Downers Grove, Illinois, USA
July 11, 2014

July 11, 2014 - All-America Selections (AAS) is pleased to announce the first of the AAS Winners for the 2015 gardening season. The July announcement introduces four Regional Winners and two National Winners, all of which are vegetables, reflecting the continued interest of consumers in edible gardens. Also reflecting current consumer interest, two of these AAS Winners are available as organic seed.

Regional Winners are:

• Brussels Sprouts Hestia F1 (Southeast and Mountain/Southwest)
• Cucumber Parisian Gherkin F1 (Northeast and Mountain/Southwest)
• Pak Choi Bopak F1 (Northeast, Great Lakes and Mountain/Southwest)
• Pepper Sweet Sunset F1 (Southeast, Heartland and West/Northwest)

National Winners are:

• Lettuce Sandy
• Radish Roxanne F1

These six AAS Winners were trialed during the 2012 and 2013 growing seasons next to two other similar varieties that are currently on the market. The AAS Judges grew the entries and comparisons then did a side-by-side analysis of growth habit, taste, disease resistance and more to determine if these were truly better than those already available to home gardeners. Only those vegetables with superior taste and garden performance are given the AAS stamp of approval.

With this preview announcement for breeders, brokers, distributors, AAS Judges, mail order and seed packet companies, these varieties become available for immediate sale. Seed resellers can purchase these varieties immediately. A general industry announcement for growers and garden centers will be sent out on July 10th. Consumers and garden writers will receive their announcement on August 1st then will find this seed for sale in the coming months as supply becomes available with catalog companies, in seed packets, from mail order companies and various websites. AAS Winners will also be available as young plants in lawn & garden retail stores next spring, in time for the 2015 gardening season.

A complete list of trial grounds and judges can be found here.

A complete list of all AAS Winners since 1932 can be found here.
 

Brussels Sprouts Hestia F1 AAS Regional Winner (Southeast and Mountain/Southwest) Hestia is only the second Brussels Sprouts ever to be granted an AAS Winner designation. This is an excellent flavored trendy and popular vegetable with a bright green exterior and smooth, dense yellow interior. The erect plant maintains its nice habit throughout the season and was judged notably more uniform than comparison varieties. Hestia tolerated much cooler temperatures and the flavor improves deliciously when the temperatures dip into the 30’s. Bred by Bejo Seeds, Inc.
Cucumber Parisian Gherkin F1 AAS Regional Winner (Northeast and Mountain/Southwest) Parisian Gherkin F1 is an excellent mini or gherkin pickling cucumber which can be picked either at the midget size or small pickle stage and processed. The numerous black spined cucumbers can also be enjoyed fresh in salads and slaws. The crisp cucumbers have a sweet flavor and process into pickles well. The semi vining plants can be planted in the garden or staked patio containers. Plants grow and produce quickly. Parisian Gherkin is one of two organic AAS Winners—a first for this organization! Bred by Terra Organics
Pak Choi Bopak F1 AAS Regional Winner (Northeast, Great Lakes and Mountain/Southwest) In 82 years, Bopak F1 is the first Pak Choi to become an AAS Winner! Bopak matures early and the tender leaves with crisp sweet stalks taste great. It’s a tasty addition to recipes and the tender leaves can be eaten raw in salads or sandwiches. Swap stalks for celery sticks, add to soups and stews, or grill on the barbeque. Plant every couple of weeks for a longer harvest. Stop planting when the weather turns hot, then start new plants in late summer for fall harvest. May be harvested as a baby Pak Choi as well as grown to full size. This classy plant will make an attractive “thriller” for patio pots and containers. Bred by Bejo Seeds, Inc.
Pepper Sweet Sunset F1 AAS Regional Winner (Southeast, Heartland, West/Northwest) Sweet Sunset is a compact banana pepper that is vigorous and sets a large amount of concentrated fruit. This high yielding X3R variety produces attractive colorful tasty peppers that are great fresh or canned. The compact upright plants do not require staking and can be grown in a container. This AAS Winner produces early, often and late into the season. Judges commented on the good eating quality and Sweet Sunset won the taste test in one trial site's open house! Bred by Seminis Vegetable Seeds
Lettuce Sandy F1 AAS National Winner The first AAS winning lettuce since 1985, Sandy is an attractive oakleaf type lettuce with a multitude of sweet tasting frilly dark green leaves. Not just pretty and tasty, Sandy has exceptional disease resistance, especially to powdery mildew and is slow to bolt. Use Sandy as cut and come again baby leaf, or grow to full maturity for loose salad heads. The uniformly mounded loose heads are well adapted to both raised beds and containers. When planted with cool season flowers, Sandy will add an abundance of interesting texture to patio containers. Sandy is the second AAS Winner that is available as organic seed. Bred by Terra Organics
Radish Roxanne F1 AAS National Winner Roxanne is a hybrid radish with uniform bright red color and a beautiful creamy white interior. Roxanne is a great tasting radish with no pithiness or bleeding even at a larger size. This radish stays firm and solid even when oversized and holds well in the garden. Roxanne grows well in a wide range of climates, as verified by our judges who have trial grounds all over North America. In mild climates Roxanne can be sown at intervals in fall and winter for harvest during these seasons. This radish can easily be grown in a pot at least 4 inches deep. Bred by Bejo Seeds, Inc.

Website: http://www.all-americaselections.org

Published: July 11, 2014