Looking through seed catalogs is a gardener’s equivalent of a good book.
If you’re planning this year’s garden, here is a list of new offerings from Burpee and local shops to find these new garden varieties.
We reached out to Burpee for a version of their latest varieties that will do well in Wisconsin.
“Vivacious” hybrid tomato
This Burpee-bred super-fruit breakthrough is a feast for the eyes. ‘Vivacious’ spent five years in development before its debut this year. This superstar tomato’s orange-scarlet fruits are prodigies of magical color, meaty texture, sweet, balanced flavor, and out-of-this-world nutrition. These oval-shaped fruits are power-packs of Vitamin A (beta-carotene). Each “Vivacious” tomato delivers:
40% of daily intake of Vitamin A in one tomato
70 bright beautiful fruits per plant for both fresh eating and cooking
Meaty yet juicy with balanced sweetness and acidity.
“Party Time” Cucumber
These sweet, seedless, fun-size 4” cucumbers with thin skins are perfect for party trays or as grab-and-go lunch box bites. A favorite for containers and small gardens, these easy-to-grow plants produce 30-40 cucumbers per plant. Pick basketfuls of spineless mini cukes for snacking all summer long.
“Rise and Shine” Squash
Things are looking up for small-space squash lovers. Recently viral on social media, this revolutionary, vertical-growing variety gives you tasty, bright-yellow squash without the spread. Ideally configured for small gardens and patios, the bushy 4’ tall plants spread about 3 inches. These gorgeous 4-8” spineless fruits are saturated with a big, rich, buttery flavor.
Burpee seeds are in Target, Home Depot, Menards, Fleet Farm, and Walmart in Wisconsin. If you’d like to order plants rather than purchase seeds, here’s how it works.
When is the best time to order plants?
Now! Burpee ships plants at the correct time for your planting region, so ordering your plants early helps to ensure the best selection on popular items.
Ordering early reserves the plant for you. Until your plants are shipped, they get the best care possible by our greenhouse nursery staff.
How do you grow the plants?
Our team at our greenhouse in Pennsylvania works hard to grow well-established plants for Burpee customers. The plants have strong root systems, and they are ready to be planted in the garden.
Our plants are grown in different greenhouses, depending on their needs.
Bareroots are field harvested while they are dormant. All the soil is removed and they are stored is a special cooler that keeps the moisture in the plants until it is time to ship.
Perennial plants are grown in cool greenhouses to ensure the strongest roots.
Our [plant] grooming practices also give the plants better shape for shipping and then future growth in the garden.
We often pinch plants before the consumer gets them to promote branching after transplant for sturdy and full growth throughout the season; this can mean more flowers and leaves or, for herbs, heavier first harvests.
We routinely release beneficial organisms like wasps, midges, mites, nematodes and even fungi to combat the ‘bad bugs’ or plant diseases in the greenhouse. Our greenhouse team even needed to open new positions dedicated to our Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to help with this directional change; and we are happy to do so!
When are the plants shipped?
Both perennials and annuals are shipped at the proper planting time based on the customer’s location.
In general, perennials are hardier than annuals and can be planted sooner. Perennials are shipped earlier than annuals.
Getting the plants planted at the proper planting time gives them the time they need to establish themselves before the heat and stress of summer. It really gives them the best start and sets customers up for success.
How are the plants shipped?
Plants are shipped in a pot or as bare roots.
Plastic clamshells protect plants during transit.
The shipping department also tries to ship by transit days to be sure plants are in transit the shortest amount of time. (Furthest transits ship out at the beginning of the week and shortest distance by the end; this helps keep plants from sitting over the weekend in distribution hubs.)
Find ordering information at https://www.burpee.com/seeds/plants MKE