Bulletin #2190, Vegetable Varieties for Maine Gardens

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Bulletin #2190, Vegetable Varieties for Maine Gardens (PDF)

Developed by Mark G. Hutton, Extension vegetable crops specialist, and David T. Handley, Extension Small Fruit, and Vegetable Crops Specialist.

For information about UMaine Extension programs and resources, visit extension.umaine.edu.
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Choosing the right varieties of vegetables to grow is an important part of successful gardening.

Select varieties that are adapted to Maine’s climate and your local growing conditions. The varieties recommended in this bulletin are generally available and successful in northern New England. There are many other varieties available, both new and old, that may perform well in some Maine gardens. Use your past experience — the soils and climate in your location may greatly affect the performance of some varieties. You will probably develop a list of favorite vegetable varieties that consistently do well in your garden.

It’s best to test new varieties in a small planting next to a familiar variety of the same crop so that you can fairly compare their performance and qualities. For most crops, different varieties will have a range of maturity dates, indicated in seed catalogs by the number of days from planting to harvest. In northern Maine, plant only early varieties of warm-season vegetable crops, such as tomatoes, peppers, and melons, to ensure harvest before frost. In more southerly parts of Maine, both early and midseason varieties can be successfully harvested in most years.

Look for varieties with disease resistance. There are many varieties available today that are resistant to some of the most common vegetable diseases. Disease resistance can prevent crop loss and reduce the need for pesticides. Seed catalogs typically list any disease resistance a variety has. For example, with tomatoes and peppers, look for resistance to Fusarium, Verticillium, and tobacco mosaic virus. For cucumbers and squash, look for resistance to scab, anthracnose, Alternaria, Fusarium, mosaic virus, powdery mildew, and bacterial wilt. For beans, look for resistance to halo blight, mosaic virus, and rust.

Suggested Varieties
Asparagus
  • Mary Washington Improved, Jersey King, Jersey Knight, Guelph Millennium, Purple Passion

Beans

  • Green Snap: Provider, Jade, Concessa
  • Wax: Indy Gold, Rodcor
  • Pole: Blue Lake strains, Fortex, Kentucky Blue, Scarlet Runner
  • Shell: French Horticultural
    Dry
    : Maine Yellow Eye, Soldier, Jacob’s Cattle, Black

Beets

  • Greens: Bull’s Blood Red, Early Wonder, Crosby Green Top, Big Top
  • Summer and Fall: Red Ace, Kestral, Pacemaker III
  • Heirloom and Cylindrical: Chioggia, Forono, Golden, Rodina

Broccoli

  • Spring: Packman, Regal
  • Summer/Fall: Gypsy, Premium Crop, Marathon

Brussels Sprouts

  • Oliver, Jade Cross

Cabbage

  • Early: Charmant, Dynamo, Quick Start, Stonehead, Spring Dynasty
  • Midseason: Solid Blue 790, Blue Vantage
  • Late: Storage No. 4, Bravo
  • Red: Red Express, Ruby Perfection

Carrots

  • Early: Nelson, Minicor (baby)
  • Midseason: Scarlet Nantes, Sweetness II, Sugarsnax 54, Neptune, Yellowstone (yellow), Purple Haze (purple)
  • Late: Bolero, Caro-Choice

Cauliflower

  • Early: Snow Crown
  • Midseason/Late: Amazing, Candid Charm, Absolute, Graffiti (purple), Cheddar (yellow)

Celery

  • Utah 52-70, Ventura

Chard, Swiss

  • Bright Lights, Fordhook Giant, Ruby Red

Chinese Cabbage

  • Jade Pagoda, Rubicon
Corn — Popcorn
  • Mahogany, Robust 128YH, Strawberry, Top-Pop

Corn — Sweet

  • Early — Yellow: Kandy Kwik (se), Seneca Horizon (su), Daybreak (se), Sugar Buns (se+)
  • Bicolor: Seneca Arrowhead (se), Fleet (se+), Quickie (se)
  • Midseason — Yellow: Tuxedo (se), Northern Xtra-Sweet (sh2)
  • Bicolor: Luscious (se), Delectable (se), Bojangles (sy), Absolute (sy), Sweet Chorus
  • Late — Yellow: Honey Select (sy)
  • Bicolor: Lancelot (se), Seneca Dancer (se)
  • White: Argent (se), Silver Queen (su), Silver King (se)

Cucumbers

  • Slicing: Diva, Marketmore 76, Dasher II, Turbo, Stonewall
  • Pickling: Cross Country, Fancipik, Eureka, Calypso

Eggplant

  • Dusky, Black Bell, Ghostbuster (white), Neon, Little Fingers (Oriental), Kermit (Thai)

Endive

  • Salad King, Neos

Escarole

  • Full Heart, Nataly

Garlic

  • Hardneck: German Extra Hardy
  • Chesnok Red
  • Softneck: Inchelium

Kohlrabi

  • Winner, Grand Duke, Early Purple Vienna, Kolibri

Kale

  • Winterbor, Red Russian, Blue Ridge

Leek

  • Lincoln, Arkansas, Rikor, Norton

Lettuce

  • Bibb: Buttercrunch
  • Butterhead: Sangria, Ermosa, Nancy
  • Crisp Head: Summertime, Crispino
  • Leaf: New Red Fire, Red Sails, Waldmann’s Green, Slobolt
  • Romaine (Cos): Winter Density, Green Towers, Eruption, Rosalita

 

Muskmelon
  • Early: Earliqueen, Fastbreak, Earligold
  • Midseason: Athena, Harper Hybrid, Super Star
  • Speciality Types: Passport, Amy, Angel, Earli-Dew
  • Onions
  • Early (seeded): Patterson, Frontier, New York Early, Candy, Mars (red)
  • Plants: Sweet Spanish types, Ailsa Craig, Red Burgermaster (red)
  • Sets: Ebenezer, Stuttgarter

Parsley

  • Forest Green, Dark Green Italian

Parsnip

  • Harris Model, Lancer

Peas

  • Early: Knight, Progress #9, Dakota
  • Midseason: Lincoln, Mr. Big, Eclipse
  • Summer: Wando
  • Edible Pod Types: Sugar Ann, Sugarsnap, Oregon Sugar Pod #2, Oregon Giant

Peppers

  • Sweet, Thin Wall: Ace, New Ace, Giant Marconi
  • Sweet, Thick Wall: Red Knight, Boynton Bell, King Arthur
  • Hot: Conchos, Numex Joe E. Parker, Thai Dragon, Tiburon (ancho)
  • Frying Types: Biscayne, Cubanelle

Pumpkins

  • Mini: Jack-Be-Little, Munchkin, Baby Boo (white), Wee-B-Little
  • Small-Fruited: Mystic Plus, Baby Pam, New England Pie, Neon, Baby Bear, Hybrid Pam
  • Medium-Fruited: Magic Lantern, Merlin, Rocket, Racer, Phantom
  • Large-Fruited: Howden, Sorcerer, Rock Star
  • Giant-Fruited: Prizewinner, Atlantic Giant

 

Radishes
  • Red: Champion, Cherriette, Fire Ball
  • White: White Icicle, D’Avignon, French Breakfast
  • Oriental: Minowase Summer Cross #3, Miyashige

Rhubarb

  • Macdonald, Tilden, Canada Red, Valentine

Rutabagas

  • American Purple Top, Joan, Laurentian, York

Spinach

  • Tyee, Melody, Bloomsdale, Space, Unipak 151

Squash

Summer Yellow: Yellow Crookneck, Sunray, Cougar, Sunburst

Summer Green: Spineless Beauty, Zucchini Elite, Revenue, Space Master

Winter: Carnival, Festival, Delicata, Tay Bell PM, Buttercup, Blue Hubbard, Red Kuri

Tomatoes

  • Extra Early: Early Cascade, New Girl, First Lady
  • Early: First Pik, Royal Mountie, Sunstart
  • Midseason: Ultrasonic, Daybreak, Sunchief
  • Late: Celebrity, Big Beef, Redsun
  • Heirloom: Moskvich, Red Brandywine, Pruden’s Purple, Striped German
  • Small-Fruited: Sun Gold, Matt’s Wild, Juliet, Sweet Million
  • Paste: Bellstar, Plum Crimson, San Marzano

Turnips

  • White Flesh: Hakurei, Purple Top White Globe, Just Right, Royal Crown
  • All White: Tokyo Cross Hybrid

Watermelon

  • Seedless (requires seeded pollinator): Gypsy, Millionaire, Extazy
  • Seeded: Sweet Favorite, Festival, Crimson Sweet, Yellow Doll, Sunshine

Information in this publication is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.

© 2006, 2022

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