Gardening with Allen: Report on new vegetable, flower trials

Canna Lily South Pacific Orange is shorter than other cannas, reaching a height of about 20 inches. Flowers continue to open petals from about late June. Old petals need to be removed to keep them looking best.

Although Gypsophila Gypsy White Improved made attractive 3-inch plants with hundreds of tiny white flowers, plants began to deteriorate in August. All were dead or dying by September.

Ornamental Pepper Oynx hybrid developed into attractive 4-inch plants. This variety looks good as a potted plant, but it does not make much of a show in the garden.

New vegetables

Tomato Patio Choice was my favorite new vegetable. This yellow bush-type cherry tomato is early and very prolific, producing hundreds of fruits per plant. Fruit is very sweet and crack resistant. Fruit production went down in late August but is developing a lot of new fruit as the weather cools.

Tomato Red Racer is also a very heavy producing bush-type, plum-size tomato. Red fruit is sweet and crack resistant. Plants are again setting fruit after an off spell in August.

Tomato Valentine is a vining-type, elongated cherry. It started producing fruit two weeks later than the other two varieties and yields about half as much as Red Racer. Fruit is sweet and crack resistant.

I planted four new pepper varieties (besides the ornamental pepper). I was most impressed with the two Hungarian varieties — Mexican Sunrise and Mexican Sunset. Both developed fruit very early on compact plants producing dozens of long, pointed green to yellow and red fruit. Red Ember was also very early, developing pointed bright red spicy fruited cayenne pepper. Mad Hatter is a sweet pepper with green to red 1- to 2-inch hat-shaped fruit. They have a pleasant flavor.

I made two plantings of Sweet Corn All-American Dream. The second planting is just starting to ripen. The bicolored ears are about 8 inches long with good fill to the tip. Very tender and sweet.

Pole Bean Seychelles is a heavy producer of tender, stringless straight pods. After heavy production in July and early August it is still producing new pods at the higher levels.

Fennel Antares quickly grew leafy fronds suitable for harvest, then developed beautiful bulbs. Plants started going to seed in mid-August.

Pak Choi Asian Delight quickly grew beautiful white stems topped with green leaves. Plants held well for several weeks until finally going to seed. A second planting also did well.