One of the perks of being named one of Burpee Home Gardens 2019 Gardener’s of the Year is that I was going to receive a box containing some of their 2020 New Varieties. I have been anxiously awaiting its delivery, but glad it didn’t come any sooner than this week. For many of us, spring was really late and they’d be sitting in the house or my mini greenhouse waiting to be planteed.
But yesterday they arrived! I couldn’t have been more excited opening the door to this box of goodies. It’s like Christmas for gardeners 🙂
I’ve never ordered “plant” plants before, so I was curious how they’d arrive. I’ve ordered bare root perennials, but not actual potted plants. They were just fine, healthy and no worse for the wear. Inside the box were 9 plants, each wrapped in their own safe packaging. Again, like Christmas.
My box contained:
- 4-Mardi Gras Fun Series F1 Snack Peppers in orange, purple, red and yellow (sweet colorful snack peppers)
- 1-Grand Slam F1 Slicer Tomato (Great slicer tomato, ideal for containers; determinate variety)
- 1-Roulette F1 Sweet Pepper (sweet habanero with lots of flavor)
- 1-Red Standard F1 Sweet Bell Pepper (large, sweet, bell pepper)
- 1-Lemon Drop Squash (pick when small lemon size for best flavor)
- 1-Redarling F1 Brussel Sprout (reddish purple, flavorful sprouts)
These are all some of my favorite vegetables, so very excited and honestly a little nervous, to be gifted this amazing vegetable care package. Can I get them to grow well? What is going to be the year’s garden pest? Can I keep the rabbits and my pup who loves peppers away from the plants (Little White Pepper Thief)? Who knows, that’s the fun!
I put them outside with the rest of the plants last night to get hardened off since for once it wasn’t going to be unseasonably cold overnight. Sooner they’re in the ground, sooner I’ll have my first harvest!
I already had my spots picked out for them and in the ground they went today with my other recent purchases from the local nursery. I actually think it’s going to be the perfect temperature the next few days to allow the plants to get established.
It’s going to be a pepper party in the garden with these colorful Mardi Gras Snack Peppers!
I’m still trying to decide if I need to protect the Lemon Drop Squash from the squash vine borer.
It’s not in the same bed that had the squash vine borer attack last year, but it is kind of close. I have a couple of weeks to think about it, but I think I’ll put some traps out and then use the aluminum foil approach to protect the stem just in case. I have netting, but squash vine borers spend the winter in the soil near their recently infected plants and that just would trap any adults inside the netting instead of out. I am going to net the squash in the other raised bed where I have the rest of the squash and zucchini plants growing on a trellis.
I’ll keep you posted on the plants progress throughout the summer!
btw, the University of Minnesota Extension is a great resource for SVB infection.
Looking for these plants in your neighborhood? Check out this retailer list from Burpee Home Gardens
Are you trying anything new this year?
(Note: While I received these plants as a gift from Burpee Home Garden, all opinions and reviews are a reflection of my own unbiased experience)
Exciting!