Christmas only comes once a year, but gardeners have many reasons to celebrate.
Plant breeders have not been idle. This season, they have introduced many new vegetable cultivars for you to grow in the gardens.
I am indebted to the All America Selections Committee and to the National Garden Bureau for providing this information. They have top-notch professionals who evaluate these introductions so you and I don't have to.
Because these cultivars have just been introduced, I have not grown any of them. But like most gardeners, I am always willing to try something new.
This is only a small sample of what is new. Every season, hundreds of new cultivars might be introduced. Like the latest fashions, new books, music and movies, not all are hits. Some fade quickly, but there are some that are favorites for generations.
Here are seven kinds of peppers and three kinds of tomatoes, as well as eggplant, beans, gourds, lettuce, squash, watermelon and basil.
The first AAS winner is Pepper "Cajun Belle." One feature that caught my eye was that this showed no disease problems in the AAS trial grounds. The pepper flavor is described as sweet and savory, and they look like small bell peppers — about 2 inches by 3 inches — with three or four lobes.
A big advantage for Utah gardeners is that you can pick mature green peppers 60 days after transplanting. If you leave them on the plant, the fruit will change color from green to scarlet and then red. Judges were impressed with the high yield and compact nature of the plants.
Watermelon F1 Hybrid "Shiny Boy" is the second AAS Vegetable Award Winner. It won honors because of its sweet tropical flavor and crisp texture.
It has red flesh and dark seeds in fruits that have a striped skin. They are globe shaped and can reach 20 pounds or more.
Breeders selected these vigorous, disease tolerant plants because they tolerate severe weather yield very well.
The plants mature in about 75 days from transplanting or 90 days from seed. They grow well in any area with warm summers. If you want to direct seed the melons, make certain the soil temperature is at least 75°F. Plant them 8-12 feet apart in the garden in full sun.
The other new pepper varieties seem to lean toward the heat. Pepper F1 Burning Bush "Chichen Itza" is an early maturing hybrid habanero-type, maturing in 85 days from transplanting. This is 15-25 days earlier than open-pollinated habaneros.
The orange fruits weigh about 2 ounces and are more mild than open-pollinated habaneros.
If the Burning Bush "Chichen Itza" is not hot enough for you, try Pepper "Naga Jolokia." It holds the Guinness World Records designation as the world's hottest chili pepper. Buy some rubber gloves to handle this one. It has small elongated lime-green fruits that ripen to orangey red and are 2 to 21/2 inches long.
Three bell-pepper types also made the list. Pepper F1 "Chablis" has white to orange to scarlet red fruits. Pepper F1 "Classic" is a thick-walled green to red bell type that produces near-greenhouse-quality fruit on garden plants. Pepper F1 "Pinot Noir" changes from light green when young to red and to purple.
Others include Pepper F1 "Key West," a hybrid sweet Cubanelle pepper with a mild sweet flavor and crunchy texture.
Pepper F1 "Tiny Bells Orange, Red, Yellow" produces exceptionally sweet cone-shaped fruit in three different colors. It is very ornamental, and the peppers are edible.
Tomato F1 "Marmara" has smooth, ridged, green shoulders, sweet flavor and good texture.
The plant is indeterminate, so it is best grow it with support. Tomato F1 "Sweet 'n' Neat Cherry Red" is a dwarf determinate multi-branching tomato that is best suited for container growing.
Tomato F1 "Sweet Treats" is an interesting, large-fruited, pink cherry tomato with a delicious flavor. Plants grow to 6 feet tall. It takes 105-120 days from sowing seed, so grow it in the warmer areas.
The others that made the list are Basil F1 "Aristotle," Pole bean "Trionfo Violetto," Eggplant F1 "Ivory," Gourd "Bule Blister," Lettuce "Skyphos" and Squash F1 "Quantum."
The names are intriguing, and so is the produce.
Whether you prefer to stick with your old favorites or whether you want something new, you'll miss out on some tasty eating if you don't get your garden planted. Mark your calendar, get your seeds, and get to work, because none of these seeds are going to grow themselves.
Larry A. Sagers is a horticulture specialist for the Utah State University Extension Service at Thanksgiving Point.
Red Butte Garden will train volunteers March, 27, April 10 and April 24, 10 a.m.-noon. To learn more about becoming an ambassador for the garden, call 801-585-5688 for more information.
Thanksgiving Point is offering a rose pruning workshop on March 27, 11a.m.-2 p.m. Come prepared with coat, hat, leather gloves and pruners. Cost is $15. Call 801-768-7443 to register.
Wasatch Community Gardens is offering a raised-beds workshop on March 26, 2-4 p.m. at the Salt Lake Community College's Redwood Road campus. Cost is $10. To register or for more information, log on to www.wasatchgardens.org.