All-America Selections National and Regional Winners have been tested for garden performance by a panel of expert judges. Varieties that perform best over all of North America become AAS National Winners. Entries that performed particularly well in certain regions are named AAS Regional Winners. The AAS Winners offer gardeners reliable new varieties that have proven their superior garden performance in Trial Grounds across North America, thus, our tagline of “Tested Nationally and Proven Locally®.”
Here are the AAS 2023 winners in the Edible – Vegetable category:
- Pepper cayenne Wildcat F1
- Pepper jalapeno San Joaquin F1
- Squash kabocha Sweet Jade F1
- Tomato Zenzei F1
- Watermelon Rubyfirm F1
Pepper cayenne Wildcat F1
Pepper Wildcat is a cayenne pepper with extra-large, 2–3 ounce, fruits. A high-yielding plant with nice thick, fleshy walls that were thicker than comparisons. “It’s a strong compact plant with good flavor,” stated one judge. The 8” fruits are straighter than traditional cayenne fruits with a great smoky flavor and peppery sweetness and a mild pungency of 500-1500 Scoville units. Ease of harvest combined with a very even growth habit and mild heat level makes this a good multi-purpose plant for everyone’s garden!
Details
Winner Type: Regional (Southeast, Mountain/Southwest)
Class: Pepper
Variety Name: Wildcat F1
Genus: Capsicum
Species: annuum
Year: 2023
Common Name: Pepper (cayenne)
Type: Edible — Vegetable
Breeder: Bayer/Seminis Seeds
Close Market Comparison: Espana, Arapaho
Needs
Duration Type: Annual
Light Needs: Full sun
Water Needs: Normal
Season Type: Warm season
Staking Required: No
Characteristics
Foliage Color: Dark green
Plant Habit: Upright
Plant Height: 36–42 inches
Fruit Color (Harvest): Green or Red
Fruit Shape: Long, curled
Fruit Size: 8–12 inches
Fruit Weight: 2–3 ounces
Fruit Flavor Description: Mild pungency 500-1500 Scoville units
Number of Fruits per Plant: 20–25
In the Garden
Container: Yes
Garden Spacing: 24–36 inches
Days to Harvest (Sowing Seed): 105
Days to Harvest (Transplant): 75
Disease Resistances or Tolerances: PVY:0/Tm:0
How to grow
Plant pepper plants 24 to 36 inches apart in full sun, well-drained spot. Amend soil with compost or another organic matter when planting. Water well right after planting, then on a regular schedule throughout the growing season.
Judge’s Obervations
- “The entry fruits were large, about 8’’ long, and mostly straight”
- “Lots of fruit production”
- “Entry did have HUGE fruits compared to the comparisons, which made harvest easier (easy to see a 6? bright red pepper!)”
- “Good flavor and a moderate heat level make this a multi-purpose pepper for your garden.”
- “The sheer size of these peppers is astonishing. They are literally almost 100% larger than the others, volumetrically speaking. Insanity”
Pepper jalapeno San Joaquin F1
This new San Joaquin jalapeno pepper will make gardening so much easier! This is a determinate jalapeno that sets most of its fruit in a short window so there is a generous (~50 fruits per plant) number of fruits ready all at the same time. Perfect for canning, pickling, and making roasted stuffed jalapenos for a crowd. But no worries if you won’t need them for a while as they hold their firmness and taste until you are ready to harvest. Judges loved the flavor of the thick-walled fruits that have just a hint of heat at 2500-6000 Scoville units. Leave them on the plant longer for a beautiful red, and still delicious, jalapeno.
Details
Winner Type: National
Class: Pepper jalapeno
Variety Name: San Joaquin F1
Genus: Capsicum
Species: annuum
Year: 2023
Common Name: Jalapeno Pepper
Type: Edible — Vegetable
Breeder: Bejo Seeds
Close Market Comparison: Emerald Fire, Early Flame
Needs
Duration Type: Annual
Light Needs: Full sun
Water Needs: Normal
Season Type: Warm season
Staking Required: No
Characteristics
Foliage Color: Green
Plant Habit: Bushy
Plant Height: 30 inches
Fruit Color (Harvest): Green-red
Fruit Shape: Typical jalapeno shape
Fruit Size: 4 inches
Fruit Flavor Description: A hint of heat at 2500-6000 Scoville units
Number of Fruits per Plant: 50
In the Garden
Container: Yes, recommended 5 gallons
Garden Spacing: 2 feet
Days to Harvest (Sowing Seed): Not recommended
Days to Harvest (Transplant): 60
Plant Spread: 30 inches
Disease Resistances or Tolerances: TP0 = Tobamovirus P0 (Tomato Mosaic virus), Y0/01 = Potato Virus
How to grow
Sow seed 1/4“ deep, about 8 weeks prior to transplanting. When the first true leaves appear, transplant seedlings into 4’’ pots. Grow plants at approx. 70°F (21°C) day and 60°F (16°C) nights. Transplant out after frost when the soil is warm and the weather is settled. Peppers thrive in well-drained, fertile soils with a pH of 6.5. Space pepper plants 24? apart. Water-in transplants using a high phosphorus solution.
Judge’s Obervations
- “Produced almost twice the peppers as the comparisons”
- “Large, thick-walled fruits, well shaded by leaf canopy reducing fruit deformities”
- “Nice compact plant with heavy yields. Large fruit would make excellent stuffers”
- “Loved this variety’s mild heat and large fruits that did not crack”
- “Excellent size, yield, and uniform upright growth. Very good taste”
Squash kabocha Sweet Jade F1
This cute, single-serving-sized squash is the perfect addition to your garden for a fall harvest. Sweet Jade proved itself in the AAS Trials with its high yields and good holding capability which is great news for both home gardeners and growers. Each fruit is between 1-2 pounds and can be used for single servings of squash, as an edible soup bowl, or in any number of Asian-style dishes where a sweet, earthy nutritious squash is typically used. Sweet Jade’s deep orange flesh is dry yet sweet and very flavorful whether roasted, baked, or pureed. Time to give this sweetie a try!
Details
Winner Type: National
Class: Squash, Winter
Variety Name: Sweet Jade F1
Genus: Cucurbita
Species: maxima
Year: 2023
Common Name: Squash, Kabocha
Type: Edible — Vegetable
Breeder: Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Close Market Comparison: Mini Green, Speckled Pup
Needs
Duration Type: Annual
Light Needs: Full sun
Water Needs: Normal
Season Type: Warm season
Staking Required: No
Characteristics
Foliage Color: Green
Plant Habit: Vining
Plant Height: 24 inches
Fruit Color (Harvest): Jade green
Fruit Shape: Flat-round
Fruit Size: 4–5 inches
Fruit Weight: 1–2 pounds
Fruit Flavor Description: Dry texture with high sweetness
In the Garden
Container: No
Garden Spacing: 12 inches in row, 6–12 feet between rows
Days To Harvest (Sowing Seed): 100
Days To Harvest (Transplant): 85
Plant Spread: 6–8 feet
How to Grow
Plant in full sun, providing water when needed. Provide staking or cage when plant reaches appropriate size. NO PRUNING
Judge’s Obervations
- “Very early and high-yielding, great color”
- “Very meaty and flavorful fruit”
- “Nice yields, great shape, and color Overall healthy and vigorous plant with large Roma tomatoes”
- “Compact and tidy plant does not impact yield negatively”
- “Great plant for smaller gardens”
Tomato Zenzei F1
Zenzei is an early-maturing, high-yielding Roma tomato for gardeners in the Midwest. This regional winner produces a great yield of fleshy plum tomatoes that are perfect for canning and freezing. Neat and tidy plants produce fruits that are uniformly shaped and are easy to harvest on unique bushy yet indeterminate plants. The disease-resistance package on this new variety will help gardeners be even more successful than before. Each fruit has good internal flesh and fewer issues like spots and blossom end rot. Plant in full sun and provide stakes or a cage when the plant reaches the appropriate size but there is no need to prune!
Details
Winner Type: Regional (Great Lakes, Heartland)
Class: Tomato
Variety Name: Zenzei
Genus: Solanum
Species: lycopersicum
Year: 2023
Common Name: Tomato
Type: Edible — Vegetable
Breeder: Bayer/Seminis Seeds
Close Market Comparison: Plum Regal, Granadero
Needs
Duration Type: Annual
Light Needs: Full sun
Water Needs: Normal
Season Type: Warm season
Staking Required: Yes
Characteristics
Foliage Color: Green
Plant Habit: Bushy, indeterminate
Plant Height: 72 inches
Fruit Color (Harvest): Red
Fruit Shape: Oblong
Fruit Size: 4–5 inches
Fruit Weight: 3–8 ounces
Fruit Flavor Description: Good Roma flavor
Number of Fruits Per Plant: 30–50
In the Garden
Container: No
Garden Spacing: 36 inches
Days To Harvest (Sowing Seed): 105–110
Days To Harvest (Transplant): 70–80
Plant Spread: 24–36 inches
Disease Resistances or Tolerances: High Resistance to ToMv:0-2/TSWV/Fol:1,2/Va:1/Vd:1. Intermediate Resistance to TYLCV/Lt/Ma/Mi/Mj
How to Grow
Plant in full sun, providing water when needed. Provide staking or cage when plant reaches appropriate size. NO PRUNING
Judge’s Obervations
- “Very early and high-yielding, great color”
- “Very meaty and flavorful fruit”
- “Nice yields, great shape, and color Overall healthy and vigorous plant with large Roma tomatoes”
- “Compact and tidy plant does not impact yield negatively”
- “Great plant for smaller gardens”
Watermelon Rubyfirm F1
This new little cutie watermelon is a small, personal-sized melon that is about the size of a canteloupe. Boasting very sweet and crisp flesh with minimal seed pips means a tasty summer delight can easily be yours. Each Rubyfirm plant will yield 2-3 fruits on its long vines.
Details
Winner Type: Regional (West/Northwest, Mountain/Southwest)
Class: Watermelon
Variety Name: Rubyfirm F1
Genus: Citrullus
Species: vulgaris
Year: 2023
Common Name: Watermelon
Type: Edible — Vegetable
Breeder: Partner Seeds Co., Ltd.
Close Market Comparison: Mini Love, Sweetie Pie
Needs
Duration Type: Annual
Light Needs: Full sun
Water Needs: Normal
Season Type: Warm season
Staking Required: No
Characteristics
Foliage Color: Green
Plant Habit: Climbing/vining
Plant Height: 14 inches
Fruit Color (Harvest): Jubilee stripe red with red flesh
Fruit Shape: Round
Fruit Size: 6 inches
Fruit Weight: 3.3-5.5 pounds
Fruit Flavor Description: Very sweet and firm flesh
Number of Fruits Per Plant: 2–3
In the Garden
Container: Yes
Garden Spacing: 140 inches
Days To Harvest (Sowing Seed): 80
Days To Harvest (Transplant): 65
Plant Spread: 140 inches
Disease Resistances or Tolerances: Anthracnose
How to Grow
Recommend using N:P:K = 20-20-20 before flowering, and use a fertilizer with a high K ratio after fruiting.
Judge’s Obervations
- “Loved the taste and the texture”
- “The test variety had good disease resistance and held up through the middle up September against downy and powdery mildew”
- “The flavor is quite good”
- “Rind pattern is unique, attractive flesh color with good texture”
- “Certainly had much less seed than comparisons.”
I hope you will let us know how your Zenzei F tomatoes do this year, Matthieu! All of these selections look great!