There’s no better time of year to browse the new gardening catalogs than during these winter doldrums. A quick glance at the first few pages of most catalogs will clue you in as to what’s new for this gardening season.<\/p>\n
With all the talk about “nutraceuticals” (foods that promote good health or even prevent disease), there are some new cultivars that offer enhanced nutritional value.<\/p>\n
Carrot ‘Nutri-Red,’<\/span> a red carrot high in lycopene (an anti-oxidant), is about as much as a tomato by weight. The 9-inch roots are supposed to get darker red and sweeter when cooked. (76 days)<\/p>\n Tomato ‘Health Kick’<\/span> is a medium-sized tomato that has 50 percent higher lycopene than ordinary tomatoes. (75 days)<\/p>\n Tomatoes are the most popular of garden vegetables and grape-type tomatoes have been all the rage at the produce market in the last year or so. Grape tomatoes are a bit larger and more oblong than most cherry tomatoes, and they pack an extra load of flavor and sugar. Now there are a number of cultivars that you can grow in your home garden.<\/p>\n Tomato ‘Juliet’<\/span> came on board last year as an All-America Winner (AAS) but is much more widely available this year. Juliet looks like a miniature Italian plum type. (60 days)<\/p>\n Tomato ‘Summer Sweet’<\/span> is an early “grape” type&emdash;really sweet and juicy. (58 days)<\/p>\n Tomato ‘Sweet Olive’<\/span> is a sweet, bite-sized “grape” type. (57 days)<\/p>\n Tomato ‘Jolly’<\/span> (2001 AAS Winner) has large clusters of teardrop-shaped cherry tomatoes. (73 days)<\/p>\n Cluster tomatoes ripened on the vine have also been popular at the market. Much of the supply was imported from Holland, but several gardening catalogs now offer the following cultivars.<\/p>\n Tomato ‘Burpee Bunch’<\/span> has mid-sized fruit in clusters of five to seven that ripen together. (65 days)<\/p>\n Tomato ‘Sweet Cluster,’<\/span> though not brand new, is more widely available this year. Clusters of six to eight mid-sized fruit ripen together. (67 days)<\/p>\n Other new tomatoes this year include ‘Burpee’s Burger,’<\/span> an early, large beefsteak type. (72 days)<\/p>\n ‘Striped Stuffer’<\/span> is a large red tomato with orange stripes. The walls of the fruit are somewhat ruffled and the inside nearly hollow, perfect for stuffing. (90 days)<\/p>\n Some new tomato relatives include Eggplant ‘Zebra,’<\/span> a purple-and-white striped Italian type. (70 days)<\/p>\n Yet another relative of tomato is the pepper.<\/p>\n Pepper ‘Tennesee Cheese’<\/span> is an early-maturing pimiento type with a ruffled-tomato shape, great for stuffing. (82 days)<\/p>\n Pepper ‘Serrano Del Sol,’<\/span> an early large serrano type, sets well in cool weather. (67 days)<\/p>\n Pepper ‘Giant Marconi’<\/span> (2001 AAS Winner) is a large tapered Italian pepper, great for roasting, grilling or frying. (72 days)<\/p>\n Pepper ‘Fooled You’<\/span> offers the distinct flavor and appearance of a jalape\u00f1o without the flame. (65 days)<\/p>\n Nothing beats homegrown sweet corn. New this year is ‘Honey Select’<\/span> (2001 AAS Winner), a yellow “TripleSweet TM” type of corn that combines both the sugar-enhanced and the supersweet-type kernels in the same ear. No isolation needed from other cultivars. (79 days)<\/p>\n Baby Corn ‘Bonus’<\/span> will produce as many as four mini ears per stalk. (85 days)<\/p>\n Another baby vegetable, Carrot ‘Parmex’<\/span> yields tender, bite-sized carrots, perfect for containers and heavy garden soil. 65 days.<\/p>\n Among the onions and their relatives, we now have Leek ‘King Richard,’<\/span> a fast-growing baby leek. (75 days from transplants)<\/p>\n Green Onion ‘Red Baron’<\/span> is a bright red, scallion-type onion: the red color extends from the base of the bulb to the lower portion of the leaf blades. (65 days)<\/p>\n Onion ‘Superstar’<\/span> (2001 AAS Winner) is early for a white onion with mild flavor. (100 days)<\/p>\n If leafy greens are in your garden plans, consider Lettuce ‘Giant Caesar,’<\/span> a romaine type with tender leaves. (70 days)<\/p>\n Cabbage ‘Colorosa’<\/span> is a unique red savoy type (crinkled leaves). (100 days)<\/p>\n Spinach ‘Razzle Dazzle’<\/span> is an early spinach with unique arrowhead-shaped leaves. (30 days)<\/p>\n Among the new melons this year, we have ‘Orange Sorbet,’<\/span> a honeydew melon with orange flesh. (82 days)<\/p>\n ‘Vanilla Ice’ <\/span>is a specialty melon, about 5-inches round with a green-and-yellow speckled rind, sweet white flesh and a pinkish seed cavity. (80 days)<\/p>\n