending the UGA Tifton musca...

21/09/2026

Tifton Part 4 is up!

We had such a good time on this part of our trip to UGA Tifton, and this episode has a little bit of everything.

We got to talk with Greg Ison from @ Ison's Nursery & Vineyard, visit with Matt and Terry from Bottoms Nursery, and sit in on part of Dr. Conner’s presentation about the University of Georgia Tifton Campus UGA Muscadine Breeding Program. It was really interesting hearing more about how new muscadine varieties are developed and what goes into the research behind them.

For us, one of the best parts of this trip has been hearing directly from people who have spent years working with muscadines, vineyards, nurseries, and fruit production. There’s just something different about being there in person, asking questions, and seeing it all firsthand.

If you’re into muscadines, UGA Tifton research, new muscadine varieties, fruit growing, or growing grapes in the South, we think you’ll enjoy this one.

You can watch Episode 323 linked in the comments below.

We’d love to hear from you too — what muscadine variety are you growing, or which one are you hoping to add next?

14/09/2026

Our muscadine adventure in Tifton continues in Episode 322 of Dean Family Acres!

In this episode, we spend more time around the muscadine world with Kinfolk Farm of Georgia, UGA research presentations, great conversations, and plenty more from our Tifton trip. There’s a lot to see, a lot to learn, and this series still has more coming.

If you enjoy muscadines, fruit growing, vineyards, gardening, and learning from people who really know their stuff, you’ll want to check this one out.

▶️ Watch here: https://youtu.be/VcFuBbSDukE

And stay tuned — we still have more Tifton content ahead, including Dr. Connor’s presentation, interviews with Greg Ison from Ison's Nursery & Vineyard and an interview with the owner and farm manager of Bottoms Nursery, plus our own muscadine tastings.

Let us know in the comments what stood out to you most!

10/09/2026

If you’re looking to buy vibes for you place, this is a great opportunity! Tell them we sent you in the notes if your order.

It’s still harvest season at Ison’s Nursery & Vineyard. The vines are loaded, the muscadines are ripening, and it’s one of our favorite times of the year!

To celebrate, we’re offering 10% OFF Muscadine Vines for a limited time.

Whether you’ve been thinking about adding a few new varieties to your vineyard or planting your very first muscadine vines, now is a great time to order for the upcoming planting season.

We have an excellent inventory right now, but many of our most popular varieties sell out each year—so order early while you have the best selection.

*10% OFF Muscadine Vines
*Use Coupon Code: HARVEST10
*Vines begin shipping in November
*Grower direct from our nursery to your door

Order now for the harvests and memories still to come.

www.isons.com

06/09/2026

Part 2 of our UGA Tifton Muscadine Meetup tour is here! 🍇

This time, we’re focusing on black muscadine varieties at the UGA muscadine test vineyard with Dr. Patrick Conner. We look at 12 different black and dark-fruited selections, including RubyCrisp, Supreme, Majesty, Paulk, African Queen, Lane, Black Beauty, Nesbitt, Alachua, Cowart, Southern Home, and more.

We also get a look at some massive black muscadines and hear from Dr. Sarah Lowder with the University of Georgia about muscadine vine spacing and vineyard trials.

Her presentation covers how spacing can affect your vineyard, multiple cordons, four-wire trellising, vine training, and ways to get more production from your muscadine vines.

If you’re planting muscadines in your backyard, starting a home vineyard, planning a you-pick operation, or trying to decide which black muscadine varieties are worth growing, this is a video you’ll want to watch and save.

This event only happens every other year, so we’re excited to share another full tour from UGA Tifton with you.

Watch Episode 321 here:

https://youtu.be/1DWbGCmyn-M

Looking for the best black muscadine varieties for your backyard, h...

31/08/2026

It’s finally here! After waiting two years, we’re back at the UGA Tifton Muscadine Meetup, and this event never disappoints. 🍇

In Episode 1, we walk through the UGA muscadine test vineyard and take a close look at 17 bronze muscadine varieties. We cover some of the most talked-about muscadine varieties, including Fry, Early Fry, Hall, Tara, Triumph, Summit, Late Fry, Granny Val, Pam, Sweet Jenny, Scarlett, Oh My!, Golden Delight, and more.

But this isn’t just a walk through the vineyard. We get into the questions growers really want answered:

Which varieties handle rot best?
How much does location affect production?
What are the different muscadine flower types?
Why is Fry such a popular cultivar?
Which bronze varieties are early, late, colorful, productive, or seedless?
Why is UGA muscadine brix different than others?

Our UGA Tifton videos from past meetups have consistently been some of the strongest videos on the Dean Family Acres channel. Since this event only happens every other year, we’re excited to finally share this new tour with you.

Watch Episode 1 now—and be sure to follow along for the rest of the series:

https://youtu.be/gEGxNbarM28

Join Dean Family Acres for Episode 1 of our UGA Tifton Muscadine Me...

10/08/2026

New Video! Our Muscadine Vineyard Tour + UGA Tifton Meetup THIS FRIDAY!

We took a walk through the muscadine vineyard here at Dean Family Acres and talked about some of the varieties we’re growing and what’s going on in the vineyard right now.
But the big reminder in this video is the UGA Muscadine Cultivar Field Day in Tifton this Friday, August 14th!

We’re planning to be there, and Shane from Kinfolk Farm will be joining us too. If you’re going, come find us and say hello! We’d love to meet some of you who follow along with Dean Family Acres.

The UGA event is FREE, but you do need to register. There will be a tour of the muscadine vineyard, discussions about muscadine production, updates from the UGA breeding program, lunch, and a chance to taste some of the newest muscadine selections.

🎥 Watch the new video here:
https://youtu.be/ix89lopyyXk

📅 UGA Muscadine Cultivar Field Day
Friday, August 14, 2026
10:00 AM – 2:30 PM
UGA Tifton Campus

👉 Event details & registration:
https://viticulture.uga.edu/2026/07/muscadine-cultivar-field-day/
UGA Muscadine Cultivar Field Day
Hope to see some of you in Tifton!

Come along with us for another walk through the muscadine vineyard ...

27/07/2026

🌳 We've been looking forward to sharing this one!

About 90 days ago, we grafted three Asian persimmon varieties—Matsumoto, Hanna Fuyu, and Jiro to see how they'd do. Now it's time to check the results!

Grafting is one of the best ways to add more fruit trees to your orchard without spending a fortune, and it's always exciting to see which grafts take and start pushing new growth. There's nothing quite like peeling back the grafting tape after a few months to see what happened.

If you're in the Southeast like we are here in Upstate South Carolina (Zone 8a), Asian persimmons are definitely worth considering. They're one of our favorite fruit trees because they're easy to grow, don't need much spraying, and produce some incredible fruit.

We hope you'll check out the video and let us know what you think!

🎥 Watch here: https://youtu.be/wsvz4dympio

Have you ever grafted a persimmon tree? Or do you have a favorite variety? We'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Thanks so much for following along with our orchard journey. We appreciate every view, comment, and share—it really does help our little channel continue to grow! 🌱

How do you graft Asian persimmon trees—and do they actually take? I...

20/07/2026

We've been waiting 4 years to share this one!

Back in 2022, we visited the University of Georgia's muscadine research vineyard in Tifton and tasted dozens of experimental varieties. One bronze muscadine immediately stood out. We walked away saying, "If they ever release this one, we're planting it!"

Well...that day has finally come! 🎉

Gold Delight™ is officially here, and we were excited to get our vine from Bottom's Nursery and add it to our vineyard.

In this video, we share:
✅ Why Gold Delight impressed us from the very first bite
✅ What makes it different from other bronze muscadines
✅ Why we think it could become a favorite for backyard growers and fresh eating
✅ Our first impressions after finally getting this long-awaited variety
If you're thinking about adding muscadines to your backyard orchard or vineyard, this is one you'll definitely want to learn more about!

🎥 Watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/jzO4TPo0z3A

Have you planted Gold Delight yet, or is it on your wish list? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! 👇

A dream that has grown for generations. Our families have farmed or...

19/07/2026

We are called to raise them to be followers of Christ. We also hope that one day they find the ones who they can share the rest of their lives with.
Today was that day for Michaela. Lots of emotions for Lori Dean and I. Somehow we are old enough to have kids old enough to get married. How is this possible? Are we sure they’re ready? As we did the math and realized Michaela is basically the same age we were when we got married 24 years ago.
Thankful for Michaela allowing God to work through her and Evan. For their growth in a strong church and great friendships. Prayers as we all live out Genesis 2:24.

The wedding was beautiful, we all made cherished memories and celebrated the example Christ had for us with the church and a husband and wife. Thankful the Word was shared and the ceremony founded on His principles.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend and for the many who we wished could have come. We hope you will celebrate with Evan and Michaela and the pictures and videos that will follow in the coming days.