The 2002 All-America Vegetable Winners

Last month the spotlight was on the All-America 2002 Ornamental Selections. This month, the All-America 2002 Vegetable Selections are the focus for February's article. The cukerbit family has been a clear winner this year with one winter squash, two pumpkins, and one cucumber nabbing the honors. The other winner is in the culinary herb category, a new basil. Let's look at this year's selected winners:

'Magical Michael' Basil

Compact and rounded, this is a dual-purpose basil which serves both decorative and culinary functions. Dark purple flowers with white accents add to the ornamental value of 'Magical Michael'. The leaves are also abundant in essential oils. It grows to about 15 inches tall and 16 inches in diameter.

'Cornell's Bush Delicata' Winter Squash

This is an improved delicata-type squash with enhanced sweetness. Taking about 100 days to maturity, 'Cornell's Bush Delicata' will hold well in storage. Its vines are mildew resistant and compact, only growing out about 5 to 6 feet.

'Sorcerer' Pumpkin

This pumpkin produces full-sized fruits on more compact vines which only grow out about 10 feet in length. 'Sorcerer' is an all-purpose pumpkin which matures in about 100 days and is good for decoration, carving, and pies.

'Diva' Cucumber

Here is a new cucumber which produces all-female flowers and does not require a cross-pollinator. 'Diva' matures in about 60 days and is best harvested when about 4 to 5 inches long. This cucumber also is disease resistant or tolerant to powdery and downy mildew.

'Orange Smoothie' Pumpkin

This is a small, smooth and and nearly ridgeless pumpkin. What ridges remain are very shallow. It is also compact in growth habit, matures in about 90 days, and averages from 5 to 8 pounds in size. 'Orange' smoothie can be used as a pie pumpkin or for decoration and carving.

Between the ornamental and the vegetable categories, it has been a surprising and interesting All-American Selections list this year! All of them have been chosen for their sturdiness and productivity, and each one should prove to be a winner in home gardens everywhere. I encourage everyone to try at least one of these new winners this year, from either the ornamental or the vegetable category.

*Once again, my thanks goes out to the All-America Selections Organization for supplying the advance press release information that was used to help develop this article.*

***A New Feature***

Since each month of the year has been covered with "Honey-Do" lists, it is time for a new feature: Great Gardening Links. I will share some of the gardening sites, either retail, informational or personal, that I have found on my "travels" around the Net. This month's featured sites are:

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