2020 AAS Winners

Ellen C. Wells

All-America Selections just announced its first winners for 2020 as we were putting together the August issue. The four national winners have been trialed at locations around the country and gave exceptional performances. The national winners are:

• Cucumber Green Light F1—Bred by Known-You Seeds, this mini cucumber provided a higher yield than comparison varieties with more attractive fruit, better maturity and superior eating quality, according to AAS judges.

• Tomato Celano F1—This patio-type grape tomato from ProVeg Seeds has a strong, bushy habit and is best grown with some support (like a cage). A semi-determinate hybrid tomato, it’s an early producer of sweet, oblong fruits. Excellent late blight tolerance.

• Tomato Early Resilience F1—From Heinz Seeds, this rounded Roma tomato features uniform maturity and good quality flesh for canning and cooking. A determinate, it has a bushy habit that can be staked, but doesn’t need to be. Judges noted it was “very resistant to blossom end rot,” resulting in a higher yield and less fruit loss.

• Watermelon Mambo F1—Bred by Known-You Seeds, Mambo has a smaller seed cavity, giving it the look of a seedless melon, but with superior taste. Judges say this was one of the easiest watermelons they’ve grown because of high seed germination and vigorously healthy vines. Mambo’s 9-in. fruit holds well and doesn’t over-ripen if it can’t be picked right away.

The one regional winner is for the Heartland and West/Northwest: Tomato Galahad F1, bred by EarthWork Seeds and distributed by Garden Trends Wholesale. Galahad has a high level of late blight resistance because both parents are resistant. Judges say it’s a high-yielding, great tasting, crack-resistant tomato that grows on a strong, sturdy plant. GP