Types and Varieties

Most annual vegetable crops are started from seed. Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, and tomatoes are easy-to-transplant vegetables that develop rapidly. Celery, eggplant, onion, and pepper are a little more difficult to transplant and grow more slowly. Vegetable crops that are difficult to transplant include cucumbers, melons, summer squash, and sweet corn, which are more often direct-seeded in the field. Pay particular attention to scheduling times, light, temperature, and nutritional requirements needed to grow healthy transplants.

There are many choices for vegetable transplants, including gourmet greens and vegetable amaranth (popular in Southern Asia, Africa, and West Indies), yellow cherry tomatoes, colored peppers, and odd-shaped eggplants. To find new varieties to grow for spring bedding plant sales, see the All-American Selection (AAS) Winners website www.all-americaselections.org/, the National Garden Bureau website https://ngb.org/ and your favorite seed supply company catalogues. State university trial results can also help you select varieties that will perform best in your area.