The mild weather that rang in the New Year has gardeners itching to get out their trowels, but we know this mild weather can\u2019t last. Which makes this a perfect time to plan the spring garden! Each season, plant breeders tempt us with new, better, healthier and unique new spins on familiar crops. Here\u2019s a look at what\u2019s new for vegetable gardeners in 2005.<\/p>\n
Bean \u2018Fortex\u2019 is a large, 6-11 inch long French type stringless pole bean. 75 days. (Burpee)<\/p>\n
Bean \u2018Italian Rose\u2019 bears an abundance of marbled rose and cream colored, flat pods. 70 days. (Burpee)<\/p>\n
Carrot \u2018Cosmic Purple\u2019 is a bright orange carrot with a reddish-purple skin that packs sweet flavor in a 6-8 inch tapered root. 68 days. (Jung Seeds)<\/p>\n
Carrot \u2018Purple Dragon\u2019 is similar, a light-yellow center surrounded by a reddish-purple skin. 68 days. (Burpee)<\/p>\n
Cucumber \u2018Eureka\u2019 is an all-purpose type, harvest baby cukes for pickling or larger cukes for slicing. 57 days. (Park Seed)<\/p>\n
Cucumber \u2018Sweeter Yet\u2019 is an 8 inch long, mild burpless slicing cuke that is early and productive. 50 days. (Burpee)<\/p>\n
Eggplant \u2018Fairy Tale\u2019 bears clusters of mini purple eggplants streaked with white. 50 days. (2005 All-America Winner)<\/p>\n
Lettuce \u2018Baby Star\u2019 is a mini romaine shaped like a butterhead type. 65 days. (Park Seed)<\/p>\n
Onion \u2018Texas Supersweet,\u2019 as you would expect from the name, is a jumbo-sized, yellow-skinned onion with white flesh. May get as a large as a softball!<\/p>\n
Pea \u2018Paso\u2019 is an early-producing petite pea that packs a huge yield on 2-foot tall plants. 55 days. (Park Seed)<\/p>\n
Pepper \u2018Golden Baby Belle\u2019 produces an abundance of bright-yellow mini-bell peppers, about 1-2 inches. 75 days. (Burpee)<\/p>\n
Pepper \u2018Mucho Nacho\u2019 is a mild jalapeno type with thick, meat-walled fruits. 68 days. (Park Seed)<\/p>\n
Pepper \u2018Tiburon\u2019 is a poblano type with mild heat in a 3-lobed, thick-walled, 7-inch long fruit. 65 days. (Park Seed)<\/p>\n
Pumpkin \u2018Rumbo\u2019 is actually a winter squash that looks like a ridged pumpkin but has smooth, sweet, nutty flesh inside. An abundant producer of 5-7 inch deep and 12-inch wide fruits, give this plant plenty of space. 100 days. (Park Seed)<\/p>\n
Pumpkin \u2018Wyatt\u2019s Wonder\u2019 may just be your contest winner, boasting a smooth-as-marble rind, buttery-orange color and about 70-100 pounds per fruit, two-foot diameter fruit! 110 days. (Burpee)<\/p>\n
Squash \u2018Bonbon\u2019 bears loads of sweet, smooth buttercup-type winter squash on semi-compact plants. 80 days. (2005 All-America Selection from Johnny\u2019s Seeds)<\/p>\n
Tomatillo \u2018Gigante,\u2019 as its name suggests, is a huge tomatillo at 4 inches in diameter. 100 days. (Burpee)<\/p>\n
Tomato \u2018Fresh Salsa\u2019 is a meaty Roma (plum) type, on determinate, bushy plants with a bounty of 2 x 3 inch fruits. 65-70 days. (Burpee)<\/p>\n
Tomato \u2018Golden Sweet\u2019 is a yellow grape-type tomato with mild, sweet flavor. 60 days. (Johnny\u2019s Selected Seeds)<\/p>\n
Tomato \u2018Steak Sandwich\u201d promises a vigorous, yet compact plant yielding loads of mid-sized beefsteak type tomatoes. (Burpee)<\/p>\n
Tomato \u2018Sugary\u2019 is an extra sweet, cherry-sized tomato with a reddish-pink color and teardrop shape. Vigorous, semi-determinate habit needs support. 60 days. (2005 All-America Selection)<\/p>\n
Tomato \u2018Tolsoi\u2019 is one of the trendy \u201cvine-ripened\u201d types, with clusters of small (3-4 ounce) tomatoes packed with big tomato flavor. 73 days. (Park Seed)<\/p>\n
Tomato \u2018Tomande\u2019 boasts of heirloom flavor combined with hybrid vigor. 72 days. (Burpee)<\/p>\n
Watermelon \u2018Orchid\u2019 features sweet yellow-orange flesh in mid-sized round fruit. 80 days. (Johnny\u2019s Selected Seed)<\/p>\n
Zucchini \u2018Eight Ball\u2019 is a cute little 4-inch round, dark-green summer squash. 55 days. (Burpee)<\/p>\n
Zucchini \u2018Raven\u2019 is an early, productive compact plant, bearing 7-8 inch long fruits on 2-3 foot wide plants. 45 days. (Park Seed)<\/p>\n
These are just a small sampling of what\u2019s new for 2005. Try some of these new cultivars, along with your old standbys, so you’ll be able to give them a fair comparison. Transplants of many of them will be available at your local garden center later this spring. Seed is available through many of the popular mail-order catalogs, as well as local garden shops.<\/p>\n
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