New Plants for 2024

Show Transcript

GB 296 New Plants for 2024 TRANSCRIPT

Farmer Fred  0:00

Garden Basics with Farmer Fred is brought to you by Smart Pots, the original lightweight, long lasting fabric plant container. It's made in the USA. Visit smartpots.com/fred For more information and a special discount, that's smartpots.com/fred.

Welcome to the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast. If you're just a beginning gardener or you want good gardening information, you've come to the right spot.

Farmer Fred

Today, we are talking about New Plants for the 2024 garden year. How about a houseplant that you can eat? And better yet, it’s actually a small cucumber plant! Have you heard of the petchoa (Pet-koa)? It’s a cross between a petunia and a calibrichoa, the plant you may know as “Million Bells”. The petchoa is a plant with large flowers and has a tidy habit, perfect for baskets, planters, or gardens. Those and more new plants for 2024. It’s all on today’s episode.

We’re podcasting from Barking Dog Studios here in the beautiful Abutilon Jungle in Suburban Purgatory, it’s the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, brought to you today by Smart Pots and Dave Wilson Nursery. Let’s go!

NEW PLANTS FOR 2024, Pt. 1

Farmer Fred

The approach of 2024 can mean a lot of things for gardeners, including maybe trying some new plants. So what's new for 2024? We're talking with Diane Blazek. She's the Executive Director of the All-American Selections and the National Garden Bureau. And the National Garden Bureau has a whole bunch of new plants coming out in 2024 that might want a place in your garden. Diane, tell us a little bit about the National Garden Bureau and what it does.

Diane Blazek  1:46

Well, here's the interesting thing. We've been around for 103, almost 104 years. So we kind of know what we're doing when it comes to new plants. They're not our plants, they belong to our members. So we work with breeders from around the world and ask them what's new? And they submit them to us, we put them on our website so that all these fabulous gardeners out there that love trying new plants can have one good source where they can find a lot of what's new.

Farmer Fred  2:15

So a little bit later on in 2024, your local nursery is going to get seeds or plants of the plants we're going to be talking about. And this is the time of the year when many growers and retailers are finalizing or planning their product lineup for 2024. And you can have a head start on it by checking out some of the plants in this new plants list for 2024 at the National Garden Bureau. Their website is ngb.org. Let's talk about a few edibles, first, that are new plants for 2024. Diane, I was surprised that my most listened-to episode during 2023 was all about cucumbers. I didn't realize they were that popular. But apparently they are, and you've got a couple of new cucumber entries for 2024.

Diane Blazek  2:59

I'm glad to hear that people enjoy their cucumbers because they're they're very, very, very easy to grow. And they're delicious. And they're good for you. What we are finding is the breeders are doing things to make them even easier for everybody to grow. For example, we have two cucumbers. One is more like a Dutch English cucumber. It's a 12-inch long cucumber. The other one is a small one. So let's talk about the Kosara first, that's the Dutch English cucumber, it will grow on five, six foot vines. So you do want to grow that on a trellis. But when you grow it out on a trellis it's so much easier to harvest. You don't have to bend over. And here's the thing about both of these cucumbers: they're parthenocarpic, which means they don't need pollinators. So they have both male and female flowers and they basically self-pollinate.

Farmer Fred  3:51

That makes it very easy. And how long does it take for them to mature?

Diane Blazek  3:55

Oh, not that long. It's only  45-50 days for the Kosara. And then the other one, which really we haven't talked about yet, that one's called “Quick Snack”. It's part of the kitchen mini collection series and it only grows to 24 inches tall. So it's perfect for a container. When you sow its seeds, you can get cucumbers in probably four weeks.

Farmer Fred  4:17

Hey, that “Quick Snack” also is another  highlighted plant winner for the National Garden Bureau. You have a whole other category that you call the “Green Thumb” award winners.

Diane Blazek  4:29

Oh my gosh, I'm so glad you brought that up. Yes, this is a fairly new program. I was talking about how old the NGB is and how we're doing these things. But the ”Green Thumb” awards program, we've only been doing for three years. We kind of adapted it from another organization. So Green Thumb winners are new products they can be plants or products, and we have them in different categories, of course. We have an edible category, and yes, this cucumber, quick snack, won the award. The criteria for the Green Thumb award is for innovative, new products. Obviously,  innovative make it easier for you to be successful in the garden. And the “quick snack” won, A, because it's parthenocarpic. B, it's small and can grow it in containers. And C, also can be grown indoors. So that is three amazing things about the “quick snack” and one of the reasons that it won the Green Thumb award.

Farmer Fred  5:22

It's even classified by the National Garden Bureau as a house plant. That's quite the advance for gardeners, especially those with limited outdoor space and now are able to grow edibles indoors.

Diane Blazek  5:36

Yeah. And you're gonna probably hear me say this more than one time today, and you're gonna see it on our website: this is what people want to do. They want to grow year round. In some places, it's possible. And in others, you're going to need some lights. There's a huge boom in hydroponics also. So I'm not saying that this one can be grown hydroponically, but you know the lettuces and herbs can. And of course,  if you want to go to that setup, you could probably do tomatoes and peppers. So it's pretty cool that a lot of people are finding out they don't just have to garden in their summer season or spring season, they can do it a lot, lot longer.

Farmer Fred  6:15

I'm sure gardeners do not think of cucumbers as an indoor plant or a houseplant. But the “Quick Snack” cucumber is a little different because, as you mentioned, it has a limited height of what, perhaps two feet, probably a little less than that. But I guess it doesn't sprawl all over the place. Nor is the fruit oversized.

Diane Blazek  6:34

Exactly. They call them a cocktail-size cucumbers, or a snack size. I know when I go to the grocery store, I see those little cucumbers that are maybe  four to six inches long. And that's what this produces. To me,  if it can grow inside, it's a house plant. You don't have to think oh, just African Violets or house plants, sure edibles, herbs, whatever. If they thrive and produce inside, they can be called a house plant.

Farmer Fred  7:00

And the other benefit to this, to use that big word again, parthenocarpic. This cucumber also doesn't require pollinators. So you don't have to leave your door open to let the flies in.

Diane Blazek  7:12

That's a really good point.

Farmer Fred  7:13

Tell us a little bit more about how you grow a cucumber indoors.

Diane Blazek  7:17

You don't really need much than know what you might be giving it outside. So just put it in a bright bright window, or give it some extra lighting. Such as your lights that you might use to start seeds. And you're gonna be successful. Now this one, even though it's only 18 or 24 inches tall, I think I would  use a small trellis just for a healthier vine that is not flopping over. That's probably about the only thing you would need to do.

Farmer Fred  7:43

Talk about its quick production, and hence the name, “Quick Snack”. It can produce edible cucumbers, in what, a month?

Diane Blazek  7:52

Yes, yes, in one month, you'd be able to get some little baby cocktail snack sized cucumbers.

Farmer Fred  7:59

Then, I imagine, you just have to keep harvesting.

Diane Blazek  8:03

The more you harvest, the more you'll get.

Farmer Fred  8:05

And again, a brightly lit window and regular water, good drainage, just like most houseplants. Except this one you can eat.

Diane Blazek  8:15

And look at the pretty flowers on it, before they become cucumbers.

Farmer Fred  8:20

Now, we can talk about some of my favorite plants, which are tomatoes. The National Garden Bureau, on their new plant list, has three tomatoes that they're highlighting in 2024.

Diane Blazek  8:32

Yes. And it's great because they're three very different types. Let's talk about Rambler first. So this one is not quite as big as a beef steak, but almost. It's a nice eight to 10 ounce size, round tomato, a beautiful red tomato. It is determinate and it has been bred to be very adaptable. So no matter where you are gardening throughout North America, it is going to perform well. Very disease resistant, we have all the diseases listed on our websites. if you're in an area that commonly gets whatever it might be, take a look. And if this one shows that disease resistance, that means it's going to be a lot easier for you to grow. The other thing is, being a determinate tomato, it's only going to get about 36 inches tall. So it's not going to be a six or seven foot, indeterminate plant that's rambling everywhere. Ironic name here that they call it Rambler, when it really is not rambling.

Farmer Fred  9:28

Yeah,  obviously, if it only gets to what about three feet tall or so?  And again, like you mentioned with the Quick Snack cucumber, the Rambler tomato probably could benefit from having a stake or some sort of support system.

Diane Blazek  9:43

Oh, I would. Because that's also going to help with air circulation and even better disease resistance by providing that good air circulation. They say you don't have to prune this one, at all.

Farmer Fred  9:57

And you can grow it in containers because it has a limited height. And I noticed too, that in the plant details, it talks about it being heat tolerant, which is something a lot of gardeners here in USDA zone nine, especially here in California, are seeing more and more of: high heat in the summertime, that can cause a lot of problems for tomatoes, such as sunburn. And if this is heat tolerant, I guess it would be more resistant to that.

Diane Blazek  10:21

Yeah, exactly. We do have climate change going on. And so the breeders are looking at that. And on the ornamental side, you know, they're breeding for drought tolerance and lower water usage. And yeah, you're right about tomatoes. You don't want these to just quit blooming when it gets hot. So when they're breeding for more heat resistance, it will continue to put on those blooms that will eventually provide fruit.

Farmer Fred  10:48

Another new tomato, and again, it's especially good for people who like to grow in containers, because this is another small tomato. It's a small plant with small fruit. And it's called the Tiny Temptations Orange tomato.

Diane Blazek  11:02

Yes, it is. So you notice kind of a theme here. Things are being bred to be a little bit smaller. We talked about the Quick Snack cucumber. And the Tiny Temptations is the same way. They do not make any claim that you would be able to grow it indoors, after all, it's a tomato. So I would not say that. But you can definitely grow it in containers out on your patio, your balcony, whatever. iI’s only going to get about 18 inches tall, and gives very, very sweet, round cherry tomatoes that are orange. And I don't know about you, but I love the flavor of orange tomatoes. And they even say that the brix, the sweetness level of this tomato, is between 10 and 12%. So that's very sweet.

Farmer Fred  11:41

That is 10 to 12% for brix. By the way, for those of you that play Words with Friends or Scrabble, “brix” is an excellent word b-r-i-x.

Diane Blazek  11:49

That's a good thing to remember. I'll have to play that one next time I play.

Farmer Fred  11:55

And for those of you that have disease problems in your yard, this is a tomato that is resistant to phytopthora.

Diane Blazek  12:01

Right. And mildew. I mentioned it earlier, anytime you've got that resistance built in, it's going to make your life so much easier. And you're going to feel like a better gardener. Because your plant will really thrive and survive, instead of wilt, because of some sort of disease.

Farmer Fred  12:20

And because it is a patio style tomato, it's great for containers. You can even do it in hanging baskets too, I would think.

Diane Blazek  12:28

I would think so, as long as the pot is large enough and you're able to keep it watered and fertilized.

Farmer Fred  12:33

That's a good question too, for these tomatoes that we're talking about or for any of these container plants that we're talking about: What is a good sized container to use?

Diane Blazek  12:42

Well, I always say the bigger the better. The larger the container, the more soil you're going to have. Which means more food that plant gets in order to grow lushly, healthy, and everything. And also, the larger the container, the less you'll have to water. So I think on this tomato, they say you could grow it in a six or eight inch pot, but you're gonna have to be very diligent about keeping it watered, and probably fertilizing it, because that's not a high volume of soil when you're talking about an eight inch container. But you can do it, just know that the larger the container, the easier your life will be.

Farmer Fred  13:20

I will take my cue from the picture that the National Garden Bureau has of the Tiny Temptation Orange tomato. It's growing in what looks like about a 15 gallon container.

Diane Blazek  13:30

That one looks quite large. And I am going to guess that they put more than one plant in there, because they said one plant could go into an eight inch wide pot. So if you've got a larger container, you can probably put more than one plant in.

Farmer Fred  13:40

But again, like you say , a bigger pot is better for that. Yes. Now there's another tomato that I guess is really suited for the Midwest. It's called the Zenzai tomato?

Diane Blazek  13:53

Regarding the pronunciation of the Zenzai, I asked that exact same question. How exactly do I pronounce it? And they said, either one is fine, either Zen-Zii or Zen-Zee.

Farmer Fred  14:04

All right, when I see sentences that say, Zen Zai is an early maturing high yielding Roma tomato for gardeners in the Midwest, I have to read between the lines and think, Okay, this tomato probably isn't heat tolerant.

Diane Blazek  14:19

Right. So let me explain a little bit about why we put this one for Midwesteners. this one is an AAS Winner. So you talked about both organizations that we run here. All American Selections is our plant trialing program. So we have judges throughout North America. For this particular edible trial, we usually have between 24 and 28 judges that are judging all of our entries, and it was just the Midwest judges that said this is the best plum tomato we've tried. So we said okay, if you had success for it, we're going to call it a regional winner for the Midwest, which really was two zones,  the heartland and the Great Lakes area. When you look at it the way we divide regions, which may not be perfect, but yeah, this one is the plum tomato, they grow it next to comparisons that we give them. And they said that it was the highest yield, the earliest to mature, the best tasting. And the fact that the plants weren't, growing ridiculously crazy, they were nice and tidy. So instead of having something that was crawling all over, the Zenzai was very nice and tidy.

Farmer Fred  15:31

So how tall does the Zenzai tomato get?

Diane Blazek  15:35

Well, anywhere from like three to six feet. So it kind of depends on if you're propping it up and where you're growing it.

Farmer Fred  15:41

This is an indeterminate tomato, which means it would be producing fruit throughout the entire growing season.

Diane Blazek  15:46

Yes, indeed. Yeah. But it will still be producing enough that if you want to do any canning, preserving plum tomato, it is perfect for that. So yeah, it will be good for numerous times throughout the summer.

Farmer Fred  15:58

Yeah, that's unusual for a Roma tomato to be indeterminate. Most are determinate. They set one big crop and that's it, with maybe a few scattered ones earlier or later. The characteristic for an indeterminate tomato plant, though, is it produces fairly regularly and fairly steadily as far as the amount goes.

Diane Blazek  16:18

Yeah, exactly. the plant that keeps on giving.

Farmer Fred  16:22

You talked about something very interesting, if we can take a little scenic bypass here, and that is what USDA zone are we in these days? Because we've talked about climate change, and the USDA has just updated their zone maps for 2023. The USDA zone maps really looks at a single criteria, and it's too bad. It's just measuring how cold does it get where you live? That that seems to be their priority. And it seems to be getting, I should say, less cold, the further north you go. Are you seeing that where you live in the Midwest?

Diane Blazek  16:56

Yeah, I think we were up about a half. So you know, they have a 5A and a 5B. So we're a little bit warmer in the winter. But also our office is closer to Lake Michigan than where I live. And now there is a zone difference of a half a zone between my office and my home, which is all of six miles apart.

Farmer Fred  17:18

So the zone around the office, I would think, is in the middle of a city. So you've got all that reflected heat from asphalt, which might keep the area a little bit warmer in the winter.

Diane Blazek  17:28

And it's closer to Lake Michigan. So you've got that moderation because of a big body of water. So yeah, it's been a major topic of discussion since the USDA came out with this, but like you say, it measures the coldness, how cold does it get? Heat is very important, as is the amount of rainfall, water, moisture. Humidity is also important. So when we've been talking about the zone map, we still pay attention to it. You're still gonna have people that are “Zone Pushing”. it's all on experience. So when you're planting a  perennial, and you're hoping it survives, don't feel bad Ii it doesn't succeed. It probably has something to do with your exact soil makeup. Or maybe you had a very wet year that was not normal. Consider the Zone maps as a guide. It's not the end-all be-all for determining what will grow in your area.

Farmer Fred  18:25

Yeah, there are, I think, better sources if you're new to an area than just relying on the USDA zone map, which again, just measures how cold does it get where you live. For one thing, every yard is different, all gardens are local. And it could be reflected heat from a wall or a patio that might make temperatures in your yard a bit different. Or if you have a garden in a low lying area, it might be a bit colder. But you have to consider the heat, the humidity, regular winds, things like that. And one of the best sources for that is the Sunset Garden books, which I think they're going to be updating them soon. I keep hearing rumors to that. it's been a while. But they do have the Sunset Western garden book which covers the western United States. And they did produce a National Garden book many years ago. And you can still find that book used. And that is a wonderful reference, especially If you have just moved to a new area of the country and you're not sure where to start. But I go back to what I always say. If you just moved to an area, be patient. Live with your house for a year before you decide to put in permanent plants. Take a look what your neighbors are growing. Become a friend with all your neighbors and see what they're growing, because if they can grow it, there's a good chance you can grow it too.

Diane Blazek  19:41

Yeah, that's wonderful advice. I love the whole wait a year concept. We just we bought a second home about two states away, and I'm like yeah, I'm not making any changes here yet. I want to observe the sun, find out which areas are shady. This plant, for example, may look pretty bad right now because it looks like an old overgrown lilac. But who knows what it's gonna look like next spring?  iI may surprise me. So that's great advice. And yes, I agree. Sunset does a lot more divisions regarding growing zones and you could be here and like I was just saying,  five miles away may be a totally different zone. Yeah, get to know your neighbors, get to know your local Cooperative Extension, talk to them, talk to your local retail nursery. They will have good experts. They've probably been growing and gardening for years. So just reach out, especially if you're a new gardener. Start talking to people.

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NEW PLANTS FOR 2024 Pt. 2

Farmer Fred

All right, let's get back talking about the new plants that are being highlighted by the National Garden Bureau. And we're talking with Diane Blazek, who's the executive director for the National Garden Bureau as well as the All America Selections. Let's talk about some of the ornamentals that are included in the new plants list. And there's a lot of them. But I noticed that among all the ones selected, that there are a ton of begonias, so I'll let you choose a begonia to talk about.

Diane Blazek  23:38

I’m a big fan of the United Kingdom. I took my honeymoon over in England. So that Stonehedge begonia, it's fun, and it's amazing. And yes, it's stone hedge, not Stonehenge, that's what it's named for. Because it grows up to 48 inches tall, so it basically creates a hedge of an annual, which happens to be a begonia, that is just covered with these beautiful rose-colored blooms. And this is one of those begonias with the bronze leaf. So it's got a real dark foliage. So those rose-colored blooms just pop off of it. Who's ever heard of a begonia getting four feet tall?

Farmer Fred  24:20

I noticed it's listed as an annual. Would it be a perennial in milder climates?

Diane Blazek  24:25

It might be. Because of the fact that we asked it from an annual standpoint, I don't think they put the zone on there, but I'm guessing maybe in a zone seven (and up), maybe.

Farmer Fred  24:39

Okay, so seven to 10. I noticed in the plant details it is considered heat tolerant. So that's good news for those of you that often have triple digit temperatures to a certain extent. I, in my experience growing begonias, they do best with afternoon shade here.

Diane Blazek  24:57

Yeah, I would find that too. You know, now they are breeding some begonias that will handle more sun, more heat. But yeah, I would think that if you're in one of those really hot areas, you would want it to have a little bit of afternoon shade.

Farmer Fred  25:13

It certainly does have large blooms. The Bloom color is red and pink and the bloom’s size can be what, an inch and a half to two inches wide?

Diane Blazek  25:21

Yeah, so think of that popping off against that dark foliage. That's a statement.

Farmer Fred  25:26

And that again is the begonia Stonehedge. Rose flower, bronze leaf, right.

Diane Blazek  25:31

All right, that's it.

Farmer Fred  25:32

Another category of popular plants that you have plenty of in the new plants winners with the National Garden Bureau, is the Coleus. You know, some people use them as house plants. If you live in a milder area, you can grow them outdoors. Tell us about the Coleus varieties that you’ve chosen.

Diane Blazek  25:51

I’m gonna start with one called the premium son corps of handy and if you dive into coleus, you're going to know that for the most part, these are vegetatively propagated. A lot of wonderful breeding is coming out of the University of Florida. So you know you've got this tropical climate that they're doing the breeding work, but premium Sun coral candy was a national winner for all America selections. So it's not just for warm climates. Now we're we're promoting it as an annual but of course, you know, in some climates, you could keep it going probably year round. And a lot of Coleus is known to have better colorations or is good for the shade. This one has it right in its name, the coleus Coral Candy. So this one is not a huge Coleus probably get maybe 12-14 inches tall, but it has a really nice draping habit. You know, if you hear people talk about annuals, it's mounding, it's upright, it's draping. This is definitely draping. Wonderful for containers. Hopefully, by hearing the name Coral Candy, it's got some nice coral colorations. And then it has dark bronze leaves with a little bit of green. So it's got some beautiful variations there.

Farmer Fred  27:07

Yeah, it almost is kind of sparkly looking. And the serrated leaf edge makes it look very interesting as well.

Diane Blazek  27:14

Yeah, I'm glad you brought up that serrated leaf because that was another thing that I really think was attractive, and why the judges loved it. It holds its color. Well, it is for sun, but even in the shade, it will have nice vibrant colors. And I grew it from the seed last year. It was unbelievably easy. Sometimes I'm just amazed. I'm like, oh, you know, if you're growing from seed, it's going to be different. No, no, I just plopped it in there. Those first little cotyledons that came out. They had the foliage variation, the colors on it. And it was so fun to see these like little quarter-inch leaves that already had those colors on.

Farmer Fred  27:50

this also was an All America selections winner. And it was the first coleus was from seed to win that.

Diane Blazek  27:58

Yes, yes. We had had a vegetative winner a couple of years ago, but this one was the first one from seed.

Farmer Fred  28:03

So for those of us that enjoy planting by seed, the Coleus premium Sun Coral Candy. You can probably find on the seed rack come spring.

Diane Blazek

Absolutely. It'll be there.

Farmer Fred

All right. 12 to 18 inches tall, full sun or full shade. And that's what I like about coleus. Yeah, if you give them full sun, you probably get better color. But they do okay indoors,