Since there is still snow on the ground and plenty of time to order
seeds, I looked at some of my favorite seed catalogs for new
varieties of vegetables and some old favorites.
Tomatoes arouse the passion in gardeners - we all look for that
perfect tomato, fresh from the garden. The cool nights and short
season here challenge even the most hardened tomato grower so finding a variety that works is continuing battle. There are scores of new ones this year; pink, orange, brown, purple, bicolor and a raft of heirloom tomatoes as well as hybrids.
If you like cherry tomatoes, you may want to try ‘Cherries
Jubilee’ from Burpee. It is a determinate so would work well as a
container plant on a deck or balcony. They claim a harvest of 500
tomatoes form one plant! Another tomato from Burpee that caught my eye was ‘Fresh Salsa’ that stays firm and solid when chopped into
small cubes for making salsas and bruchettas. It is also a
determinate so does not require all the staking and pruning of an
indeterminate.
If you really have a passion for new varieties, check out the Totally
Tomatoes catalog with 34 pages of tomato varieties. They are one of
the seven seed companies owned by Jung in Randolph, Wis. so you can
order from any or all and pay one shipping charge. All are online as
well.
Peppers are another vegetable that can be exciting to grow. If you
like the flavor of a habanero but not the heat, ‘Zavory’ is a new
one to look for this year. My favorite sweet pepper is still Carmen,
an Italian horn-type that has a wonderful flavor, both raw and
cooked. If heat is your goal, ‘Hot Paper Lantern’ is a northern
version of habanero from Johnny’s.
Everyone seems to have a favorite sweet corn. Today you can choose
from normal hybrids (su) that require no isolation from other corn,
supersweets (sh2) that have an extra tenderness gene, sugar enhanced
hybrids (se) with an additional sweetness gene, and now there
synergistic hybrids that combine su, se, and sh2 traits. ‘Mirai’
is one I plan to try this year. It is the top selling corn in Japan
and some call it more of a dessert corn but it does require strict
isolation from all other corn species.
There are few things in life as good as a great beet pickle and there
are some beet varieties that make them a joy to prepare. Check out
‘Tanus,’ it is a cylindrical beet with a great flavor, thin skin,
and a shape that makes very uniform pickle slices. Jung and others
carry the seed.
If you really do like zucchini but find them quickly turning into 20
lb. monsters, try ‘Bush Baby’ from Johnny’s. If you only want
one or two plants and worry about pollination, a parthenocarpic
hybrid like ‘Perfect Pick’ from Jung’s requires no pollination
to set fruit. If you like winter squash but have a small garden,
‘Sweet Mama’ is a kabocha-type squash with very compact vines. We
like ‘Sun Spot’, a small fruited buttercup that is just right for
two people.
With the increasing popularity of Asian vegetables and greens, check
out Pinetree for a great selection of seeds for nan ling, tatsoi,
kyoto mizuma, and many others. Bet your mom did not grow those! They
