Virginia Home Vegetable Variety Trials: 2025 Results

Introduction

Selecting vegetable varieties for home gardens can be challenging. There are hundreds of catalogs and endless racks of seeds trying to sell you seeds. But how do you tell the difference between marketing or promotional information, and which variety will perform best in your home garden?

Selecting a variety well-suited to local conditions can lead to higher yields, improved flavor, reduced synthetic inputs (such as fertilizers and pesticides), and fewer interventions for pest and disease management.

A previous Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) publication, Vegetables Recommended for Virginia, is more than 15 years out of date. To provide research-backed information for Virginia’s home gardeners, a Community Engaged Research (CEnR) project was developed. By engaging Virginia home gardeners in a citizen science approach to variety trials, we can observe how different cultivars perform across diverse locations and collect valuable data on traits important for home gardening—such as germination, plant vigor, yield, visual appeal, and flavor.

For this inaugural trial, we selected six different vegetable crops, one herb, and one cut flower. Two widely grown varieties of each plant type were chosen for evaluation. Participants could select up to five trials, and those gardening with youth received an additional free trial. Each participant was provided with enough seed to plant a ten-foot row for each crop. Guidance was based on VCE publication 426-331, Virginia’s Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide (pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-331/426-331.html). Gardeners managed their plots, assessed specific characteristics, and submitted data at the end of the trial period.

In 2025, we had 219 participants who initially participated. We received data from 105 trialers, representing 40 counties and 9 independent cities.

The updated VCE publication 426-480, Vegetables Recommended for Virginia (https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-480/426-480.html), is available online.

Summary of Results

Gardening with Youth

We asked respondents whether they gardened with a youth during the trials (fig. 1). Among participants, 30.77% reported gardening with a young person during the trials, which created meaningful learning and connection experiences. Youth gardening offers far more than time outdoors, providing a practical way to support federal physical activity and nutrition recommendations, while encouraging lifelong interest in healthy eating and environmental stewardship.

For 2025, those who indicated they were trialing with a youth received a free trial; this year focused on cherry tomato varieties.

Soil Testing

Across the eight home vegetable variety trials, participants were asked whether they conducted soil testing for each trial. Responses indicate that soil testing was uncommon, with most trials reporting participation of less than 18%. The proportion of participants who tested soil for each trial was as follows: Beans (16.28%), Determinate Tomatoes (15.00%), Peppers (11.43%), Zucchini (17.65%), Basil (11.43%), Sunflower (11.11%), Cherry Tomatoes (10.71%), and Cucumber (0%). Overall, fewer than one in five participants tested soil, and one trial reported no soil testing.

Soil testing is a critical practice for successful home gardening. It provides the only reliable assessment of nutrient availability, helping gardeners avoid over-fertilization, reduce costs, and protect water quality. By applying lime and fertilizer only as recommended and at the appropriate time, nutrient runoff into surface and groundwater is minimized, while plant health and productivity are optimized. Proper soil management supports vigorous growth, reduces stress, and lowers susceptibility to pests and diseases, ultimately leading to higher yields and improved crop quality. The key takeaway is clear: Don’t Guess—Soil Test.

Amount Produced

Participants were asked whether they shared produce from the trials and to estimate the total amount harvested. Of the 109 respondents, 92 provided estimates of their trial-related production, totaling approximately 3,000 pounds of produce. This figure is likely an underestimation, as several participants indicated difficulty in calculating yields, and numerous responses were extremely low (e.g., 1–3 pounds), suggesting possible reporting errors or incomplete data.

Sharing Produce

Participants were asked whether they shared produce from each crop trial. The proportion of respondents who reported sharing produce varied by crop: beans (35.56%), determinate tomatoes (43.59%), peppers (35.29%), zucchini (58.33%), basil (44.90%), sunflower (14.29%), cherry tomatoes (61.29%), and cucumber (61.76%). Notably, sharing was most common for zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers, which are typically high-yielding crops.

Garden Sites for Trials

Across all eight vegetable and flower trials, most participants grew their crops in traditional in-ground beds or raised beds, with relatively few plantings in containers. Zucchini, cucumbers, and sunflowers were most often grown in in-ground beds, where about 56–61% of plantings occurred, and another 27–36% were grown in raised beds. In contrast, beans, peppers, beefsteak tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes were slightly more common in raised beds than in-ground beds. Basil stood out as the most flexible crop, with plantings distributed more evenly across in-ground gardens, raised beds, and containers, suggesting that gardeners view it as well-suited to a variety of garden spaces.

Fertilizer Use

Across the eight home vegetable and flower trials, gardeners used a range of fertilizer practices, with a notable number choosing not to add any fertilizer at all. In several trials, particularly zucchini, cucumbers, sunflowers, basil, and cherry tomatoes, between one-third and nearly one-half of participants reported not using fertilizer. This suggests that many gardeners either relied on existing soil fertility or preferred a low-input approach.

Use of only conventional fertilizer remained relatively low across trials, with most crops falling between 10–20%. Meanwhile, the proportion of gardeners using both conventional and organic sources varied by crop but generally remained modest, with the highest levels in the beefsteak tomato, cucumber, and zucchini trials. These results highlight the diversity of home‑garden nutrient management practices.

Pest Management

Across all eight trials, most gardeners did not use any chemical pesticides, and those who did strongly preferred organic options. Depending on the crop, about 48–76% of participants reported not using chemicals for pest control. The highest “no chemicals” responses were in basil (73.58%) and sunflowers (75.61%), while even the lowest rates—zucchini (48.98%) and beefsteak tomatoes (48.21%)—show that nearly half of trialers avoided chemical products altogether.

Among gardeners who did choose a product, only organic pesticides were used more often than conventional products. Use of only organic materials was most common in cucumbers (15.38%), zucchini (14.29%), and beefsteak tomatoes (14.29%), and generally ranged from 8–15% across crops, with sunflowers as a notable outlier at 2.44%. Exclusive use of conventional pesticides remained very low, never exceeding 2.33% in any trial.

Gardeners also relied heavily on non-chemical tactics, especially hand‑picking insects and eggs, which ranged from about 9–29%. This method was most frequently used in the zucchini (28.57%), beefsteak tomato (21.43%), and cherry tomato (18.92%) trials, and is still present in beans, cucumbers, basil, peppers, and sunflowers.

Bean, Bush

Beans have long been a staple in the home garden. Bush beans do not require trellising, unlike pole beans. While not as high-yielding as pole beans, bush beans are well-suited for smaller gardens, containers, or even foodscaping. Two common bush beans were selected for the trials this year.  

Forty-four trialers submitted data representing gardening in 34 counties/cities. This represents a great cross-section of Virginia. A majority of respondents (58%) reported using only organic fertilizers (e.g., compost, blood meal, fish emulsion) and did not use any chemical controls, organic or conventional, on their beans (53%). Both ‘Blue Lake 274’ and ‘Provider’ are open-pollinated, meaning growers can save their seeds.

Table 1a: Bean trialer evaluation data.

Table 1b: Trialers would recommend this variety based on the following factors.

Bean Takeaways

The variety ‘Blue Lake 274’ appears to be the better of the two cultivars based on the results submitted from trialers. Trialers indicated that they had healthier plants, higher yields, and better taste than ‘Provider.’ And overall, a higher percentage would recommend this. While the days to harvest were similar in the trial, the ‘Blue Lake 274’ variety appears to have produced 10 days quicker, and ‘Provider’ produced 9 days slower than typical.

Some comments made by trialers about ‘Blue Lake 274’ include “Very nice overall bean plant with little to no insect damage despite no pest control,” “Did well considering excessive rainfall, cool ground temps into June and wildlife abuse,” and “Only good things to say - nice yield, good size, good tasting beans. Easy to grow.”

Some comments about ‘Provider’ include “Provider did not yield for as long,” “Plants were good. Flowers and production were not that good,” and “Plants were less full foliage, produced much fewer beans, died back sooner at season's end.”

Cucumber

It’s not a surprise that one of the top three vegetables shared by trialers this year was cucumbers. Cucumbers are one of the higher-yielding vegetables. Cucumbers can either be a bush or a trialing variety. The two varieties that were trialed this year were both vining varieties. We trialed what are considered burpless varieties, which are milder in taste (or easier to digest) than the slicing type.  

Thirty-four trialers submitted data that represented gardening in 30 counties/cities. This represents a great cross-section of Virginia. The majority of cucumber plantings were in traditional garden beds (61.11% ) or raised beds (36.11%).  A majority of respondents (44%) indicated that they used only organic fertilizers (e.g., compost, blood meal, fish emulsion) and did not use any chemical controls, organic or conventional, on their cucumbers (67%). Both ‘Marketmore 76’ and ‘Wautoma are open-pollinated, which means growers can save the seeds.

Table 2a: Cucumber trialer evaluation data.

Table 2b: Trialers would recommend this variety based on the following factors.

Cucumber Takeaways

‘Wautoma’ was rated better for yield, longest producing, and most attractive fruit. ‘Marketmore 76’ was rated higher for taste. Both had similar overall ratings and percentage recommendations.

Some comments made by trialers about ‘Marketmore 76’ include “Less prolific but cucumbers looked nice,” “Great taste,” and “Very prolific yield, a bit prickly.”

Some comments made by trialers about ‘Wautoma’ include “I’ll be planting these again next year! My kids both approved of the cucumbers, and we liked the size a bit more than Marketmore 76.” “These were smaller and had much sharper prickles. They did not produce uniform fruit,” and “It grew a bit slower, but caught up.”

Basil

While basil is typically classified as an herb because it is used for seasoning, we chose to include it in the vegetable variety trials. Basil is a quick-growing annual herb that complements the tomatoes also grown in the trial.

Fifty trialers submitted data that represented gardening in 27 counties/cities. This represents a great cross-section of Virginia. For this trial, our trialers planted the plants in an almost equal split in raised beds (37.5%), container gardens (31.37%), and traditional in-ground gardens (31.37%).  Half of the respondents (50%) indicated that they used only organic fertilizer (e.g., compost, blood meal, fish emulsion) and did not use any chemical controls, organic or conventional, on their basil (73.58%). ‘Genovese’ is an open-pollinated variety, while ‘Sweet Basil’ is a Territorial Seed Company selection.

Table 3a: Basil trialer evaluation data.

Table 3b: Trialers would recommend this variety based on the following factors.

Basil Takeaways

Based on the evaluation data and the recommendations, ‘Genovese’ is the clear basil variety favored by trialers. The days-to-harvest that the trialers experienced were nearly two weeks ahead of the published days-to-harvest for the varieties.

Some comments made by the trialers about ‘Genovese’ include “This cultivar was more pleasing from a taste perspective,” “It did not get as tall or as full as the sweet basil,” and “Not the traditional taste like the Sweet Basil. Very healthy and attractive plant tasted good in pesto, caprese salad, and pasta dishes.”

Some comments made by the trialers about ‘Sweet Basil” include “Leaves were smaller,” “Lighter green leaves than Genovese, did not produce as many leaves for as long as Genovese. Liked the taste, leaves were smaller,” and “Still growing and sharing with neighbors. Now starting to freeze leaves for winter.”

Pepper – Bell

Most peppers are classified by their degree of hot or mild flavor. The mild peppers include Bell, Banana, Pimiento, and Sweet Cherry, while the hot peppers include the Cayenne, Celestial, Large Cherry, and Tabasco. For our trial, we selected two large Bell pepper varieties

Forty trialers submitted data representing gardening in 27 counties/cities. This represents a great cross-section of Virginia. For this trial, our trialers planted the plants primarily in raised beds (52.50%); the rest in in-ground gardens (35%) and container gardens (12.5%).  A majority of respondents (47.22%) reported using only organic fertilizers (e.g., compost, blood meal, fish emulsion) and no chemical controls, organic or conventional, on their peppers (62.79%). ‘California Wonder 300’ is an open-pollinated variety that gardeners may save seeds from. 

Table 4a: Pepper trialer evaluation data.

Table 4b: Trialers would recommend this variety based on the following factors.

Pepper Takeaways

Notably, none of the pepper varieties received more than 50% in any specific recommendation category, and their overall recommendation rates were lower than those of the other crops in the trial.

However, based on evaluation data, it does seem that our trials rated ‘California Wonder 300’ higher in several key yield categories, produced the longest, and tasted better.

Some comments made by the trialers about ‘California Wonder 300’ include “Smaller fruit, but more prolific,” and “these plants were slow to get going but are still producing September 29^th.”

Some comments made by the trialers about ‘King Arthur’ include “These were delicious! Lower yield than California wonder, but excellent flavor,” “Good size plant, but didn't produce as much,” and “I don't typically grow bell peppers in my garden, but I liked this cultivar enough that I might grow it in the future.”

In general, there were two themes in the comments about the pepper trial's success. First, it was noted that, in some cases, the plants struggled to establish, which may be due to the early planting dates reported. Second, trialers reported high summer temperatures, which can affect flowering and production.

Squash – Green Zucchini

Zucchini is a popular home vegetable. They typically don’t take up much space and yield well for the space they do occupy. For our trial, we selected two green zucchini varieties. It’s no surprise that zucchini was one of the top three trials that were produced and given away.

Forty trialers submit data from 27 counties/cities. This represents a great cross-section of Virginia. In this trial, our trialers primarily planted the plants in in-ground gardens (58.54%), followed by raised beds (26.83%) and container gardens (14.63%).  Many respondents (39.47%) reported using only organic fertilizers (e.g., compost, blood meal, fish emulsion) and no chemical controls, organic or conventional, on their sunflowers (48.98%). ‘Black Beauty’ is an open-pollinated variety that gardeners may save seeds from.  

Table 5a: Zucchini trialer evaluation data.

Table 5b: Trialers would recommend this variety based on the following factors.

Zucchini Takeaways

In the evaluation data, trialers reported ‘Black Beauty’ was the better performer, but when it comes to recommendations, ‘Dunja’ was the zucchini that was most recommended.

When asked, “Were there issues that prevented you from completing the trial evaluation of one or both cultivars?” over 28% responded “Yes, due to insects or diseases.” It should be noted that the next-highest trial reporting this as a problem was the cucumber trial at over 12%. In the comments provided, many growers mentioned Squash Vine Borer as a problem in both varieties. More information can be found in VCE’s publication, 3104-1566, Squash Vine Borer (https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/3104/3104-1566/3104-1566.html), which includes controls.

Some comments made about ‘Black Beauty’ include “Healthy plants, nice fruit, lots of blossoms,” “Healthy plants, nice fruit, lots of blossoms,” and “Smaller, more uniform fruit.”

Some comments made about ‘Dunja’ include “Smaller plants with a large yield. I would love to grow these again,” “Happy in a container and decent yield,” and “Better of the two varieties tested, but not nearly as productive as other Zucchini varieties in the garden, Elite F1. Leaves had a dusty hue on dark foliage. Continued to produce much longer than Black Beauty.”

Sunflower

Sunflowers are typically easy-to-grow flowers. For our trials, we wanted to include a flower that could be easily grown in the vegetable garden. We chose dwarf sunflowers as our trial. Both are open-pollinated varieties.

Forty trialers submitted data representing gardening in 28 counties/cities. This represents a great cross-section of Virginia. In this trial, the plants were primarily planted in in-ground gardens (56.41%), followed by raised beds (35.9%) and container gardens (7.69%). A majority of respondents (37.84%) indicated that they used only organic fertilizer (i.e., compost, blood meal, fish emulsion, etc.) or that no fertilizer was added (37.84%). They did not (75.61%) use any chemical controls, organic or conventional, on their sunflowers.

Table 6a: Sunflower trialer evaluation data.

Table 6b: Trialers would recommend this variety based on the following factors.

Sunflower Takeaways

In evaluation data and in their recommendations, trialers reported ‘Teddy Bear’ was the better of the two varieties.

Some comments made about ‘Gummy Bear’ include “Was genuinely surprised at how pretty these were and loved the size,” “I loved the lemony yellow of this cultivar,” and “Flowers were shorter but also fuller than Teddy Bear. Blooms were short-lived. Not many new blooms after deadheading.”

Some comments made about ‘Teddy Bear’ include “I found that 'Teddy Bear' did not fare as well as 'Gummy Bear' in humid conditions,” “The goldfinch really enjoyed this cultivar, especially since it bloomed earlier and bloomed longer than the Gummy Bear,” and “It was a beautiful bloom and lasted for a few weeks.”

Tomatoes - Beefsteak

Tomato varieties can be divided into five categories, mostly based on shape and size. In 2025, we offered trials in two categories: Beefsteak and Cherry. The other categories include Slicing, Plum (or Paste), and Grape. Beefsteak tomatoes are larger tomatoes often used for sandwiches. The beefsteak trials offered in 2025 were determinate types.

Forty-six trialers submitted data representing gardening in 33 counties/cities. This represents a great cross-section of Virginia. In this trial, our trialers primarily planted the plants in raised beds (52.17%) and in in-ground gardens (32.61%), with the remainder in container gardens (15.22%). A majority of respondents (46.51%) reported using only organic fertilizer (e.g., compost, blood meal, fish emulsion). They did not (48.21%) use any chemical controls, organic or conventional, on the tomatoes in this trial.

Table 7a: Tomato trialer evaluation data.

Table 7b: Trialers would recommend this variety based on the following factors.

Beefsteak Tomato Takeaways

Trialers recommend ‘Celebrity Plus’ slightly over ‘Jolene.’ Several criteria, however, stand out for ‘Celebrity Plus.’ It was recommended more for plant size and taste. Evaluation data also showed that it had the highest yield, produced the longest, and had the most attractive fruit.

Some comments made about ‘Celebrity Plus include “More uniform shape and size…” and “The plants were healthy, produced later, and still producing fruits.”

Some comments made about ‘Jolene include “These produced so well! I had an incredible amount of fruit that grew for so long! But, they did not have the best taste…” and “Smaller vines than Celebrity, smaller fruit.”

Tomatoes - Cherry

Cherry tomatoes are usually small, round, often sweet, and used whole in salads for snacking. The cherry tomato trials we offered in 2025 were indeterminate types.

Thirty-two trialers submitted data representing gardening in 20 counties/cities. This represents a great cross-section of Virginia. In this trial, our trialers primarily planted the plants in raised beds (48.48%), in-ground gardens (36.36%), and container gardens (15.15%). A majority of respondents (45.16%) reported using only organic fertilizers (e.g., compost, blood meal, fish emulsion). They did not (62.16%) use any chemical controls, organic or conventional, on the tomatoes in this trial.

Cherry Tomato Takeaways

As with the beefsteak tomatoes, these two varieties were fairly evenly ranked. However, some evaluation data showed that ‘Sun Gold’ had some great traits, including healthier plants, longer fruiting, and better taste.

Some comments made about ‘Sun Gold’ include “Probably the best cherry tomato I've ever tasted. Healthy prolific plants will be growing these every year from now on.” and “Sun Gold was delicious and produced so many cherry tomatoes. This was the favorite among children and adults.”

Some comments made about ‘Supersweet 100’ include “Classic red cherry tomato…” and “These were also great, but it's hard to compare to the sweetness of the Sun Gold. The production was less than half of Sun Gold for us.”

Table 8a: Tomato trialer evaluation data.

Table 8b: Trialers would recommend this variety based on the following factors.

Acknowledgement

This trial format was modeled after similar variety evaluations conducted by Virginia Sykes and her team at the University of Tennessee, Department of Plant Sciences.

Additional Resources

For more information on soil testing, see VCE publication 452-129, Soil Sampling for Residential Areas (pubs.ext.vt.edu/452/452-129/452-129.html).

For more information on fertilizers, see VCE publication 426-323, Fertilizing the Vegetable Garden (pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-323/426-323.html ).

For more information on Squash Vine Borer, see VCE publication 3104-1566, Squash Vine Borer (pubs.ext.vt.edu/3104/3104-1566/3104-1566.html).