A very important step to having a healthy garden is choosing a suitable variety of vegetable, fruit, herb or flower. Variety selection is extremely important since genetics or varietal characteristics are often the front-line defense against many diseases and other pests.
There is a plethora of varieties to choose from when making your selections, which can be confusing for new gardeners. A suitable variety should be one that produces a flavorful, attractive, high-yielding crop with disease and stress tolerance.
Some heirloom varieties are unique or adapted to Appalachia and have been passed through families for generations. Heirloom or heritage varieties are open-pollinated and pass the same unique horticulture traits to offspring. These types of varieties can be isolated from other varieties and the seed saved each year, purchased from seed companies, or obtained at community seed swaps or seed libraries.
Hybrid seed varieties are usually adaptable to West Virginia and have many desired traits.
At WVU Extension, we routinely conduct variety trials of many hybrid and open-pollinated horticulture plants and recommendations can be obtained through your local WVU Extension office and the appendix of the Garden Calendar.
In addition, if a variety is unknown or not evaluated by WVU Extension, selecting varieties with the All-America Selections (AAS) rating will usually result in choosing a successful variety for your garden. All-America Selections varieties are tested by gardeners across the United States and are evaluated for yield, appearance, disease tolerance and vigor.
Careful garden planning, which includes variety selection, will produce long-lasting benefits through the gardening season.
By Lewis W. Jett, WVU Extension Specialist – Commercial Horticulture