Choosing the Right Vegetable Varieties for North Dakota
Hello to all!
We received a small amount of snow this past week. The high temperature for the past week ranged from 11 to 28 degrees Fahrenheit with an average of 22 degrees Fahrenheit. That average is 10 degrees lower than the 32 degrees Fahrenheit average we should be having.
For those of you interested in horticulture, an in person virtual meeting series will take place at the County Courthouse on March 21, 28, and April 4 and 11, 2021 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Please preregister by calling the extension office at 701-797-3312 or e-mailing jeff.stachler@ndsu.edu. This is will be an excellent horticulture series!
Now that we are a little less than two weeks away from spring, It is time to start thinking about gardening and purchasing seeds.
One of the most important steps to having a successful garden is choosing the correct variety. One way to choose a variety is by asking a long-term gardener. Another way to choose the correct variety is to consult the North Dakota State University Home Garden Variety Trials. These trials have been going on since 2008 with over 200 gardeners participating each year. Last year 307 gardeners participated in the program with results from 1,229 variety trials. To obtain the results from this research since 2008 you can consult the following website: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/homegardenvarietytrials/results .
When choosing a variety you should take into account early maturity, the flavor of the variety, resistance to diseases, productivity, and whether it is widely adapted.
I will now go through and tell you what the recommended varieties are from this research for some key vegetables. To see the full list of vegetable varieties visit the following website: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/homegardenvarietytrials/documents/recommendations2022.pdf .
The best bush type green beans are Annihilator, Antigua, Bush Blue Lake 274, Crockett, Derby, Espada, Inspiration, Jade II, Lewis, Maxibel, Pike, Provider, Purple Queen Improved, Royal Burgundy, Serengeti, and Strike.
The best super sweet sweet corn varieties include American Dream, Anthem XR, Catalyst, Enchanted, and Xtra-Tender 274A. The best sugary enhanced varieties include Ambrosia, Bodacious RM, Delectable, Luscious, Peaches and Cream, Sugar Buns, and Temptation. The best synergistic sweet corn varieties include Allure, Cuppa Joe, Honey Select, and Sweetness.
The best pickling cucumbers are Alibi, Calypso, Eureka, Homemade Pickles, and H-19 Little Leaf. The best slicing cucumbers have been Dasher II, Diva, Fanfare, General Lee, Green Light, Mercury, Muncher, Orient Express II, Raceway, Raider, Salad Bush, Silver Slicer, Straight Eight, Summer Dance, Sweet Slice, Sweet Success, and Tasty Green.
The best leaf lettuce varieties include Bergam’s Green, Cervanek, Deer Tongue, Merlot, New Red Fire, Red Sails, Red Salad Bowl, Red Velvet, Royal Oakleaf, Slobolt, Starfighter, and Tropicana.
The best shelling pea varieties include Early Frosty, Green Arrow, Knight, Lincoln, Little Marvel, Maestro Improved, and Wando. The best snap pea varieties include Sugar Ann, and Super Sugar Snap. The best snow peas include Avalanche, Oregon Giant, Oregon Sugar Pod II, and Sweet Horizon.
The best bell peppers include Bell Boy, Early Sunsation, Jupiter, New Ace, North Star and Orange Blaze.
The best potato varieties include Dark Red Norland, Kennebec, Peter Wilcox, Purple Viking, Red Gold, Satina, Superior, Yukon Gem, and Yukon Gold.
The best cherry tomatoes have been Juliet, SunSugar, Supersweet 100, Sweet Baby Girl, and Yellow Pear. The best fresh market tomato varieties have been Big Beef, Bush Early Girl, Celebrity, Early Girl, Goliath, and Mountain Fresh Plus. The best paste tomato varieties include Roma VF, and Viva Italia. The best heirloom varieties have been Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Striped German, Stupice, and Wisconsin 55.
The list of seed companies are included on this varietal list so you can find the best varieties.
For more information about gardening, contact the Griggs County Extension office at 701-797-3312. Have a fun time looking at the seed catalogs and purchasing your seeds.
