Onslow County Center
In the Garden Now
May/June 2021
Choosing Vegetable Varieties for
Coastal North Carolina
By Lisa Rayburn, Commercial Horticulture Agent
Gardeners have a lot of choices when selecting vegetables for the garden. Not only are there a lot of crops to choose from, but there are dozens if not hundreds of different varieties available for each crop. Choosing the right variety can mean the difference between success and failure in the garden. While it may be tempting to grab whatever vegetable transplants or seeds you find at the garden center or order online, it pays to consider the following qualities before you choose a variety: disease resistance, growth habit, regional adaptation, intended use and personal preference. 
Disease Resistance
Choose varieties that are resistant to common diseases in our area or diseases that you have had in your garden in the past. If you have a plant problem, reach out to your local extension office (https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/local-county-center/) for help diagnosing the disease accurately. Then choose varieties that are resistant, if they are available. Another great resource for learning more about common disease problems on vegetables (including lists of resistant varieties) is Clemson University’s Home Garden Information Center (https://hgic.clemson.edu/category/vegetables/).

Growth Habit
Some vegetable crops have varieties with different growth or harvest habits. Many gardeners are familiar with the difference in determinant and indeterminant tomato varieties. Determinant tomatoes grow to a certain size, produce a majority of their fruit in a relatively short window and then flower and fruit formation drops off rapidly. Indeterminant tomatoes in contrast grow and produce smaller amounts throughout the entire season, if they do not succumb to disease. Beans, peas, cucumbers and squash also come in more compact (also called “bush” or “dwarf”) varieties as well as longer (also called “pole”, “vining” or “trellis”) varieties.

Be prepared to provide the appropriate trellis for larger or longer varieties while compact varieties need no trellis or just a short trellis for support. Check the recommendation for your variety as spacing needs can vary based on the growth habit of the plant. Pole or vining varieties often harvest over a longer window than compact varieties.

Regional Adaptation
Some plants are better adapted to some regions of the country than others. For instance, many tomatoes stop setting fruit when night time temperatures get too hot. But certain varieties will keep setting fruit even through our hot summers, several of these “heat set” varieties are listed in the tomato section below.

Onions are another example of a crop that has varieties adapted to different areas of the country. Since daylength influences bulb set in onions, choose short-day or intermediate-day varieties for North Carolina gardens. Long-day varieties won’t bulb up reliably.

Intended Use
Some crops have varieties that have been developed for certain uses. Paste tomatoes have a higher concentration of dry matter with less seeds and pulp making them ideal for cooking down into tomato paste and sauces. Likewise, pickling cucumber varieties maintain a firmer, crisper texture when pickled than slicing cucumbers. While many varieties can be used interchangeably, intended use is an important consideration if you plan to preserve your veggies.

Personal Preference
Finally, there is little point in growing a vegetable in the garden if you don’t enjoy it. You may prefer the flavor of one tomato variety over another the crispness of one cucumber variety over the next.

Making Your Selections
You often will not find all of the information that you need on the label or seed packet. Refer to a reputable seed dealer’s catalogue or website to learn more about the variety. Use Clemson’s Home Garden Information Center to find a list of varieties suited to the area or resistant to a particular disease.

Consider planting more than one variety both to increase your chances of success and allow you to compare the results. Take good notes on which varieties you grow and how they perform for you each season. That will help you replicate your successes and avoid repeating your failures. Use the variety suggestions below as a starting point. 

Tomatoes
Determinant (D) varieties will grow to a certain size, produce a majority of their fruit in a relatively short window – typically about 3-4 weeks. These varieties may have some small amount of flowers and fruit formed after main crop but size and quantity drops off quickly. Determinants are typically more compact plants and often have more disease resistance. They are easier to stake or cage. You will probably want to plant more than once a season. Consider mid-late April, late May, and late June planting dates.

Indeterminant (I) varieties will grow and produce over the entire season unless they get disease and die. These varieties produce fruit over a longer window. Plants can get quite large, and may be difficult to stake/cage. Disease issues mid-season can result in low yields. Don’t use for late season plantings.

Newer patio and dwarf varieties are available. Read between the lines, they may be determinant or more compact indeterminant varieties. There are also indeterminant short node (ISI) varieties which are indeterminant and so fruit over a longer period but have a more compact habit than traditional indeterminant varieties.

Smaller fruited varieties such as cherry and grape varieties are typically easier to grow than larger beefsteak or slicing tomatoes.

Two common diseases in our area are tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and early blight (EB). Look for tomato spotted wilt virus resistance for early season plantings and early blight resistance for mid and late season plantings.

If you have southern bacterial wilt in your soil, move the garden to a new location, move your plants into containers or try Florida 7514 (Jung Seeds). You can also purchase plants grafted onto resistant root stocks but that is more expensive (make sure the root stock is resistant to southern bacterial wilt).
  • TSWV resistant (all of these varieties are determinant): Amelia, Bella Rosa, BHN 444, BHN 640, Crista, Fletcher, Health Kick, Picus (roma), Plum Regal, Primo Red, Red Defender, Southern Star, Talladaga, Top Gun, Mountain Merit
  • EB resistant (determinant unless otherwise noted): Mountain Supreme, Mountain Fresh, Mountain Magic (ISI), Plum Regal, Mountain Merit, Jasper, Juliet (I), Defiant
  • Root knot nematode resistant: Beefmaster (I), Bella Rosa, Better Boy (I), Better Bush (ISI), Big Beef (I), Bush Early Girl II (ISI), Celebrity, Fletcher, Mountain Merit
  • Heat Set Tomatoes: Bella Rosa (D), Solar Fire (D), Homestead (I), Arkansas Traveller (I), Super Sweet 100 (I), Husky Cherry Red (ISI), Yellow Pear (I), Florida 91 (D), Chocolate Sprinkles (I), Heat Master (D)
  • Other varieties to consider: Sweet Million 100 (I), Cherokee Purple (I), Sungold (I), German Johnson (I), Marglobe (I)

Peppers
Hot peppers are typically easy to grow, sweet bell peppers are more difficult. Separate sweet and hot peppers in the garden as cross-pollination can result in sweet peppers tasting hot. Ensure adequate fertility early to get good fruit size later in the season. Look for varieties with tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and bacterial leaf spot resistance (there are 10 races, some have resistance to all 10, others only to a portion).
  • TSWV and Bacterial Leaf Spot resistant: Declaration (1-10)
  • Bacterial leaf spot resistant: Ninja (races 1-10); Intruder, Red Knight and Olympus (1-3)
  • Nematode resistant: Carolina Wonder

Eggplant
There are larger Italian varieties as well as many Asian/Japanese varieties and newer dwarf and specialty varieties available. Most any of them will grow, some varieties can develop bitter or off flavors depending on the variety and stress (drought, low nutrition).
  • Black Beauty (traditional Italian variety), Ichiban (Asian variety, if you can find the seed), Dairyu (considered an Ichiban replacement)

Potatoes
  • Red Pontiac, Yukon Gold, Kennebec, Red Lasota

Beans
May be pole (taller varieties that require a trellis and harvest over a longer period) or bush type (shorter, usually self-supporting, harvest over a shorter window).
  • Rattlesnake pole bean, Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean, Roma Bush

Garden Peas
Look for powdery mildew resistance and heat tolerance for later plantings. Taller varieties will need a trellis while dwarf or bush varieties are self-supporting.
  • English – Alaska, Mr. Big, Maestro, Wando (heat tolerant), Lincoln (heat tolerant)
  • Edible-podded, snap – Super Sugar Snap, Sugar Sprint, Early Snap, Super Snappy
  • Snow or sugar peas – Snowbird, Oregon Sugar Pod II, Dwarf Gray Sugar

Onions
Look for intermediate or short-day varieties. Long-day varieties don’t bulb up well here.
  • Intermediate varieties including Candy, Red Candy Apple, Super Star.
  • Short day varieties including Texas Early Grano 502, Texas Grano 1015Y, Texas Super Sweet, Red Creole.
 
Sweet potato
  • Covington is the industry standard. Most any variety will grow here.

Cucumbers/Summer Squash/Zucchini
Look for powdery mildew resistance. This is the primary disease that we deal with in the spring. Downy mildew usually moves into our area mid-summer. There are very few varieties with downy mildew resistance.

Choose slicers or pickling cucumbers depending on your intended use. Pickling cucumbers will stay firmer when processed. You will find both longer varieties that require trellising and more compact bush-type plants. For summer squash and zucchini, some varieties have a vining habit while others have a more compact, bush-type habit. The second type will take up less space in a small garden.
  • Slicing Cucumbers: Marketmore, General Lee, Diva, Sweeter Yet, Summer Dance
  • Pickling Cucumbers: Citadel, Max Pack
  • Summer Squash: Yellow Crook Neck, Dixie, Early Summer, Gentry, Gold Star, Supersett, Early Prolific, Multipik, Slick Pik, Superpik
  • Zucchini: Dunja, Green Machine, Golden Glory (yellow), Black Beauty, Spineless Perfection

Broccoli/Cabbage/Cauliflower
When available, look for varieties that are heat tolerant or slow bolting. Downy mildew is occasionally a problem. Where downy mildew is an issue, look for resistant varieties. 
  • Broccoli – Packman, Emerald Crown, Lieutenant, Green Magic (slow bolting)
  • Cabbage – Rio Verde, Bravo, Market Prize, Tropic Giant, Green Jewels
  • Cauliflower – Amazing, Snow Crown, Milky Way
Tips and Tasks
May

Garden
  • Let the foliage of spring flowering bulbs die back naturally. They need to manufacture enough food to support next year’s blooms. Plant warm season annuals like coleus, petunias, calibrachoa, sweet potato vine and portulacas.
Portulacas from the NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Portulacas from the NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
  • Plant warm season vegetables like okra, melons, eggplant and sweet potatoes now.
  • Mulch around vegetable plants to conserve moisture and reduce disease problems
Photo from Alabama Cooperative Extension
Lawn

  • Make sure your mower blades are sharpened and leveled for the mowing season.
  • Leave grass clippings on the lawn – they return nutrients and water to the soil and do not contribute to thatch.
  • Aerate lawns only if the soil is compacted. Mow frequently to encourage the lawn to thicken and reduce weed problems. Mow to the appropriate height for your turf.
  • Visit Turf Files to download the appropriate lawn maintenance calendar for your turf or stop by the Extension office for a hardcopy: http://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/maintenancecalendars

Trees and shrubs


  • Bagworms hatch in May. If you have plants that had bagworms on them last year, treat them now and keep a close eye out for larva.
Photo from NCSU
If needed, prune spring blooming shrubs like azaleas and camellias after they finish flowering but no later than mid-July.
Planting Plans!

June


Garden

  • Scout zucchini and squash for squash vine borer. Preventive sprays of synthetic pyrethroids (such as bifenthrin, cyhalothrin, or cyfluthrin) can protect plants but use caution to not apply to open blooms and wait until evening to spray. Organic products like spinosad and Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) may be effective but must be applied frequently to ensure that they are present when the small caterpillar bores its way into the plant. Aluminum foil plant collars to protect the base of the stem and row covers (which will also exclude pollinators) are other options.
Photo from Wisconsin Vegetable Entomology
  • Plant a second crop of tomatoes and cucumbers from seed to extend your harvest.
  • Contact the Plant Clinic at (910) 455-5873 or email onslowplantclinic@gmail.com with any plant questions you may have.
Trees and shrubs


  • Keep recently planted trees and shrubs mulched and make sure they receive sufficient water during establishment. Try to avoid planting trees during the summer. Spring and Fall are the best times of year for this.
  • Use caution mowing or weed whacking around trees, damage can occur to the trunk and lead to insect and disease problems. Maintaining an area of mulch can help prevent the need to manage grass and weeds right up to the base of the tree.
Planting Plans!

Want to prepare for July? Hit the ground running July 1st by planting cantaloupes. Cucumber and summer squash planting dates for Fall are from 7/15 until 8/15.
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Upcoming Events


Landscape for Life (2021)
Every Wednesday evening, June 9th through July 14th, 2021, 6PM-8PM here at our office. Topics will cover basic concepts to create and install a sustainable home landscape. Pre-registration is required using the button below, class is free.

25 seats available. Registration ends when class is full or June 8th, 2021 at 12PM.
Master Gardener Volunteer Training Class

The next training class to become a Master Gardener Volunteer will begin August 17, 2021. The class will run Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9AM-12PM through October 14th,2021.
REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT DUE BEFORE FRIDAY, JULY 2ND, 2021 AT 5PM

$125
(which includes training fees and text book)
Cash or check only. Make checks payable to Onslow County CES
Your copy should address 3 key questions: Who am I writing for? (Audience) Why should they care? (Benefit) What do I want them to do here? (Call-to-Action)

Create a great offer by adding words like "free" "personalized" "complimentary" or "customized." A sense of urgency often helps readers take an action, so think about inserting phrases like "for a limited time only" or "only 7 remaining!"
TOPICS DISCUSSED
  • Soils
  • Plant Nutrition & Composting
  • Botany Insects, Weeds, & IPM
  • Diseases & Disorders
  • Diagnostics
  • Lawns
  • Herbaceous Ornamentals
  • Native Plants, Youth, & Landscape Design
  • Propagation
  • Small Fruits
  • Tree Fruits & Nuts
For more information please contact Emilee Morrison at emilee_morrison@ncsu.edu or (910) 455-5873 or visit our website using the button below.
Onslow County Farmer's Market (2021)

The 2021 Farmer's Market season for Onslow County started on April 10th.  
NEW Tuesday Hours: 830am - 1230pm
Location: 512 New Bridge St. Downtown Jacksonville, NC
NEW Saturday Hours: 8am - 1pm
Location: 4024 Richlands Hwy. Jacksonville, NC
If you have questions about our Onslow County Farmer's Market:

  • Call our office MON-FRI, 8AM-5PM* at 910-455-5873 and ask for Marie Bowman