University of Vermont Extension
Department of Plant and Soil Science
Winter News
Article
NEW VEGETABLES
FOR 2011
Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension
Professor
University of Vermont
Each year, the best of the new vegetables
are chosen as winners by the All-America Selections program after
trialing
across North America. They must
represent either a totally new variety, or one improved in some way
over an existing
one. There are three winning vegetables
for 2011, including a pumpkin and two tomatoes.
‘Hijinks’ pumpkin has small fruits,
6 to 7 pounds and about 7 inches across.
They are great for kids, especially for decorating or carving. The
mature fruit are a deep orange, with noticeable
grooves vertically, and strong stems to serve as handles (even
though it is
generally best not to pick up pumpkins by the stems but rather by
the fruit
itself). Some advantages of this new
cultivar (cultivated variety) are its high yields of uniform size
fruit,
resistance to powdery mildew disease, and the easy removal of fruit
from plants
with the stems still attached.
‘Hijinks’ matures in about 100 days
(depending on season) from sowing seeds, earlier than some other
pumpkins. Since a mature plant can spread up to 15 feet
across, allow plenty of room when planting.
If planting in rows, leave 10 feet between rows, and space plants 2
to 3
feet apart in the row. If only planting
a couple hills, space these 10 feet or more apart. Either sow
outside after the last usual
frost, or start a couple weeks before this date indoors in either
peat or paper
pots that can be planted directly in the garden.
‘Lizzano’ tomato is a red,
cherry-fruited and semi-determinate type.
Its main attraction over others is that it is the first of its type
to
tolerate the late blight disease. This
is the disease so prevalent and devastating in some years and
locations. Other
traits making this a winner include a good flavor, abundant fruits
(about an
inch wide) over a long period, and good plant habit.
Its low-growing and trailing habit make it a
good choice for patio planters or hanging baskets. Whether in a
container or in the garden, some
staking will help (such as a tomato cage) even though it is compact
compared to
many. Mature plants of ‘Lizzano’ may
reach about 20 inches high and wide under good conditions, so space
about this
far apart if planting several in the garden.
Sow indoors in mid-spring for planting outside after the last
frost. It begins fruiting about 2 months
after transplanting.
‘Terenzo’
tomato is another red cherry type, with fruits a little over an inch
wide,
similar to ‘Tumbling Tom Red’. It is a
“tumbler” type—low growing and trailing, so perfect for hanging
baskets or in
patio planters. This is a determinate
type, forming a bush up to 20 inches high and wide. Other winning
points are
that the fruit are quite sweet, produced abundantly over a long
period, are
easy to pick, and resist cracking. As
with ‘Lizzano’, sow indoors in mid-spring for planting outside after
the last
frost. It too begins fruiting about 2
months after transplanting, perhaps a few days sooner than
‘Lizzano’.
Photos of these, and more
All-America Selections winners in both vegetables and flowers, can
be found
online (www.all-americaselections.org). Other recent vegetable
winners include
‘Cajun Belle’ sweet pepper and the globe ‘Shiny Boy’ watermelon.
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