Champion Veggies

Last hour our champions were prestigious All America Selection Flower Winners. This hour we continue with another six more vegetable winners that join the ranks in the 595 Award Winners since 1933. They medal winners include 323 AAS Flowers, 255 AAS Vegetables and 17 Bedding Plant Award Winners. I moved the first winner in with the edible crops. I know technically most gardeners are not going to raise it as a food plant but it has a nice comfortable placing with the other vegetables. 'Chilly Chili' is heralded as the first family-friendly ornamental pepper with exceptional garden performance. The bright colorful fruits are as showy as any flower. As the name implies, it has non-pungent fruit. Having had children who got into the hot peppers in the garden with disastrous results, this appeals to me. The "heat" was intentionally bred out of these peppers, which makes them perfect for households with children who like to explore their environment. The fruit change color from yellow to orange and matures at red. The plants grow about a foot tall and spread 6-10 inches. The petite 2 inch peppers make clever ornamental garnishes on salads. 'Magical Michael' basil plants are uniform and reliably 15 inches tall and 16-17 inches wide. It outdistanced the completion because is this uniformity is rare in sweet basil plants. The lush aromatic, green leaves can be harvested within 30 days of transplanting and are rich in essential oils for cooking. The small flowers are a curiosity since the calices are purple and corollas white. These flowers are attractive and edible and can be used for a garnish, adding color to any salad. The improved qualities of 'Diva' cucumber means the fruit will be sweet, non-bitter with a crisp texture when harvested at 4 to 5 inches. It produces all female flowers and does not require pollen to set fruit. It is normally seedless, although a few seeds grow if pollinated by other cucumbers. These traits give the plant points because it produces such high yields. Expect mature cukes in about 58 days from sowing seed in warm soil. 'Orange Smoothie' pumpkins. Two pumpkins were selected as 2002 AS Vegetable Award winners. The dark orange, smooth skin is ideal for painting Halloween faces. The pumpkins weigh in at 5 to 8 pounds and have strong, long handles. This makes them perfect for young hands to cart around. Parents will particularly appreciate the strong handles because having deal with this with my own teary-eyed children, I will tell you there is no way to glue a stem back on a pumpkin. 'Orange Smoothie' pumpkins mature early, in about 90 days from sowing seed. Another benefit is the semi-determinate habit requiring less space in the garden. This next winner’s name may have caused some controversy early on as some might have thought it was trying capitalize on recent movie popularity. In the garden it was a certain winner and walked or at least “vined” away with a 2002 AAS Vegetable Award. 'Sorcerer' is a full sized pumpkin, weighing 15 to 22 pounds but produced on a compact vine spreading only 10 feet. The dark orange pumpkins are a deep round shape sporting strong, long handles. 'Sorcerer' pumpkins mature in about 100 days from sowing seed. The plants will set many fruits making them an excellent, high yielding choice for the garden. 'Sorcerer' can be grown using normal pumpkin culture. Pumpkins can be carved, painted or used for pie filling. The last but not least winner to make an appearance at the medal plaza is 'Cornell's Bush Delicata' squash. If you have never tasted a Delicata squash, this is the one to grow to eat. The orange flesh color means it is rich in Vitamin A. The sweet flesh is fine textured without coarse strings. Butter and brown sugar are optional when eating this squash because it is so sweet. Cornell's Bush Delicata' squash has a long shelf life, meaning you can enjoy eating the squash into the winter months. They take about 100 days from sowing to harvest. These winners are available from many seed companies and from some local growers. Mountain Valley Seeds (wholesale only) in Salt Lake supplies many local outlets so check with your favorite suppler for availability. You can also log on to http://www.all-americaselections.org/seedsources/ for mail order companies supplying the above-mentioned varieties.