New Fruits and Vegetables for Gardeners to Try

If you are a gardener, you probably have some favorite plants that you grow year after year. But you might also like to try new plants sometimes.

Gardening expert Jessica Damiano recently reported for the Associated Press about one way to find new plants that might appeal to growers.

Each year, the independent, nonprofit organization All-America Selections (AAS) enlists more than 80 horticultural professionals from around the United States and Canada to serve as plant-trial judges.

Their job is to grow the new plants side-by-side with currently available varieties. The group then compares plant performance, time to reach full growth, flower or fruit size, disease resistance and other qualities important to home gardeners.

When the results are gathered, the best plants are named AAS winners for the following year in time for their launch on the market.

For 2025, 20 plants have been named national or local winners. Seven of them are edible plants, meaning they can be eaten. Here are the new kinds of edible plants that some gardeners might be interested in.

Plants you can eat

Two of the winners received the honor under the regional, or local, identification.

The Basil Piedmont of the Great Lakes and Heartland regions was noted for its strong resistance to disease, especially that of the fungus called downy mildew. The experts also favored its strong smell, classic flavor and “refined habit.” Harvested plants keep for a long period, the judges said. The dense, bushy plant also was honored for strong growth and health, even in difficult growing conditions. Garden Genetics and Seeds by Design produced the new plant.

Tomato Tonatico F1 of the Mountain/Southwest and Northeast regions also was a winner.

Judges praised the taste, texture, yield, disease resistance and reduced fruit cracking and splitting of this cherry tomato. Tonatico also was noted for its strongly attached, uniform fruit clusters that were easy to remove at harvest time. The fruit was created, or bred, by Bejo USA.

The Cauliflower Murasaki Fioretto 70 F1 is among the five winners in the national class.

Murasaki translates to “purple” in Japanese. This cauliflower has bright purple flowers, as well as long, soft stems. The experts said the plant matures, or reaches full growth, early and is easy to harvest. It does not have a strong flavor and would make a beautiful purple food to serve raw, or uncooked. It will turn to a fuchsia color in vinegar and golden brown when lightly cooked. Tokita Seed America bred the plant.

Winner Kohlrabi Konstance F1 is also a purple plant.

Judges said it grew well in both spring and fall. It produced crack-resistant, long-lasting bulbs with smooth, bright skin. It also offers a longer harvest period than other varieties and tasty leaves. Bejo Seeds is the breeder.

The winning Pepper Pick-N-Pop Yellow F1 was noted for “outstanding” resistance to bacterial leaf spot disease. Judges also found that the plant produced sweet, yellow, small peppers throughout the growing season. The company Seminis Home Garden was the breeder.

Squash Green Lightning F1 was praised for its small seed cavity. This results in more edible flesh from each fruit. Green Lightning lived up to its name in the trials, judges said. They noted how quickly it reached maturity.

One judge said, “This entry not only looked better but also tasted better than the comparison,” adding it looked good enough to use as a decoration. The judge said the squash’s flavor when cooked “stood up to added seasonings.” Green Lightning was bred by Joseph Stern and marketed by PanAmerican Seed.

Another winner, Squash Thriller F1, was noted for its unusual color-changing quality. Judges also said it was easy to grow. The plants produce 1-to-2-pound fruits with bright orange-, green- and white-ridged lines that change color as they mature. Sakata America bred the Squash Thriller.

I’m Caty Weaver.

The Associated Press gardening expert Jessica Damiano wrote this report. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English.

gardener –n. a person who grows plants for food or beauty

enlist –v. to use in a certain way

horticulture –n. the science of growing garden plants

variety –n. a particular kind of thing that belongs to a larger group of similar things

fungus –n. a simple form of life that does not use sunlight to make food but is less complex than an animal

classic –adj. the best or most representative example of something

texture –n. the way something feels to the touch

yield –n. the amount of fruit, vegetables, roots or seeds that can be harvested from a plant

cracking –n. linear breaks in the skin or surface of something

uniform –adj. similar in appearance

cluster –n. a bunch of things, such as fruit, that are tightly grouped together

bulb –n. a round group of cells that certain flowering plants can grow from

cavity –n. a space in something

flesh –n. the inside part of a fruit

decoration –n. a thing that is used to make a home or room more beautiful and pleasing

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Word highlighting is estimated until aligned timings are added.