Selecting Proper Garden Varieties Key To Success

Gardeners face endless choices when seed catalogues arrive each winter. After wading through all the hype describing different varieties, people still face the choice of trying to determine what varieties will work best under northern conditions, which varieties will pay for themselves in yield and which ones will leave us disappointed at harvest time.

Tom Kalb, NDSU horticulture educator, tries to answer these questions for gardeners by conducting garden trials that demonstrate what varieties of trees, fruits, and vegetables work well in the MonDak region. He points out that correct variety selection makes or breaks a garden.

“Selection of the proper variety is the first step to success,” he notes. “The right variety will control disease and can double a yield, so begin with a good variety.”

Kalb recommends choosing seeds from a reputable seed company, as these companies offer quality seed. Several of these companies offer more than just a catalogue selling seed. “Johnny’s Selected Seeds, available through http://www.johnnyseeds.com, offers varieties developed for the north,” Kalb comments. “They have treated organic seed and provide great customer service. The catalogue also has information on the number of seeds a gardener needs and how to thin young plants. This is a great resource guide for northern gardeners.”

Kalb also recommends Park, Gurney and Burpee, among other reputable seed companies. For those who enjoy growing heirloom varieties, he suggests Seed Savers Exchange, http://www.seedsavers.org. “We’ve moved past heirloom varieties and have progressed to better seed, but some people like these heirloom varieties,” he remarks. “Seed Savers Exchange is a good heirloom source with quality seed.”

Whatever seed company a gardener chooses, Kalb advises people to read the catalogues carefully and to check with the local research center when possible to help in the selection process. “Everything is great according to the seed catalogues,” he comments, “so check with the research centers that grow these crops as they can tell you what variety is a good one.”

He continues, “I have test gardeners across the state that test seed in their home gardens for me. There are 500 families in North Dakota that test varieties for research centers. They compare how well varieties perform in their home gardens and they make recommendations based on their results.”

Kalb also advises people to select varieties based on several key characteristics if they want a high yielding garden. “Purchase early maturing varieties of 100 days or less,” he advises. “Select varieties that promise high yields, resist diseases, are tolerant to heat and drought, and have outstanding flavor.”

Kalb has found a few varieties that he recommends for area gardeners to consider for next year’s gardening experience. “Espada beans are popular, but Provider is the most reliable,” he says. “Sweet Sue corn is great off the stalk but it loses its sugar quickly. Sugar enhanced varieties, especially Trinity, keep their sweetness longer. Diva cucumber is the highest quality cucumber you can grow in North Dakota. Eureka is the best all-purpose type.”

Melons, difficult to grow in our region, require some thought. “Honeydews are a disaster here and don’t work,” Kalb comments. “However, Asian melons will work. They are the easiest to grow and the fastest to ripen. They are white inside. For those who want to try growing watermelons, the Yellow Doll variety ripens two weeks earlier than any other variety.”

Kalb also says Roma tomatoes are the easiest to grow, and the Patio variety makes the best container tomato.

Enjoy seed catalogues when they arrive, browse through the offerings, and keep Kalb’s suggestions in mind when shopping for next year’s garden seeds.