 |
| Nicole Dunham poses with an healthy beet specimen. Heidi Rader photo |
In the summer of 2018, two research assistants and I tested different varieties of beets, carrots and celery in replicated trials at the Georgson Botanical Garden and Brussels sprouts, beans, corn, and watermelon in unreplicated trials. Replicated trials mean the vegetables were grown in three different plots. Preliminary trials were done mainly to decide which crops and varieties warranted further testing.
The goal of these trials is to help Interior gardeners and farmers like you decide whether or not to stick with your tried-and-true varieties or try something new. Sometimes we're forced to try new varieties when old favorites are “improved” or discontinued.
One example is Nelson carrots, a longtime favorite of Fairbanks gardeners. Although we were able to find them from West Coast Seeds, they are not available from some of the larger seed suppliers. We trialed Yaya and Romance carrots, which have been touted as replacements for Nelson, with lackluster results.
It's important to test how varieties perform in our unique conditions, which are characterized by long days and short summers that vacillate between sometimes very cool temperatures and hot temperatures. As you might recall in the summer of 2018, we had a slow, cold first half of June, some hot days in June and July, and a rainy, cold August. We had a late frost in September with some sunny days. This certainly influenced how the crops and varieties we tested grew.
In addition to weighing each crop and variety, we also rated each variety in terms of plant vigor, bolting sensitivity (or susceptibility to bolt), uniformity, pest resistance, disease resistance and taste.
The four top performing beets were Zeppo, Boro, Subeto, and Pablo, none of which are mentioned in Extension’s “Recommended Variety List for Interior Alaska,” which you can see at http://bit.ly/2U6Ptn9. Further testing could warrant changing this. The lowest performers in terms of yield and tendency to bolt were Falcon, Early Blood Turnip and Lutz Green Leaf. Early Blood Turnip and Lutz Green Leaf varieties are open-pollinated so these are good choices if you want to save seeds. In fact, according to one website, Early Blood Turnip is one of the oldest varieties still in cultivation.
According to our taste testers, Detroit Dark Red was the tastiest while Falcon and Red Ace had the lowest ratings for taste and texture.
Carrot yields were not statistically significantly different in spite of variations. Napoli had the highest yields while Sugarsnax had the lowest. We noted that Eskimo, Nantes Half Long, and Nelson were uniform and had a nice carrot shape. Touchon, Nelson and, not surprisingly, Sugarsnax scored highest in taste tests.
 |
| Glenna Gannon hilled celery to promote blanching or whitening of the lower stalks. |
Provider is the standard, cold weather snap bean for Interior Alaska and, not surprisingly, was the highest yielding in our trials. But Rocdor and Bountiful weren't far behind and Rocdor also continued to produce well in cool, rainy conditions. I've never considered Provider the tastiest of beans, but according to our taste tests, it had the highest combined ratings for taste and texture.
Some Brussels sprouts require upwards of 200 days to mature but we focused on trialing early to mid-season varieties including Franklin (80 days) and Jade Cross (85 days), and on the later end, Dimitri (127 days). Jade Cross and Hestia were the highest-yielding varieties, but some Jade Cross plants lodged and produced loose sprouts. Gustus, Nautic, and Franklin all performed well. Rubine, Catskill, and Long Island Improved were the poorest performers.
In spite of an underwhelming summer in terms of sun and heat, the corn did alright. Cafe and Sugar Pearl had the highest yields, Early Sunglow and Earlivee were the earliest, and Sweetness, Sugar Pearl, Sugar Buns, Spring Treat and Espresso were the tastiest.
The watermelon produced flowers, and small fruits, but never matured.
The full 2018 report and results from past trials can be found here: www.uaf.edu/snre/research/publications/variety-trials/.
Heidi Rader is a tribes Extension educator for the UAF Cooperative Extension Service and the Tanana Chiefs Conference and is the project director for the variety trials.
