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Vegetable Varieties for Maine Gardens  
Developed by: Mark G. Hutton, Extension vegetable crops specialist, and David T. Handley, Extension small fruit and vegetable crops specialist.
University of Maine Cooperative Extension Bulletin #2190

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
EarlyYellow: Kandy Kwik (se), Seneca Horizon (su), Daybreak (se), Sugar Buns (se+)
Bicolor: Seneca Arrowhead (se), Fleet (se+), Quickie (se)
MidseasonYellow: Tuxedo (se), Northern Xtra-Sweet (sh2)
Bicolor: Luscious (se), Delectable (se), Bojangles (sy), Absolute (sy), Sweet Chorus
LateYellow: 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

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): Copra, 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, Millonaire, Extazy
Seeded: Sweet Favorite, Festival, Crimson Sweet, Yellow Doll, Sunshine

 


Published and distributed in furtherance of Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Land Grant University of the state of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Cooperative Extension and other agencies of the U.S.D.A. provide equal opportunities in programs and employment.
© 1992, 2006
                  

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