Variety Trials 2014: Seedway

As a part of Seedway’s catalog of untreated seeds, this intermediate “cocktail tomato” matures in 74 days and features resistance to late and early blight. Noted for its sweet and balanced flavor, and resistance to cracking, it has improved flavor over other branded varieties in the 2-plus-ounce cocktail tomato category. Mountain Magic is grown on a compact and indeterminate plant, and has high resistance to Fusarium wilt races 1 and 2, late blight, and Verticilium wilt.

This Roma tomato from untreated seed features early and late blight resistance and has a stunningly red  interior with excellent flavor. Its fruit is firm, blocky in shape, and is produced on a medium-large, vigorous plant. Plum Regal was included in Seedway’s high tunnel trial to see what the added disease resistance would do, and it matured alongside Rocky Top, one of Seedway’s high tunnel tomatoes, despite its late maturity in the field.

Indigo Ruby is one of two indigo tomatoes from Seedway that feature purple shading on their shoulders. The fruit is fig shaped, slightly larger than a standard grape tomato, and is slow to crack. The vines hold up nicely to rainy and humid weather.

This pepper variety has a nice strong plant with good foliage cover that protects the fruit from sunburn. The fruit turns yellow early and quite a few will turn at one time. It features resistance to bacterial leaf spot races 1-5. The fruit is a beautiful true yellow and comes in extra-large and blocky sizes that are smooth and glossy. Abay is available in both organic and conventional seed.

Fizz, an untreated kale, has a unique shape and color with silvery serrate leaves. It grows similarly to Lacinato, with leaves radiating from the base of the plant. The leaves can get quite large but are best at around 16 inches.

An heirloom variety of kale, Green Afro Curled offers sweeter flavor with a more tender texture, making it good for salad and juice use. It grows vigorously with a tall central stem and is remarkably productive. The color is bright green, not blue-green like many other kales.