Dennis’ Favorite Summer Vegetable Varieties From Seed By Dennis Morgeson Washington County Agent For Horticulture
Detroit Dark Red Beet
55 days. The most popular, old standard, all-purpose red beet; uniform and smooth, blood red flesh that is sweet and tasty. 14� tops make good greens. Heirloom variety introduced 1892.
Burpee's Golden Beet
Sweet, mild flavor with an inviting gold color.
Full Description
HEIRLOOM. A color breakthrough! When we introduced this savory golden beet in the 1940s, it won over gardeners who wanted a beet with a sweeter, milder flavor. Others just loved the inviting gold color. Globes reach 2" across.
Chioggia Gaurdsmark
Improved strain of Chioggia. The smooth, medium-height tops are all green with pinkstriped stems. Excellent flavor.
Vates Collard 75 days- In the 1950's, this strain was praised as a "new dwarf strain," longstanding and heat-resistant, like all collards. Winter-hardy to the mid-Atlantic, producing a crop into very cold autumn weather. These make super healthy and delicious cooked greens.
CHAMPION COLLARD
Slow-bolting Vates selection. Selected from the popular Vates variety for a more compact plant. Same rich, dark green color with long, broad, wavy, tender leaves. Not as uniform or as high yielding as our hybrid varieties.
Straight Eight Cucumber A cucumber superstar, this classic has excellent flavor and is widely adapted. Full Description This heirloom, All-America Selections winner is a cuke for all seasons. Pick when 8" long for top flavor. For perfect cukes, grow them on a fence or our space-saving Trellis Netting. Sow seeds 6" apart in rows, or plant 5 or 6 seeds in groups (hills) 4 to 5' apart.
Diva Cucumber ď ľ
An AAS Winner! You'll enjoy the sweet, non-bitter, crisp fruits of this high-yielding slicing cucumber. Its glossy, bright green skins are spineless and very tender, particularly when harvested at 4 to 6 inches. The allfemale flowers don't require pollen to set fruit, so yields are higher and fruits are nearly seedless. The 5 to 6 foot vines bear at nearly every node and non-bitter foliage is unattractive to cucumber beetles. Resists Scab and has tolerance to Powdery and Downy mildews. 2002 AAS Winner.
Tasty Green 62 days. The incredibly tender skin on this favorite burpless Cuke is an inky-green with faint ridges, and the flesh is crisp, juicy, and delicious! The fruit is 12 inches long, arising on vigorous vines that are reistant to Powdery Mildew and tolerant of Downy Mildew. A favorite for taste!Direct-sow seeds in a sunny spot after all danger of frost is past, or start indoors and transplant when the first true leaf appears. Cucumbers can be allowed to grow on the ground, but for longer, straighter fruit and to save garden space, grow them in a cage or on a trellis, allowing 1 foot between plants. Keep them well-watered, and keep the fruits picked promptly. Pkt is 30 seeds.
Armenian
Highly ribbed oriental. Full Description Heavily ribbed, light green cukes with mild, sweet taste. The fruit grows very long and is best eaten when 24" long and less than 2 1/2" across.
Black Beauty Eggplant HEIRLOOM. From 1902, it remains a standard worldwide for large-fruited black eggplant. Full Description Over 100 years old, this 1902 Burpee introduction was an immediate hit because the plants ripened perfect fruits dramatically earlier than other varieties. It became the common market eggplant of today. Harvested fresh, however, makes all the difference
Eggplant Millionaire Purple Hybrid One of the most popular Oriental varieties. Long slender fruits grow up to 12 inches long with a 1 1/2 inch diameter and have smooth, tender skin of glossy, dark purplish-black. The creamy flesh is nearly seedless with a very small seed cavity and has delicious flavor that makes it great for stir fries and other dishes. Upright plants grow 24 to 30 inches tall and are very productive.
Fairy Tale Hybrid ď ľ
All-America Selections winner. Tender, plump and sweet, these luscious-looking mini marvels are little jewels of delicious creamy flavor. The short, slender fruits make tasty conversation pieces, with their beautifully marbled purple and white tones. In clusters of six fruits, the mini eggplants 45" x 1" grow on prolifically branching compact plants. Perfect for growing in containers.
Royal Burgundy
The brilliant purple, 5" pods are eyecatching at market, easy to spot when harvesting, and add stunning color to salads when used raw. The pods do turn green when cooked. Upright plants are dark green with a purple tinge. Buff-colored seeds. Organically grown. Avg. 1,500 seeds/lb. Packet: 175 seeds.
Jade Bush Green Bean 60 days from seed to harvest. This is the original Jade bean now off patent. The Jade green bean features long, round, straight bean seed pods with excellent color and flavor. Holds color through shipping and storage. A strong, upright bush habit holds pods above the ground which reduces curling and tip rot. Ressists: BV, BRV, CTV.
Roma II Bush Green Bean Up to 60 days. The Roma II is a high yielding, widely adapted, bush Roman bean with pods resembling those of the traditional pole Romano. It’s upright bush and concentrated set make mechanical or hand harvesting easy. The Roma II bean seeds and fiber developed provide optimum eating quality over a longer period. Resists BV.
Espada
(PVP) When it comes to flavor, high yields and disease resistance it's hard to beat Espada. You'll pick loads of slender, dark green 6 inch pods that retain flavor whether used fresh, cooked or frozen. Vigorous, long-bearing plants have resistance to common and NY 15 strains of Bean Common Mosaic Virus, as well as Halo Blight (race 2) and Anthracnose. Highly recommended for home garden and local fresh market. White seeded.
Golden Wax
Delicious buttery flavor. Full Description Growing on an upright bush, bright yellow, stringless pods of 4-5" are easy to spot among green foliage. Delicious buttery flavor. Certified Organic Seed.
Favorites Rattlesnake Poll Green Bean Incredibly productive, versatile and pretty, too. Dark green, 7 to 8 inch stringless pods are streaked and mottled with purple rattlesnake markings. The tender pods have a delectable flavor whether eaten fresh, canned, frozen or left to dry for soups. Vigorous vines grow up to 10 feet tall and are tolerant to heat, humidity and drought. Light buff colored seeds
Fordhook 242 Bush Lima Heat-resistant plants thrive in adverse conditions. Full Description All-America Selections winner. This Burpee bred bean is heat-resistant and thrives in adverse conditions. The heavy yields of 4" pods with 3-5 large beans each are excellent for freezing. Proven tops for productivity, flavor and wide adaptability. Bush varieties mature earlier than pole limas and don't need support.
Favorites Midnight Black Turtle Soup Dry Bean For spicy soups, stews, and refrying. The best variety of this Latin favorite, Midnight is an improved, uprightgrowing, black bean strain. The tall bush keeps the pods off the ground. Small black beans, about the size of pea beans
Favorites Christmas Lima Poll Dry Bean Highly productive and flavorful, even during hot weather. Pods contain quarter-sized, creamywhite beans speckled and swirled with maroon. Rich, buttery flavor is excellent and holds well for canning and freezing.
Purple Hull Pink Eye Cowpea
70 days. The preferred variety of many Southerners; delicious flavor. Hulls are purple; an old favorite.
Winter Squash Pink Banana Jumbo 115 days. Recommended by USU. Fruits can get 4 feet long and 1 foot across and weight 70 pounds. Smooth pink-orange skin with sweet yellow/orange, fine-grained flesh.
Summer Squash Early Prolific Straight Neck 52 days. AAS Winner. Uniform, lemon-yellow, slightly rough, club-shaped fruits are generously produced on vigorous, semi-open plants. Harvest when 4 to 7 inches long. Approx. 320 seeds/oz.
Delta Hybrid Yellow Crookneck Squash
Bright, creamy-yellow, uniform fruits are produced early. Dense, bush-type plants yield copious amounts of crookneck fruits. If the beautiful yellow color of this squash isn't enough, the mild flavor, and tender texture is sure to win you over. Plus, it is resistant to Powdery Mildew.
Zucchini Black Beauty
62 days. Dark-green, glossy fruits are long, straight and slender. Firm, very tender, and has good flavor. Approx. 230 seeds/oz.
Gold Easypick Hybrid Zucchini Easy to grow, easy to pick and an easy choice for your favorite zucchini recipes. The open bush habit of this summer squash along with a lack of prickles on the stems lets you pick without getting pricked by a simple twist, and fruits will be smooth without scarring. The brightly colored, straight zucchinis have smooth texture and delicious, mild flavor that makes them perfect for fresh-eating, stir-fries, grilled or any other way you choose to use them. Productive plants 3 to 4 1/2 feet high provide continuous yields.
Latino Hybrid Summer Squash Romanesco summer squash - a flavor favorite. This Italian-style zucchini has green striped fruits with distinctive ridges that make star-shaped slices when cut. The creamy-green, crisp flesh is very flavorful with a hint of nuttiness. A top-pick by creative cooks for any recipe using summer squash. The slender fruits are at their prime when picked at 6 to 9 inches. The highly productive plants have a compact, erect, open plant habit for easy picking and saving space.
Delicata Winter Squash 100 days. This is one of the tastier winter squashes with creamy pulp that tastes a bit like sweet potatoes, hence the other common name, 'Sweet Potato Squash'. Elongated fruit are 7 to 10 inches long, pale cream in color with green stripes and flecks. Thinner skin than some other winter squashes reduces the storage potential to about a month, but oh what flavor!
Winter Squash Vegetable Spaghetti
80-100 days. Recommended by USU. Harvest when 8 to 10 inches long. Spaghetti-like pulp can be removed easily with a fork after boiling in shell for about 30 minutes. Also bakes well. Approx. 190 seeds/oz.
Pumpkin Howden
115 days. Uniform 15 to 25 pound, deep round, symmetrical fruits with a thick, hard, richorange shell and extra-thick flesh for fine Jack O' Lanterns. Stores well. Approx. 200 seeds/oz.
Pumpkin Connecticut Field
110 days. Standard heirloom carving pumpkin for generations. Large, 18 pound, deep orange pumpkins with thick flesh and flattened bottoms. A great favorite for pies and Jack O' Lanterns. Approx. 200 seeds/oz.
Pumpkin CINDERELLA (ROUGE VIF D'ESTAPES)
95 to 150 days. Kids love this antique french heirloom pumpkin. Flatter than regular pumpkins and darker of color, this is the classic 'Cinderella's Coach' pumpkin. Red-orange fruits average 6 inches tall and 18 inches across with very deep sutures. Very decorative, but a little hard to carve because of the deep sutures. One of the best baking pumpkins, the sweet thick flesh has a better flavor than most carving types. It is reported as having been the variety the pilgrims cultivated and served at the second Thanksgiving dinner
Okra Clemson Spineless
55 days. AAS Winner. 6 inch, slightly tapered and ribbed pods on a 3 foot tall plant. Protect from frost. Best when picked young. Fine quality and prolific.
Carmine Splendor Hybrid
High yields and a novel color! Stalky, upright plants produce loads of five-pointed deep red fruits. Color lightens as the fruit matures and turns green when cooked. Harvest the uniform fruits in mid to late summer.
Sweet Corn Honey Select
79 days. AAS Winner for 2001. TripleSweet速 variety produces ears which are 75% (se) and 25% (sh2). About 8 inches long. Plant height about 72 inches. Does not require isolation from other corns. Longer harvest time without loss of eating quality. Sweet corn doesn't get any better than this
Sweet Corn Serendipity
This bicolor TripleSweetŽ corn produces high quality 8 inch ears with 16 to 18 rows of sugar enhanced kernels. Serendipity corn offers unsurpassed eating enjoyment and a long shelf life.
Sweet Corn Avalon (se/sh2) If you've never tried white sweet corn, grow Avalon. There's something truly gourmet about the flavor and quality of the white kernels. Ears average over 8 inches long with 16 rows of pure eating pleasure.
Cuppa Joe Hybrid (se/sh2) Get a boost in early sweet corn harvest from 'Cuppa Joe'! The 8 to 8-1/2 inch ears are filled with 16 rows of sweet, tender kernels with excellent eating quality for an early maturing variety. Tolerant to Common Rust and Stewart's Wilt. Perfect for both home gardeners and fresh market growers.
Tomato Better Boy 70 days. Consistently produces large 12 to 16 ounce, red, deep globe shaped fruit. Better Boy is a favorite among many gardeners and is especially favored by those in warmer climates for its tolerance to heat. Indeterminate, heavy yielding vines. V, F, N.
Tomato Pink Brandywine
90 days. Heirloom tomato of a beefsteak type. Produces large (up to 1 pound) pink fruits. Well known for its excellent, exotic flavor. Soft texture, rough shoulders, and creamy smooth flesh. Indeterminate habit.
Tomato Pineapple
75-95 days. Large beefsteak fruit up to 2 lbs., yellow skin color streaked with red at blossom end , pink streaks radiate throughout the yellow flesh, few seeds, pretty sliced, excellent mild flavor. Indeterminate.
Tomato Big Beef (VFFNTASt) - Where's the beef? It's all in this beefsteak type tomato. One slice fits a sandwich, and the flavor has just the right balance of sugars and acids. Fruits are deep red, smooth-skinned, meaty and juicy with an average weight of 9 oz. to 1 lb. Indeterminate vines have excellent disease resistance resulting in yields nearly double that of other beefsteak varieties.
Tomato Super Sauce It's SuperSauce! The new tomato superhero. A whole lot bigger, a whole lot better, a Roma with aroma. Weighing in at 2 lb., a whopping 5.5" tall x 5" wide, SuperSauce produces gallons of luscious, seedless sauce from a single plant harvest - one tomato fills an entire sauce jar. Very few people in the gardening world consider a paste tomato for anything other than making paste or sauce. SuperSauce also makes a superlative salad tomato; it's perfect for a meaty and tasty hamburger slice too. Indeterminate, disease-free plants yield a summer-long supply of the exquisitely flavored marinara, tomato gravy or meat sauce plus plenty for salads and slicing. SuperSauce takes 7-12 days to germinate.
Parks Whopper
65 days from setting out transplants. Indeterminate. The original Whopper was an American classic, and its successor is simply the home gardener's dream tomato: greater disease resistance, higher yields, a longer season, and better taste! These big, juicy, crack-resistant tomatoes, 4 inches or more across, ripen uniformly (even when the weather is overcast!) and finish 5 days sooner than the old Whopper. Then they keep right on coming in huge quantities until frost -- none of your smaller, greener end-of-season fruits here! And because they're meatier, you get even more succulent tomato flavor in every slice! Resistant to Verticillium Wilt, Root Knot Nematodes, Tobacco Mosaic Virus, and 2 strains of Fusarium Wilt.
German Johnson A parent line that gave rise to the illustrious Mortgage Lifter. Large lobed fruits with pinkish-red skin. Full Description Originally grown in West Virginia, this heirloom was one of the parent lines for another cherished heirloom: the legendary Mortgage Lifter. With pinkish-red skin and nearly seedless meaty, mild flesh, the large, lobed fruits weigh 3/4-1 1/2 lb. A favorite variety for slicing or canning. The disease-resistant, indeterminate vines thrive in hot, humid areas.
Kentucky Beefsteak
80-90 days. An enormous, luminescent orange beefsteak from the "Bluegrass State." The flavor is superbly sweet, mild and fruity. A wonderful tomato for market growers; can grow up to 2 lbs. This heirloom was collected from Eastern Kentucky.
Big Bertha Bell Pepper Huge peppers are 6 to 7 inches long by 4 inches wide, 3 to 4 lobed with thick, meaty walls. Harvest when glossy green or after they have turned deep bright red. The productive plants are 25 to 30 inches tall. Resistant to TMV.
Pepper Red Knight
Get a jump on the season with a large, early, greento-red pepper. Big, blocky, thick-walled, and turns red early. Fruity and sweet. Widely adapted. High resistance to bacterial leaf spot races 1-3, potato virus Y, and tobacco mosaic virus
Mucho Nacho Jalapeno A fatter, thicker and hotter jalapeno. Produces loads of jumbo fruits 4 inches long, up to an inch longer than other jalapenos. Usually used green, maturing to red. Vigorous, high-yielding, disease resistant plants set fruits about a week earlier than is typical of jalapenos.
Yummy Sweet Pepper Cook's Garden Favorite. These bright orange mini-bells are as sweet as apples. Loads of elongated, 3 inch fruit mature quickly on upright plants, providing plenty for eating out of hand and more for quick salads and stuffed appetizers. Our pick for sweet, full flavor and crisp, juicy texture. They also make delicious pickled peppers.
Sweet Banana Pepper Bananarama ď ľ
If you like banana peppers, you'll love this hybrid whopper. It produces much bigger peppers on much smaller plants. Each fruit is 2" longer and an amazing 30% meatier than the peppers on Sweet Banana. The fruits are 8" long and more a truly giant pepper. They start yellow and mature orangered, so you can pick them at any stage you like. Great for pickles, salads or grilling.
Pablano/Ancho Pepper Called Ancho when dried, Poblano when fresh. This is one of the most popular peppers grown in Mexico. Plants grow to 2 1/2 ft. tall. Fully ripened, red fruits are much hotter and flavorful than the earlier picked green ones. Days to maturity are from time plants are set in garden. For transplants add 810 weeks.
Swiss Chard Bright Lights This vibrant Swiss chard brings pizzazz to the table with its stems of many colors. Used fresh it's a delightful garnish or colorful addition to the salad bowl and lightly cooked it has an improved mild chard flavor. Begin harvesting the vitaminrich greens in 4 to 5 weeks and let them grow back for repeated enjoyment. 1998 AAS Winner.
Tomayo R Hybrid Salsa
The size of the fruits will amaze you. This is one of the largest-fruited tomatillos we have ever seen! The tall, vigorous plants produce big yields of the bright green, husk-covered fruits which are widely used in Mexican cooking and salsas. Harvest when the fruit is plump and their papery husk splits. Fruits will store for 2 to 4 weeks when refrigerated. Grow like tomatoes, starting seed indoors 4 to 6 weeks before transplanting outdoors. Easily grown and widely adapted to all areas of the U.S.
For melon varieties and how to grow them come to the Wheelbarrow Series Class On Growing Magnificent Melons on April 26th. You will get several packs of seed!
Questions?