New Fruits and Vegetables for Gardeners to Try - February 21, 2025

If you are a gardener, you probably have some favorite plants that you grow year after year. But you might also like to try new plants sometimes. Gardening expert Jessica Demiano recently reported for the Associated Press about one way to find new plants that might appeal to growers. Each year, the independent nonprofit organization, all America selections, or AAS, enlists more than 80 horticultural professionals from around the United States and Canada to serve as Plant Trial Judges. Their job is to grow the new plants side by side with currently available varieties. The group then compares plant performance, time to reach full growth, flower or fruit size, disease resistance, and other qualities important to home gardeners. When the results are gathered, the best plants are named AAS winners for the following year, in time for their launch on the market. For 2025, 20 plants have been named National or Local Winners. Seven of them are edible plants, meaning they can be eaten. Here are the new kinds of edible plants that some gardeners might be interested in. Two of the winners received the honor under the regional or local identification. The basal pediment of the Great Lakes and Heartland regions was noted for its strong resistance to disease, especially that of the fungus called Downey Mildew. The experts also favored its strong smell, classic flavor, and refined habit. Harvested plants keep for a long period, the judges said. The dense bushy plant also was honored for strong growth and health, even in difficult growing conditions. Garden genetics and seeds by design produced the new plant. Tomato Tonotico F1 of the Mountain Southwest and Northeast regions also was a winner. Judges praised the taste, texture, yield, disease resistance, and reduced fruit cracking and splitting of this cherry tomato. Tonotico also was noted for its strongly attached, uniform fruit clusters that were easy to remove at harvest time. The fruit was created or bred by Bijo USA. The cauliflower Murasaki Fioretto 70 F1 is among the five winners in the national class. Murasaki translates to purple in Japanese. This cauliflower has bright purple flowers as well as lawn soft stems. The experts said the plant matures or reaches full growth early and is easy to harvest. It does not have a strong flavor and would make a beautiful purple food to serve raw or uncooked. It will turn to a fuchsia color in vinegar and golden brown when lightly cooked. Tokita seed America bred the plant. Winner Col Robby Constance F1 is also a purple plant. Judges said it grew well in both spring and fall. It produced crack resistant lawn-lasting bulbs with smooth, bright skin. It also offers a longer harvest period than other varieties and tasty leaves. Bijo seeds is the breeder. The winning Pepper Pick and Pop Yellow F1 was noted for outstanding resistance to bacterial leaf spot disease. Judges also found that the plant produced sweet yellow small peppers throughout the growing season. The company Summonis Home Garden was the breeder. Squash Green Lightning F1 was praised for its small seed cavity. This results in more edible flesh from each fruit. Green Lightning lived up to its name in the trials, judges said. They noted how quickly it reached maturity. One judge said this entry not only looked better but also tasted better than the comparison. Adding it looked good enough to use as a decoration. The judge said the squash's flavor, when cooked, stood up to added seasonings. Green Lightning was bred by Joseph Stern and marketed by Pan American Seed. Another winner, Squash Thriller F1, was noted for its unusual color-changing quality. Judges also said it was easy to grow. The plants produce 1 to 2 pound fruits with bright orange, green, and white ridged lines that change color as they mature. Sakata America bred the Squash Thriller. I'm Katie Weaver.