Articles

Best New Tomatoes of 2022

‘Black Strawberry’ (top left, image from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds), ‘Alice’s Dream (right, Image from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds), ‘Bodacious’ (bottom left, Image from Burpee)

What a great year for new tomatoes! The breeders have been busy. 2022 has so many new tomato introductions that I had trouble fixing on my favorites. The final picks were chosen for beauty, top trial ratings, disease resistance, and MOST OF ALL, taste.

Slicing Tomatoes

‘Enroza’ is a tasty pink slicing tomato with great disease resistance. (Image thanks to High Mowing Organic Seeds)

I am a sucker for beautiful fruits and vegetables, and tasty tomatoes in wild colors are ever-present in my garden. That’s why I’ll be trying the new bi-colored green and red ‘Captain Lucky‘ (75 days, indeterminate) slicing tomato from Johnny’s Select Seeds. Its excellent flavor challenges that of best heirloom tomatoes, and when sliced the fruits are a psychedelic yellow, green, pink, and red. Another for beauty and flavor is the Baker Creek exclusive, ‘Alice’s Dream‘ (80 days, indeterminate) beefsteak tomato, which has an orange-yellow exterior striped with purple and a deep orange-yellow interior that is described as tasting sweet and tropical.

‘Alice’s Dream’ has a delicious tropical fruit flavor. (Image thanks to Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

Those looking for a classic red slicer must try Burpee’s ‘Bodacious‘ (80-85 days, indeterminate) big slicing tomato. The large, red, tasty tomatoes are aromatic and produced on vines that resist blight. Each plant can produce 40-50 fruits in a season. Another good traditional tomato is ‘Enroza’ (70 days, indeterminate) from High Mowing Organic Seeds. The classic slicer is deep pink, and the vines are super disease resistant. It produces continuously, and the fruits are meaty, flavorful, and juicy. for lovely dark-red, medium-large fruits grow ‘Rubee Prize’ (60-70 days, indeterminate) hybrid tomato. It is a taste-test winner, and the vines resist many diseases.

If you are looking for more really tough, disease-resistant, slicing tomatoes with great flavor, try ‘Tough Boy Gold‘ (75-85 days, indeterminate), which is resistant to blossom end rot as well as several viral diseases. Its sweet, golden fruits are medium-sized, flavorful, and resist cracking on the vine. The deep-red, medium-sized fruits of ‘Loki‘ (70-75 days, indeterminate) are also borne on highly disease-resistant vines. It is high-yielding and its fruits have an old-fashioned, heirloom-tomato flavor.

Cherry, Grape, and Salad Tomatoes

The 2022 AAS winner ‘Purple Zebra’ is a top-notch salad tomato. (Image thanks to AAS Winners)

On the top of my cherry list is ‘Black Strawberry’ (60 days, indeterminate), cherry tomato, which bears lots of fruits in neat trusses. The fruity, super-sweet tomatoes are orange-red with a mottled overlay of purple-black. Their flavor is described as very fruity and almost plum-like.

Sun-Dried Cherry‘ (60-65 days, indeterminate) is a cool new cherry tomato that was developed for sun drying. The sweet fruits easily dry on the stem, and vines yield lots of tomatoes!

‘Sunset Torch’ is another great new AAS winner! (Image thanks to AAS Winners)

The beautiful small/salad tomato ‘Purple Zebra‘ (70 days, indeterminate) is one of several 2022 AAS winners. Its tart-sweet dark-red fruits are striped with dark green, and the prolific vines resist disease. I will be growing this one! The red-striped golden grape tomato ‘Sunset Torch‘ is another of this year’s AAS winners. In addition to having fruity cherry tomatoes in sunset colors, it is disease resistant, productive, and the ripe fruits resist splitting after rain.

Sauce and Paste Tomatoes

‘Marzito’ bears lots and lots of little Roma tomatoes in no time! (Image thanks to BallSeed)

The small-medium, reddish-pink tomatoes of the ‘Rugby‘ (60-65 days, indeterminate) hybrid are meaty, high in beta-carotene, and have a well-balanced flavor. They are great for canning, sauce, and fresh eating. The vines also resist disease. The unique miniature Marzano-type tomato ‘Marzito‘ (50-55 days, indeterminate) is very early to bear and produces lots of small, deep red, sauce tomatoes that are meaty with a balanced flavor. They are also good for fresh eating. Finally, sauce lovers with less space should grow the new compact Roma tomato, ‘Bellatrix‘ (65-70 days, determinate). It grows beautifully in containers, is highly disease resistant, and its delicious fruits are perfect for sauce and salsa making.

Miniature Tomatoes

These are the best tomatoes for containers and hanging baskets. My oldest daughter Franziska fell in love with the heart-shaped miniature tomato, Heartbreaker Dora Red (75-85 days), which just reaches 16 inches high and becomes laden with lots of heart-shaped cherry tomatoes that are flavorful and sweet (9 Brix). Another with a cartoonish name is the ‘Grinch‘ (65 days, determinate) dwarf cherry tomato, which boasts lots of bright yellow-green cherry tomatoes with a mild tart and sweet taste. They are great for snacking. The bushy plants reach 4 feet and may require minimal caging or staking.

Container tomatoes such as these grow beautifully in quality potting mix, such as Fafard Natural & Organic Potting Soil. Choose a large container that drains well, and be sure to feed with a fertilizer formulated for tomatoes.

Any of these amazing tomatoes would be a great addition to your summer vegetable plot! Whether you just garden in containers or have a big vegetable bed, there is a new tomato for you.

More Tomato Resources:

Video: Growing Tomatoes From Seed to Harvest

Beating Tomato Pests and Diseases

Ten Best-Tasting Tomatoes

America’s 10 Best-Tasting Tomatoes

America's 10 Best-Tasting Tomatoes Featured Image

Tomatoes are America’s favorite garden vegetable (technically fruit). That’s why each year there are loads of tomato taste tests across the country. I have reviewed several of these taste tests to identify the best-tasting tomatoes among them. I also used taste tests conducted at universities and other horticultural institutions. This list comprises the 10 tomatoes that rise to the top, time after time.

Because taste test results vary, I also added my own two cents. I have grown over 50 different tomato varieties, all noted as having superior flavor. Many of my own favorites were also official taste test winners.

10 Best-Tasting Tomatoes

Kellogg's Breakfast tomatoes
Kellogg’s Breakfast is the most delicious orange slicing tomato to be had.
  1. Sun Gold‘ (cherry tomato, Indeterminate) fruits are borne in quantity on prolific vines and are prone to cracking after heaving rains, so plant them in well-drained soil, and harvest ripe fruits before heavy rains.
  2. Aunt Ruby’s German Green‘ (beefsteak, indeterminate, heirloom (date of origin unknown)) turns bright yellowish-green when mature. Fruits can reach up to 1 lb each. If green tomatoes are not your thing, look past the color like Sam I Am would say about Green Eggs and Ham. This outstanding tomato is sweet, tart, and full-flavored. It has won taste test after taste test. The heirloom was discovered in the garden of Ruby Arnold of Greenville, Tennessee. It had been handed down by her German immigrant grandfather.
  3. Cherokee Purple‘ (slicer, indeterminate, heirloom c. 1809) fruits are large, deep purplish-red, and have a meaty texture and good balance between sweetness and old-fashioned tomato flavor. Count on productive vines. As the story goes, this very old heirloom variety originated from a Tennesee family who reportedly received the seeds from area Cherokee Tribe’s People in the 1890s. Its longevity as a garden favorite is due to its reliable award-winning flavor.
  4. Kellogg’s Breakfast‘ (beefsteak, indeterminate) is the finest tasting of the orange slicing tomatoes. Its large, slightly lobed fruits are bright orange with smooth, meaty flesh that is fruity, sweet, and flavorful. The heat-loving vines produce heavily. Not only has this Michigan heirloom gotten top taste-test marks, but Sunset Magazine food editors named it one of the best-tasting tomatoes of all time.
  5. Gold Medal‘ (beefsteak, indeterminate, heirloom c. 1920) is arguably the top bicolor for taste. The giant 1-3 lb fruits are perfectly marbled with red and yellow and are large, meaty, and juicy. It has won lots of taste tests where it has been described as luscious and superb. I have grown it for years and heartily agree. If only the vines were a bit more prolific. Still, this is one heirloom you must grow for flavor.
  6. Carbon‘ (slicer, indeterminate) has large, firm, juicy fruits of deepest purplish-red. The smooth tomatoes have won many taste tests, most notably one at Cornell University, and are produced on prolific, disease-resistant vines. The flavor is described as rich and complex.
  7. Big Rainbow‘ (beefsteak, indeterminate, heirloom (date of origin unknown)) is truly big and beautiful as well as delicious. Taste testers note the marked fruity sweetness of the yellow fruits, which are marbled with red. One tomato can reach up to 2 lbs, so stake the vines well. The flesh is very soft and juicy, so treat the fruits with care. The heirloom originates from Mauckport, Indiana.
  8. Red Brandywine‘ (beefsteak, indeterminate, heirloom c. 1889) is one of several Brandywine tomato varieties, but it is likely the best-known. The deep red fruits are juicy, tart, and big on sweet tomato flavor. Lovers of classic red slicing tomatoes should grow this one! Amy Goldman, the author of The Heirloom Tomato, describes it as perfection.
  9. Brandysweet Plum‘ (plum tomato, indeterminate) is a more recent introduction that is believed to be a cross between ‘Red Brandywine’ and the ‘Sweet 100’ cherry tomato, both flavorful tomatoes. The result is a stellar plum tomato that is sweet, juicy, and excellent for fresh eating or sauce making. It has appeared with top marks on several taste tests.
  10. Flamme‘ or ‘Jaunne Flamme’ (saladette, indeterminate, heirloom ) is an early bearer that produces loads of small, round, bright orange salad tomatoes on productive vines. The French heirloom is noted for citrusy, fruity tomatoes that have won many regional taste tests. Amy Goldman gives it an “excellent” rating for flavor.
Cherokee Purple tomatoes
Cherokee Purple is a delicious purple beefsteak that should be on every gardener’s to-grow list.

Other notable, tasty varieties include ‘Cherokee Chocolate‘, ‘Black Krim‘, ‘German Red Strawberry‘, ‘Franchi’s Italian Pear‘, and ‘Virginia Sweets‘.

To learn more about growing tomatoes from seed to harvest, we recommend watching this handy video.

<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-DuYxxNpSEc" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></p>

<h2><a href="https://blackgold.bz/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Black-Gold_GYO_Tomatoes-From-Seed-To-Harvest_8.5x11_031820-Final.pdf">Click here for a Step-by-Step PDF.</a></h2>

Learn More about great-tasting tomatoes via the Cornell University vegetable database. Also, check out our article about the ten best-tasting cherry tomatoes (click here to read).

Beating Tomato Pests and Diseases

Beating Tomato Pests and Diseases Featured Image
Nothing’s better than a happy, fruitful tomato, but keeping pests and diseases at bay can be a challenge.

All winter long, tomato lovers suffer, eating supermarket fruit with the taste and texture of foam packing peanuts.  Finally, summer arrives, bringing a harvest of tart, sweet, sunshiny tomatoes.  You can buy these edible jewels at the local farmers’ market, but there is something incredibly satisfying about growing your own.  A just-picked tomato, still warm from the sun is nirvana in a red wrapper.

But the path to that nirvana can be strewn with obstacles.  Tomato plants are subject to a host of pests and diseases.  Bacteria, viruses, and fungi attack stalks, leaves, and fruit, while insects make every attempt to rob gardeners of hard-won harvests.  Even the best-regulated vegetable garden is not immune to tomato maladies.

Knowing the enemy, whether it is a pest, disease or disorder, is the first line of defense.  Following good cultural practices is the second, and learning effective treatments for specific problems is the third.
So who are these enemies of the tomato?

Tomato Fungal Diseases

Tomato blight
Early blight is a common tomato disease that puts a damper on plant health and productivity.

Fungi thrive in humid weather and poor air circulation.  Several different types afflict tomatoes, most often manifesting themselves in the form of brown or black leaf spots.

Early blight generally starts on older foliage and shows up as small brown spots.  Left untreated it can defoliate plants and rot the fruit. Leaves also drop in the case of septoria leaf drop and leaf mold, both of which cause brown leaf spots.  Buckeye rot and anthracnose show up on fruit, with brown spots in the case of buckeye rot and spots with salmon-colored spores in the case of anthracnose.  Fusarium wilt kills the entire plant, with leaves losing color as the infection progresses.  Southern blight also kills the entire plant and is distinguished by brown lesions on the lowest part of the stem.

Possibly the worst tomato disease is late blight, which not only kills entire plants but is highly contagious, with spores that spread by wind.  Caused by the Phytophthora infestans fungus, the disease manifests itself in the form of bullseye-type spots on leaves.  If you suspect late blight, get a positive identification from the nearest cooperative extension agent.  Once the identification is made, all infected plants should be destroyed (not composted).  If neighbors raise tomatoes or potatoes, it is helpful to notify them as well.  Keep vigilant for signs of the disease on unaffected plants.

Tomato Bacterial and Viral Diseases

Tomato with virus
Tomato spotted wilt virus is a disease spread by small insects called thrips.

Tomatoes can also be stopped in their tracks by bacterial and viral diseases.  One of them is bacterial wilt, which causes a generalized decline of affected plants.  Another is a bacterial spot, which produces brown leaf spots and scabby patches on fruits.

Spread by thrips, tomato spotted wilt virus shows up in the forms of spotted leaves and discolored fruits that fail to ripen properly.  Whiteflies harbor tomato yellow leaf curl virus, which results in curled, misshapen leaves, sudden blossom drop and stunted fruit.  Tobacco mosaic virus causes mottled, misshapen leaves and plant weakness.

Tomato Pests

Tomato hornworm
Tomato hornworms are one of the most voracious tomato pests!

Insect predators of tomato include aphids, which attach themselves to stems and leaves and suck out the plant’s juices.  Tomato fruitworm larva develops inside fruits, making them inedible, and large, ugly tomato hornworms dine voraciously on stems and leaves, before taking on fruits.
Colorado potato beetles are another pest that will go for tomatoes when potatoes are not available. The striped yellow and brown beetles lay clusters of golden-orange eggs below leaves and orange and black larvae quickly emerge–both will eat tomato leaves and fruit.

Other Tomato Problems

Blossom end rot on tomatoes
Blossom end rot can be fixed by feeding tomatoes with calcium-rich tomato fertilizer.

Tomatoes can also be afflicted by blossom end rot, which causes rot that begins at the bases of fruits. It is caused by calcium deficiency, so feeding your tomatoes well will stop this common physiological problem.
Tomatoes with growth cracks and catfaced tomatoes with abnormal bulges and cavities are not diseased. Instead, it’s environmental factors that mar the appearance and viability of the fruit. Water cracking is also a problem that occurs on fully developed fruits after heavy rain. Excess water fills the fruits and causes them to crack on the vine. And if defoliation occurs on plants, tomatoes are susceptible to being marred by sunscald, which causes fruits to develop light watery spots in high sun exposure.

So…What Can You Do?

The first line of defense against pests and diseases is extremely cheap and relatively easy—good cultural practices.  Start with the tomato seeds or visibly strong, healthy plants and choose disease-resistant varieties.  Remember that not all varieties are resistant to all diseases.  Local cooperative extension or nursery personnel can help with questions about tomato diseases prevalent in your area and which varieties are most resistant to those diseases.

Once you choose your tomatoes, plant them in good soil, enriched with a high-quality amendment like Fafard® Garden Manure Blend.  Space plants so that they have plenty of air circulation (15-24 inches apart) and use tomato cages or other supports to get plants and fruits up off the ground.  Water regularly, especially during dry periods, and prevent the spread of spore-borne diseases by using soaker hoses to water at ground level.

Ripe tomatoes with water cracking
Water cracking happens to ripe tomatoes on the vine after heavy rain.

Be alert for signs of fungal diseases and if they appear, remove and destroy affected plant parts.  Do not compost them.  At the end of the growing season, remove all plant parts and debris, so that spores do not overwinter in the soil.  From year to year, practice crop rotation to discourage pathogens.  If you are growing tomatoes in containers, start each season with fresh soil, after washing containers with a solution of one part household bleach to nine parts water.

Fafard Garden Manure Blend pack

Anti-fungal solutions, including organic mixtures, are available at nurseries and garden centers.  Depending on the compound, the anti-fungal remedy can be used as a preventive measure or to stop the spread of fungus on affected plants.  Either way, follow manufacturers’ directions carefully.
Some people swear by homemade fungal deterrent sprays, including one made with one tablespoon of cider vinegar per gallon of water.  Apply every few days to stems as well as tops and bottoms of leaves.  Another popular kitchen-based fungal remedy calls for one tablespoon of baking soda per gallon of water, augmented with two tablespoons of vegetable oil and a few drops of dishwashing liquid.  Shake the mixture well and apply with a spray bottle every few days and after rainstorms.

Dispatch aphids with a strong spray from a hose, or spray plants with insecticidal soap, following package directions.  Watch for tomato fruitworms and hornworms on plants.  Check for holes in leaves or fruit and destroy any that show signs of damage.  Handpick the worms and drop them into containers of soapy water.  Wear gloves for this job.  If you are squeamish about handling these wriggly creatures, remember that when it comes to beating pests and diseases, the end justifies the means.  The taste of a sweet summer tomato will make you forget all about worms and wilts.

New Vegetables for 2016

Black Beauty tomatoes
The new slicing tomato ‘Black Beauty’ is darker than any other black tomato and has incredible flavor. (photo care of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

Each year I boost my passion for vegetable gardening by adding some of the latest new varieties to the garden repertoire. Those that pass the flavor and productivity tests may have a permanent place in my yearly garden while those that don’t shine will make space for new plants to trial next year. Last year’s winner was the flavorful, uniform, and high producing, AAS-winning ‘Chef’s Choice Orange’ slicing tomato. (Its deepest orange fruits were so sweet!) Just glancing at my growing pile of vegetable garden catalogs makes me excited about the fresh suite of new vegetables for 2016.

Candyland Red Tomato (Currant) Color Code: PAS Kieft 2017 Fruit, Seed 08.15 Elburn, Mark Widhalm Candyland01_02.JPG TOM15-19648.JPG
The new AAS Winner ‘Candyland Red’ is a sweet new currant tomato for the garden. (Photo care of All America Selections)

Let’s start with tomatoes and close relatives, like tomatillos, eggplants, and peppers. By far, the most exciting tomato being offered is the succulent, pure black slicing tomato ‘Black Beauty’. The Wild Boar Farms introduction has meaty flavorful flesh that is dark red to black. A classic red tomato on the table is the hybrid ‘Madame Marmande’ from Burpee that boasts beautifully lobed fruits packed with rich tomato flavor. Cherry tomato lovers should consider ‘Candyland Red’—a high-producing red currant tomato that’s super sweet. Pair it with the golden currant tomato ‘Gold Rush‘ for fun, colorful snacking.
There’s a great pick of peppers for 2016, hot and sweet. Promising hots include the Brazilian ‘Biquinho’ hot pepper, which looks like a bright red teardrop when ripe and is said to have a fruity, smoky flavor, and the fire-red ‘Flaming Flare’ pepper with its sweet, slightly hot flavor. Sweet pepper lovers should check out the golden sweet ‘Escamillo’ pepper. This prolific early bearer is an AAS winner for 2016. All of these peppers will pair well with the new, heavy-bearing ‘Gulliver’ tomatillo for salsa making.

Escamillo yellow peppers
The golden yellow pepper ‘Escamillo’ is another AAS winner with great taste and performance. (Photo care of All America Selections)

Though eggplant can have challenges due to susceptibility to flea beetles and Colorado potato beetles, I am excited about the new ‘Meatball’ hybrid eggplant from Burpee. The large, meaty fruits are supposed to be extra tasty.
Gardeners seeking something unusual may consider the Mexican sour gherkin, also offered by Burpee.  The tiny fruits are crisp and sweet but also slightly sour. Add these to a salad along with slices of the remarkable ‘Sakurajima’, the world’s largest radish. Offered by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, these massive daikon radishes can reach 15 pounds and just beg to be grown by adventurous vegetable gardeners with lots of mouths to feed.
Spring greens are some of the first veggies to go into the ground and new varieties, such as the super spinach ‘Gangbusters’ and/or beautiful heirloom lettuce ‘Yugoslavian Red’, are sure to make easy work of the salad garden. Throw in some vigorous Fidelio flatlead parsley or unusual saltwort Japanese greens for added interest and flavor.

'Yellowbunch' carrots
The bright, uniform ‘Yellowbunch’ Carrot is a sweet new offering for 2016. (Photo care of Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

Unusually colored carrots are becoming more and more popular and Johnny’s ‘Yellowbunch’ Carrot looks like a real winner with its straight, crisp, sweet roots of bright yellow. Other new root crops of interest include the pure white ‘Avalanche’ beet, an AAS Winner with mild, sweet flavor and uniform roots.
This list would not be complete without something sweet. Said to have the highest Brix score (15!) of any other canteloupe, Park’s Select ‘Infinite Gold’ hybrid is bursting with flavor and highly disease resistant. Vines are high-yielding and fruits have very deep orange flesh.
Whether growing greens, tomatoes, or melons—your vegetable garden will only be as good as the soil and nutrients you provide. Give this year’s new offerings and old favorites the best chance possible for success. Feed your soil with quality garden compost, such as Fafard Premium Natural & Organic Compost, or quality manure, such as Fafard Garden Mature Blend. Both will enrich garden soil to the maximum for large fruits and big roots. Feed with a fertilizer formulated for vegetables—we like Black Gold Tomato and Vegetable Fertilizer—and your new garden vegetables will perform to their fullest.

Historical photo of Sakurajima Radish with child
Adventurous gardeners should consider growing the giant ‘Sakurajima’ radish. (Photo care of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds)

New Vegetables for 2015

'Fantastico' grape tomatoes
The compact grape tomato ‘Fantastico’ is a super sweet, high producer that received an AAS award in 2014. (Photo care of AAS Winners)

One of the highlights of the gardening season comes in the depths of winter, with the arrival of new catalogs brimming with enticing new varieties. The following are among the best of the new vegetables for 2015.

Tomatoes

A hybrid of two long-time favorites, ‘Jersey Boy’ produces bright red, half-pound tomatoes that “brilliantly join ‘Brandywine’s sublime sweet-sour tang with ‘Rutgers’ classic rich color, shapeliness, yield and performance.” It debuts in the 2015 Burpee catalog, as does ‘Cloudy Day’, which reputedly bears good crops of 4-ounce fruits even in areas too cool for most tomatoes. 2014 All-America Selection Winner ‘Chef‘s Choice Orange’ wins plaudits for its “deep orange, beefsteak shaped fruits” with “firm, sweet, mild flesh.” They ripen relatively early on tall, 5-foot vines. Smaller in all its parts is another 2014 AAS winner, ‘Fantastico’, which yields 10 or more pounds of rich red, grape-sized tomatoes on compact plants suitable for large containers. For lovers of old-time tomatoes, Johnny’s Selected Seed now offers the Heirloom Collection, a seed mix comprising ‘Brandywine’, ‘Striped German’, ‘Cherokee Purple’, ‘Amish Paste’, and other classics.

Peas

Royal Snow Pea
The new ‘Royal Snow’ snap pea has pretty purple pods and pinkish flowers. (Photo care of Johnny’s Seeds)

New introductions for 2015 also include many veggies from outside the tomato aisle. Among the most notable are two pea varieties from the hand of Dr. Calvin Lamborn, father of the snap pea. The fleshy, 3-inch, deep purple pods of ‘Royal Snow’ make a tasty and ornamental addition to salads and other dishes (and the pink flowers are pretty too). They are also good lightly cooked. Vines of ‘Petite Snap-Greens’ are harvested when young for tossing into salads or using in stir-fries. Both varieties are available from Johnny’s.

Beans

The bush bean ‘Mascotte’ holds its long, slender, tasty pods on stems that rise above the plants’ low, mounded leafage. With its compact habit and long harvest season, it’s perfect for containers (in a fertile, humus-rich growing mix such as Fafard Professional Potting Mix) or narrow garden beds. Its many virtues earned it an AAS award, the first for a bean variety since 1991.

Pumpkins & Squash

Cinderella's Carriage pumpkins with AAS logo
The new ‘Cinderella’s Carriage’ pumpkin is a beautiful deep orange red and very high performing. (Photo care of AAS Winners)

AAS winner ‘Cinderella’s Carriage’ derives its name from the flattened, carriage-ready shape of its large, reddish-orange pumpkins, arrayed on vigorous, powdery-mildew-resistant vines. As many as seven mini-carriages are produced per plant. Similar in shape (but much smaller in size) are the fruits of a new summer squash variety from Burpee, ‘Cupcake’. Their tasty, savory-and-sweet flesh and tender dark green skin suits them for many uses including roasting, grilling, and slicing into stir-fries.

Peppers

A panoply of peppers debut this year. Two AAS winners head the list: zingy-fleshed ‘Giant Ristra’, whose fire-red, 7-inch-long fruits are perfect for stringing into swags or wreaths; and gold-fruited, sweet-flavored ‘Mama Mia Giallo’, which also offers the virtue of a compact plant habit. Its long, conical, often curved peppers are delicious fresh or roasted. Burpee introduces an 8-inch, pale-green Italian frying pepper (‘Long Tall Sally’); an early-fruiting banana type (‘Blazing Banana’); a large, moderately hot, Ancho-Poblano variety with dark glossy skin (‘Big Boss Man’), and a jumbo, foot-long, sweet red Marconi-style selection (‘Thunderbolt’).

'Giant Ristra' hot peppers with AAS logoCucumbers

And of course there are cucumbers. Compact-growing, early-bearing ‘Pick a Bushel’ is a great fit for cooler regions (as well as container gardens), producing basketfuls of cukes early in the season. Firm, flavorful, and sweet, they can be harvested young for pickles or allowed to mature to slicing size. Matures in 55 days from sowing. Fellow AAS winner ‘Saladmore Bush’ offers many of the same virtues, but bears over a longer season on somewhat longer vines.
Bon appetit!

Hot New Vegetables for 2014

Pepper Mama Mia Giallo F1-NotHighRes
The pretty ‘Mama Mia Giallo’ is a new, AAS winning sweet pepper worth growing in 2014. (image care of All-America Selections)

Vegetable gardeners love seed selection time. The seed catalogs are simply brimming with good new things to eat.  New tomatoes and peppers are always at top on my list, with great new melons and squash coming in second, followed by root veggies, brassicas and so on. With seed starting time just around the corner, there’s no better time to get your list together and design those new vegetable beds for 2014.

Blue Gold tomatoes
The beautiful ‘Blue Gold’ tomato is an exciting new slicer from Wild Boar Farms. (Image care of Wild Boar Farms)

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes! There’s never a shortage of great new cultivars to choose from. So where do you start? I always go for flavor and utility (a paste, a cherry and a slicing tomato or two). Good looks are also welcome but only if the fruit has flavor to match.  One great new selection with all the bells and whistles is ‘Blue Gold’, bred by Brad Gates of Wild Boar Farms. The golden-fleshed, medium-sized fruits are flushed with blue-black, and the dense, juicy flesh is said to be sweet with a full tomato flavor. Two other Wild Boar tomatoes I’ll be trying include the super sweet, small fruited ‘Yellow Furry Boar’, which has lovely yellow stripes and fuzzy skin that I know my daughters will love, and the delectable looking ‘Amethyst Cream Cherry’, which bears lots of purple-kissed creamy cherry tomatoes.
Of the new sauce or paste tomatoes, Burpee’s giant ‘SuperSauce’ hybrid is one I cannot resist. Its huge sauce tomatoes are supposed to be bountiful and delicious—just what I need for midsummer sauce canning.

Numex Suave Oranges
‘Numex Suave Orange’ is a milder habanero with fruity flavor and great color. (Image care of The Chile Pepper Institute)

Many new hot and sweet peppers are available this year. Two sweets are on my list: the 2014 AAS winning golden sweet pepper ‘Mama Mia Giallo’, which bears lots of long, golden sweet peppers on compact plants, and the big, blocky, red bell pepper ‘Currier’, which is highly disease resistant. Hot peppers are increasingly popular, and the famed ‘hottest of the hot’ ghost pepper (bhut jolokia) is popping up as a new introduction in practically every seed catalog, but at 20,000 Scoville units it won’t have a place in my child-friendly garden. Instead I plan to grow the relatively mild, orange habanero ‘NUMEX Suave Orange’. This New Mexico State University Chili Pepper Institute introduction is sure to be a winner for hot sauce making.
Romaine lettuce is satisfying to grow, and super crisp dwarf varieties tend to have extra dense, sweet hearts, so I was excited to discover the compact, crispy ‘Dragoon’, offered by Johnny’s Selected Seeds. In addition to good texture and flavor, it boasts resistance to downy mildew and lettuce mosaic virus. Another nice new salad green is arugula ‘Dragon’s Tongue’,  offered by Park Seed, which has spicy, red-veined green leaves.

Tronchuda Biera Kale
‘Tronchuda Biera’ kale is a Portuguese heirloom that stands up to heat. (image care of Renee’s Garden Seeds)

Heart-healthy kale has become more and more popular, and the newer, heat tolerant kale ‘Tronchuda Biera’ is a Portuguese heirloom that gardeners can continue to grow through summer. Offered by Renee’s Garden Seeds, it produces many large, blue-green, paddle-shaped leaves that are said to remain tasty and mild during the summer months when most other kales flag and start to taste bitter.
No garden is complete without root vegetables, and the purple daikon radish ‘KN-Bravo’, also offered by Johnny’s, is a crisp, sweet, eating radish that I can’t wait to harvest. Johnny’s also offers a red, baby beet, aptly named ‘Babybeat’, which looks and sounds delectable for the spring garden.

Pink Porcelain Doll Pupkin pack of seeds
The pinkish ‘Porcelain Doll’ pumpkin is perfect for kids and delicious to eat. (image care of Renee’s Garden Seeds)

We always make space for pumpkins. This year, my girls are very excited about the new pinkish ‘Porcelain Doll’ offered by Renee’s Seeds, among other vendors. Not only are the blocky pumpkins pretty, but their deep orange flesh is said to be great for cooking and pie making. Many of the proceeds also support the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation to cure breast cancer.
Sweet, seedless watermelons are always expensive to buy, so I’ll be growing my own this year. The new, small, seedless, red melon ‘Sorbet’ is a Johnny’s exclusive that looks perfect for my family’s needs. Each vine yields two to three ice-box melons with sweet, crisp fruit.
No garden is complete without zucchini or summer squash; the golden, round ‘Summer Ball’ looks cute and tasty. The space-saving, compact bush squash is offered by Harris Seeds and looks ideal for stuffing.
These are but a few of the great new vegetable offerings for 2014. And before planting any of them, I will be sure to amend the garden soil with Fafard Premium Organic Compost. It’s the best way to give vegetables a great start each year.

Yellow Furry Boar Tomato
‘Yellow Furry Boar’ is a fuzzy yellow striped tomato with exceptional sweetness. (image care of Wild Boar Farms)

Amethyst Cream Cherry Tomatoes
The unique ‘Amethyst Cream Cherry’ is a lovely new cherry tomato. (image care of Wild Boar Farms)