All-American Selections Part II, the final four

Each year All-America Selections (AAS) introduces new flowers and vegetables that gave been tested and proven to be superior in every way. Three vegetables and five flowers top the list for 2013.

Last week we highlighted four of the eight winners of 2013. This week we will examine the other four. The National Garden Bureau provided the information for these selections.

First is geranium ‘Pinto Premium White to Rose.’ The flower coloration is quite unique and the numerous 5-inch blooms are long-lasting in the garden. Petals start out white then deepen to rose-pink as flowers mature, giving an attractive bicolor effect. Dense, well-branched plants sport deep green leaves with darker zones that contrast beautifully with the light-colored flowers. ‘Pinto Premium White to Rose’ is a great choice for carefree, colorful summer garden beds or patio containers.

Plant these fine geraniums 12 to 18 inches apart in well-drained soil. Grow in full sun and keep soil evenly moist. Geraniums are carefree but benefit from regular fertilizing. Apply a water-soluble fertilizer every other week for best performance, especially when planted in containers.

Removing spent blooms on ‘Pinto Premium’ Geraniums is not necessary, as new flowers will quickly cover over the old. However, if you wish to remove the old flowers, they should be snapped off cleanly, by hand, at the base of the flower stem, where it joins the plant.

Second is melon ‘Melemon.’ The earliness, high yield on healthy, strong plants and superior taste all contributed to this melon becoming an AAS Winner. Judges related the taste of this melon to honeydew, but with a surprising and delicious tanginess. A uniform fruit shape makes it perfect for market growers as well as home gardeners. Each personal-sized fruit has refreshing crisp flesh and a unique sweet-tart taste.

‘Melemon’ matures about 75 days from transplanting and grows to 4.5 pounds. Its green rind turns to chartreuse at maturity; its flesh is white. Fruits hold up to one month after harvest.

Our third AAS winner is tomato ‘Jasper.’ Excellent taste, a long harvest window and outstanding performance in the field contributed to this tomato’s success. Judges liked the texture and sweetness of the tomato as well as the uniformity of the ¾” fruits that grow on vigorous, healthy plants.

Jasper is a high yielding variety with fruits that stay on the vine and then hold well after ripening both on the vine and post-harvest. Vigorous vines require little or no fertilization. An added bonus is fusarium wilt resistance and the ability to overcome weather-related stresses. Fruits mature in about 60 days from transplant.

The first ever hybrid, triploid seedless watermelon to win a coveted AAS Award is our fourth and final award winner. Similar to the popular heirloom variety, ‘Moon and Stars,’ ‘Harvest Moon’ is an improvement in that it features healthy, shorter vines that produce medium-sized fruits and sweet, crisp pinkish-red flesh. Melons grow to 18 to 20 pounds and are 13 to 18 inches long. ‘Harvest Moon’ retains the familiar dark green rind with yellow dots, like that of  ‘Moon and Stars’ but is seedless, earlier to ripen, higher yielding and better tasting.

As one judge said, “What’s not to like?”

Well, I hope you like the scoop on these high performing flower and vegetable AAS winners and that you’ll try some next season!

Tim Lewis is a Georgia Green Industry Association Certified Plant Professional, gardening writer, former Perry High School horticulture instructor, and former horticulturalist at Henderson Village and Houston Springs. He and his wife, Susan, own and operate Lewis Farms Nursery located on Hwy 26 two miles east of Elko, where he was born and raised. He can be reached at (478)954-1507 or timlewis1@windstream.net.

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