Recommended Variety List for Interior Alaska

HGA-00030 View this publication in PDF form to print or download.

Growing vegetables in Alaska can be easy and rewarding. In this land of the midnight sun, there are few pests and plants grow quickly. Plants photosynthesize almost continuously during Alaska's long days, which when combined with cooler temperatures, can contribute to a higher percentage of nutrients and sweetness in northern grown produce.

Because of the Interior's latitude and unique climatic conditions, variety selection is important for growing success. The many hours of sunlight can be a challenge for northern gardens. Long day lengths can signal some crops like beet, spinach and radish to flower or "bolt," meaning they go to seed prematurely. The cold soil can slow down root growth and may require special soil-warming techniques for warm-season crops such as tomatoes and sweet corn. Soil warming techniques are described in Extension publication HGA-00132, "Raised Bed Gardening in Alaska."

Varieties can be selected to reduce bolting and withstand cool soil temperatures. Varieties can also be selected for other uses. For example, individuals entering vegetables in the state fair can select varieties for their large size, which is ultimately determined by the genetic makeup of the variety. Varieties such as O-S Cross cabbage have the potential to grow to champion sizes. If winter storage is desired, it is best to select a late-maturing variety and harvest as late as possible. Refer to the comment sections in the following tables to find the varieties suited for your needs.

Pile of squash

Bundle of wide green leaves Although Alaska gardens have few pests, some pests can cause a lot of damage. Two common pests are the root maggot, which is the larval form of a small fly that attacks cole crops and onions, and slugs, the populations of which are shifting northward. Slugs can damage many crop types. Understanding pest species' life cycles and management strategies can help avoid crop damage and loss. Visit the Extension Integrated Pest Management (IPM) website for updates on pest and invasive species in Alaska and help identifying and strategies for managing pest populations at www.uaf.edu/ces/invasives/ipm/.

Many of the varieties listed in this publication were field tested by research horticulturists at the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and by vegetable farmers in the Fairbanks area. Additional testing has been conducted by Extension agents, Master Gardeners and local producers. For recent variety trial results reports visit www.bit.ly/vegtrials.

These varieties have been selected after years of successful trials and evaluation. There are a few, however, that have been included because they have shown exceptional promise after only one or two years of testing.

Garden Vegetables


Vegetable	Variety	Maturity	Yield	Comments
Artichoke	Green Globe	Midseason to late	Good	Will produce when grown as an annual
	Imperial Star	Midseason to late	Good	Will produce when grown as an annual; frost sensitive
	Tavor	Midseason to late	High	Will produce when grown as an annual; frost sensitive
Asparagus	Jersey Series	Early	Good	Jersey Knight, Prince, Giant and Supreme; winter mulching improves survival; takes 3 to 4 years to establish plants prior to harvest.
Snap Beans	Contender	Earliest	High	Good quality; good for canning and freezing
	Provider	Earliest	High	Reliable high yield
	Royal Burgundy	Early	High	Good quality; good freezer; color makes harvest easy
	Royalty Purple Pod	Early	High	Does well in cool soils
(pole)	Kentucky Wonder	Midseason	Good	Heirloom; great taste
	Northeaster	Early	Good	Excellent eating quality; good freezer
	Scarlet Runner	Midseason	Good	Sweet; good for seed saving
(Romano)	Bountiful	Early	High	Heirloom; good quality
	Gina	Early	High	Best of early Romano beans
	Roma II	Intermediate	High	Italian type, flat
	Romano Gold	Early	Good	Bush Romano wax, yellow
(yellow wax)	Carson	Early	High	Good quality, good freezer
	Goldrush	Early	Good	Yellow straight pods; excellent for canning and freezing
	Rocdor	Early	Good	Reliable; early
Beets	Chioggia	Early	Good	Heirloom; sweet flavor
	Cylindra	Midseason	Good	Heirloom; resists bolting, tender; sweet; good for canning
	Detroit Dark Red	Midseason	Good	Globe shaped
	Merlin	Early	Good	Round; smooth; high sugar content; F1
	Red Ace	Early	High	Round; smooth; good greens; F1
	Robin	Midseason	High	Round; can grow extralarge and maintains good flavor; F1
	Subeto	Early	High	Consistently round and uniform; tasty greens; F1
	Touchstone Gold	Midseason	Good	Smooth; golden roots; yellow flesh; sweet flavor
	Zeppo	Early	High	Consistently round and uniform; F1
Broccoli	Amadeus	Early	Good	Vigorous medium-large plants; cold tolerant; F1
	Belstar	Midseason	Good	Widely adapted; handles stress; F1
	Green Magic	Early	Good	Head uniform; smaller than Gypsy; F1
	Gypsy	Midseason	Good	Strong roots; handles lower fertility soils; F1
	Marathon	Late	High	Large heads; cold tolerant; F1; good Shogun substitute
	Premium Crop	Midseason	High	Large lateral production
	Solstice	Midseason	High	Medium-large crowns; good lateral production
	Waltham 29	Midseason	Good	Cold-hardy; large lateral production
(Romanesco)	Veronica	Midseason	Good	Great flavor; short shelf life; heirloom


Vegetable	Variety	Maturity	Yields	Comments
Brussels Sprouts	Churchill	Early	Good	Earliest variety; vigorous; F1
	Jade Cross	Early	High	Very good; dependable; F1
	Nautic	Midseason	High	Large; flavorful; easy to grow; cold tolerant; F1
	Hestia	Midseason	High	Large; flavorful; easy to grow; cold tolerant; F1
	Dagan	Midseason	High	Large; flavorful; easy to grow; cold tolerant; F1
Cabbage	Caraflex	Early	Good	Pointed mini cabbage; inner leaves tender; F1
	Deadon	Late	High	Hybrid, pinkish purple; slightly savoyed January King type; F1
	Dynamo	Midseason	Good	Small head; seed hard to find
	Farao	Early	Good	Small heads; peppery sweet
	Golden Acre	Early	Good	Solid heads; stores well
	Gonzales	Early	Good	Mini cabbage for close spacing; F1
	January King	Late	High	Heirloom; pinkish purple; slightly savoyed; cold hardy
	O-S Cross	Late	High	Giant cabbage capability
	Perfection Savoy	Late	High	Large; reliable; savoyed cabbage
	Red Acre	Late	High	Compact; reliable; dense red cabbage
	Red Express	Early to midseason	Good	Reliable; dense red cabbage
	Ruby Ball Improved	Midseason	Fair	Red; small heads; holds well in field
	Kaitlin	Midseason to late	Good	OK storage; good for sauerkraut; F1
	Storage #4	Midseason to late	Good	Excellent storage; blue green heads; disease resistant; F1
	Stonehead	Late	Good	Small compact heads; good for sauerkraut
	Tobia	Midseason	High	Hybrid, moose favorite
Carrots	Bolero	Early	High	Bright orange, 6 to 7-inch root; excellent storage
	Napoli	Very early	High	High quality, cylindrical, 6 to 7-inch root; good alternative Nelson; F1
	Nectar	Midseason	High	High quality; Nantes types; smooth cylindrical 7 to 8-inch root; excellent storage
	Purple Haze	Midseason	Fair	All-America selection, purple with orange core
	Purple Sun	Midseason	Good	Purple throughout, lots of anthocyanin
	Scarlet Nantes	Early	High	Stores well, good quality, great taste
	Thumbelina	Early	Good	Small, round, gourmet type; good for shallow soils
	Yaya	Very early	Good	Very sweet, 6-inch root, good for bunching
	Yellowstone	Midseason	Good	Vigorous growth; 6 to 8-inch root; deep yellow color
Cauliflower	Amazing	Midseason	High	Holds up in garden
	Bishop	Midseason	High	Good vigor, self-wrapping, F1 hybrid
	Cheddar	Early	High	Bright orange, F1 hybrid
	Denali	Midseason	High	Large heads, good root system, F1 hybrid
	Graffiti	Midseason to late	Good	Brilliant purple, F1 hybrid
	Snow Crown	Early	Good	Good quality, dependable
	Vitaverde	Midseason	High	Green heads, F1 hybrid
	Veronica, Romanesco	Midseason to late	Good	Spiraled green heads, F1 hybrid, does not store well


Vegetable	Variety	Maturity	Yield	Comments
Celery	Conquistador	Midseason	High	Tall dark stalks, hardy
	Nero	Mid to late	Very high	Dependable, stringless, high quality; F1
	Merengo	Mid to late	Very high	Dependable, stringless; excellent flavor; large ribs; F1
	Tango	Midseason	Very high	Less fibrous, hardy, good flavor
Corn, Sweet*	Grow through clear or IRT plastic mulch
	Earlivee	Midseason	High	Good quality; dependable for cooler conditions; nice ears
	Early Sunglow	Early	Good	Compact (4 feet); dependable for cooler conditions; 6- to 7-inch ear
	Peaches and Cream	Late	Good	Large ears
	Sugar Buns	Mid to late	High	Yellow gourmet SE type; excellent eating quality; very sweet
	Sugar Pearl	Mid to late	High	White gourmet SE type; excellent eating quality; very sweet
	Temptress	Early to mid	High	Bi-color gourmet synergistic type; excellent eating quality; F1
Cucumber*	Grow through clear or IRT plastic mulch
(slicing)	Corinto	Early	Good	Uniform, 7 to 8 inches long; tolerates cool weather and stress; F1
	Diva	Early	Good	Seedless; thin skin; 5 to 7 inches
	Fanfare	Early	High	Bush; white spine
	Marketmore 76	Early	High	Dark green; 8 to 9 inches; a standard
	Sweeter Yet	Very early	High	10 to 12 inches; crisp fruit
	Salad Bush	Early	Good	8 inches long; smooth skin
	Socrates	Early	Good	Sweet, seedless; 8 inches long; F1; smooth skin; tolerates cooler conditions
(pickling)	Alibi	Early	Very high	Good disease resistance; light green
	Bush Pickle	Early	High	Nice compact bushy plant
	Calypso F1	Early	Good	Uniform, blocky, dark green fruit
	Northern Pickling	Early	High	Black spine
(European)	Carmen	Early	High	Good quality
Eggplant*	Grow through clear or IRT plastic mulch, but all varieties marginal in the Interior
	Aretussa	Midseason	Good	All white, cylindrical fruit
	Diamond	Midseason	Good	4 to 8 inch fruit; good flavor
	Patio Baby	Early	Fair	Compact; well suited for containers
	Galine	Midseason	Good	Glossy; 6 to 7 inches long and 3 to 4 inches in diameter
	Orient Express	Early	Good	Sets fruit in cool weather
Fennel	Orazio	Midseason	High	Large, white to light green bulbs; gets tougher if left too long in field; F1
	Orion	Midseason	Good	Uniform bulbs; crisp and juicy; F1
	Preludio	Midseason	High	Large, uniform, white bulbs; sweet; F1
	Solaris	Early to mid	Good	Uniformly round white bulbs; sweet flavor, excellent texture; F1


Vegetable	Variety	Maturity	Yields	Comments
Garlic	Plant in late fall and mulch under 3 to 4 inches of straw or leaves in order to harvest cloves in summer. See the Extension publication "Growing Garlic in Alaska" for more information: www.uaf.edu/ces/garden/garlic/
	Chesnok Red	Early fall	High	Hardneck; good producer
	German Extra Hardy	Early fall	Good	Also called German White; withstands cold soils; pungent flavor; excellent storage
	Inchellium Red	Early fall	Fair	Softneck type; smaller cloves; national taste test winner
	Music	Early fall	High	Hardneck; good producer; pungent flavor; excellent storage
	Russian Red	Early fall	Good	Hardneck; good producer; flavorful
Greens	Green Wave	Midseason	Good	Showy and hot mustard
	Tendergreen	Midseason	Good	Good mustard
	Chioggia Red Preco # 1	Early	High	Large, heavy heads; red radicchio
	Perseo Radicchio	Early	Good	Smaller sized head; earliest
	Carlton	Early	Good	Mild, dark green komatsuna; good stress tolerance; F1
	Champion Collards	Midseason	Good	Slow to bolt; compact wavy leaves
	Flash Collards	Midseason	Good	Slow to bolt; dark-green smooth leaves
	Vates Collards	Late	Good	Good quality
	Red Orach	Early to mid	Good	Deep purple leaves; spinach-like flavor; can be perennial in some locations
Herbs
(Basil)*	Genovese	Early		Bred especially for pesto; disease resistant
	Italian large leaf	Midseason	Good	Sweet scent and taste; fusarium resistant
	Mrs. Burns' lemon	Early	Good	Lemon basil; lemon flavor; bright green
	Nufar	Midseason	Good	Fusarium resistant
	Purple Ruffles	Midseason	Good	Burgundy-leaved basil
	Prospera DMR PS5	Midseason	Good	Genovese type; high disease resistance
(Chives)	Nearly all varieties do well
(Dill)	Bouquet	Midseason	High	Fast-growing; good for pickling
	Fernleaf	Midseason	Fair	Slowest to bolt; compact habit; good for containers
	Teddy	Midseason	Good	Slow to bolt; compact dense plant; good for containers
(Oregano)	Greek	Mideason	High	Very productive; strong flavor; good culinary qualities
(Parsley)	Green River	Midseason	High	Prolific bushy plant; curly leaves
	Giant of Italy	Midseason	High	Preferred culinary variety
	Forest Green	Midseason to late	High	Tolerates light frost; needs summer shade
	Italian Flat Leaf	Midseason	High	Large mounds; very productive
	Moss Curled	Midseason	High	Grown in Alaska since early 1900s
(Sage)	Common Sage	Midseason	High	Dusty green leaves; good for drying and cooking
	Purple Sage	Midseason	High	Attractive leaves with good flavor and aroma for cooking
	Tricolor	Midseason	High	Attractive leaves with good flavor and aroma
(Savory)	Summer Savory	Midseason	High	Productive; strong peppery flavor
	Midget	Midseason	High	Compact growth habit; strong flavor


Vegetable	Variety	Maturity	Yields	Comments
(Thyme)	German Winter	Midseason	Good	Good flavor; sometimes winter hardy
	Magic Carpet	Midseason	Good	Lemon thyme; compact growing habit
	Lemon variegated	Midseason	Good	Fragrant lemon thyme; creeping; low
	Summer	Midseason	Good	Spicier; more pungent; smaller plant
Kale	Nearly all kinds do well
	Redbor	Very early	High	Frilly, deep purple leaves
	Red Russian	Early	High	Stems purple; leaves flat and toothed; 25 days; baby
	Toscano	Early to mid	Good	Mild flavor; 30 days; Lacinato type
	Winterbor	Early	High	Sweet after frosts; F1
Kohlrabi	Kossack	Late	Good	Large; good for storage; interior sweet
	Beas	Early	High	White; tender; uniform; F1
	Early White Vienna	Early	High	Heirloom variety
	Grand Duke	Early	High	Very nice; earliest
	Kolibri	Early	High	Excellent; purple skinned
	Superschmelz	Midseason	Good	Very large; good for storage; sweet and tender
Leeks	Baby Lincoln	Midseason to late	High	Harvest finger size for baby leeks
	Chinook	Midseason	High	High quality; good cold and stress tolerance
	Giant Musselburgh	Late	High	Heirloom variety; high yield; Heirloom Seeds
	King Richard	Late	High	Nice long neck
	Lancelot	Midseason	Good	Virus tolerant; bolt resistant
	Poncho	Late	Good	Good quality; cold tolerant
Lettuce (head)	Crispino	Early	High	Medium-size firm heads
	Great Lakes	Early	Good	Dependable
	Ithaca	Midseason	Good	Good quality and flavor; reliable
(butterhead)	Adreiana	Early	High	Good disease resistance; dark green
	Buttercrunch	Midseason	Good	All-America selection
	Ermosa	Midseason	Good	Tolerant to tip burn and bolting
	Green Butter	Early	Good	Good quality and flavor; Salanova type
	Sangria	Midseason	Good	Red-tipped; good quality; tolerant to bolting
	Skyphos	Early	Good	Very reliable; large dark-red leaves
	Sylvestra	Midseason	High	Big green; exceptional disease resistance
(Romaine)	Green Forest	Midseason	Good	Rarely bolts; good flavor; crisp; easy to handle
	Parris Island Cos	Midseason	High	Heirloom; high quality; dependable
	Red Rosie	Early	Good	Top half red fading to green; upright habit
	Romulus	Midseason	Good	9 to 12-inch heads; crisp
(looseleaf)	Italienischer	Midseason	Excellent	Huge bright green plant; 18 inches; sweet; crisp
	Black-Seeded Simpson	Midseason	Good	Standard light green for baby leaf
	Dark Lollo Rossa	Early	Good	Standard red for baby leaf
	Grand Rapids	Midseason	Good	Fair quality


Vegetable	Variety	Maturity	Yields	Comments
	Merlot	Midseason	Good	Intense deep burgundy
	New Red Fire	Early	Good	Ruby-red head; bolt resistant
	Red Sails	Early	Good	All-America selection
	Red Salad Bowl	Early	Good	Good quality; bolt resistant
	Ruby	Midseason	Good	Red; good quality
	Salad Bowl	Early	High	Excellent; bolt resistant
	Two Star	Midseason	Good	Thick, crisp chartreuse leaves
	Vulcan	Early to midseason	Good	Brilliant red leaves; crisp; mild
Onion	Caution — onion sets may introduce diseases and insects to gardens; start onions from seed if possible
(storage)	Alisa Craig	Late	High	English heirloom; sweet; stores well
	Patterson	Late	High	Good for cool climate; stores well
	Red Bull	Late	High	Excellent storage; dark red
	Red Mountain	Late	High	Good storage; dark red; improved from Red Wing; matures slightly earlier
	Red Wing	Late	Good	Hard and good storage
	Walla Walla sweet	Late	Good	Very sweet; not for long-term storage
(bunching)	Deep Purple	Midseason	Good	Highly colored
	Guardsman	Early	Good	Tasty white bulb; green foliage
(shallots)	Conservor	Late	Good	Reddish brown; good storage; single bulb
Parsnip	Hollow Crown, Improved	Late	Good	Good quality; most dependable; start early, harvest late; excellent storage
	Javelin	Late	Good	Uniform, slender wedge-shaped roots
	Warrior	Midseason-late	Good	Uniform; large cylindrical roots
Peas (snow)	Avalanche	Early-midseason	Good	Large, crisp and flavorful pods
	Oregon Sugarpod II	Early	Good	Edible podded; excellent snow pea
	Oregon Giant	Early	Good	Edible podded
(snap)	Dwarf Grey Sugar	Early	Good	Edible podded; dependable; poorer fresh-eating quality
	Freezonian	Late	High	Indeterminate type; good quality; fusarium resistant
	Sugar Ann	Early	Good	Edible podded; like snap bean
	Sugar Daddy	Early	High	Stringless; double pods
	Sugar Snap	Midseason	Good	Edible podded; like snap bean
	Sugar Sprint Snap	Early	Good	Sweet; almost stringless
	Super Sugar Snap	Early	Good	Shorter-vined version of Sugar Snap
(shelling)	Green Arrow	Late	Highest	Outstanding quality; long pods
	Laxton's Progress #9	Early	High	Long pods with nine peas per pod
	Lincoln	Midseason	High	Heirloom; good quality; small; sweet
	Maestro	Early	High	First early Green Arrow type
	Mr. Big	Midseason	Good	All-America selection


Vegetable	Variety	Maturity	Yields	Comments
Peppers*	Grow through clear or IRT plastic mulch
(sweet)	Blushing Beauty	Midseason	Good	All-America selection; sweet bell
	Carmen	Midseason	Good	All-America selection; sweet Italian; bull’s horn type
	Giant Marconi	Midseason	Good	All-America selection; extra sweet
	Italian Sweet	Early to midseason	High	Italian sweet type
	King Arthur	Midseason	High	Large green or red fruit (F1), widely adapted
	Mohawk	Midseason	Good	Green to yellow bell for containers
	Oranos	Midseason	High	Highly prolific outdoors; long fruit matures from green to orange; F1
	Park’s Early Thickset	Midseason	High	Good quality
	Red Knight X3R	Midseason	Good	Big blocky fruit; good disease resistance
	Redskin	Midseason	Good	Green to red bell for containers
	Revolution	Midseason	Good	Very large fruit; medium green to red
(hot)	Anaheim College 64	Midseason	Good	Medium sizzle; six to 10 fruit per plant
	Big Boss Man	Midseason	Good	Large blocky fruit; does well in cooler weather
	Black Magic	Midseason	God	Mild jalapeno
	Czech Black	Early-midseason	Good	Small, jalapeno-like fruit; increasing in heat as matures from green to purple
	Highlander	Midseason	Good	Does well in cooler weather; semi-flattened
	Hungarian Yellow Wax	Midseason	Good	Hot yellow
	Poblano	Midseason	Good	Uniform large fruit; great for roasting
	Red Rocket	Early	High	Tapered; thin walled; widely adapted
	Thai Hot	Early	High	Excellent quality
	Senorita	Midseason	Good	Mild jalapeno
	Red Ember	Early-midseason	High	Excellent quality cayenne
Potato	Always use certified disease-free seed purchased locally in Alaska to keep out diseases that exist elsewhere. Refer to Extension publication "Growing Potatoes in the Alaska Garden" for additional varieties and information.
	Alaska Red	Early	High	Red; tender skin; stores well; determinate
	Alaska Frostless	Midseason	High	White; tender skin; not good for storage
	All Blue	Midseason	Good	Good quality; deep purple-blue color
	Calwhite	Late	Very high	Good baking; big-sized tubers; stores well; indeterminate
	Chieftain	Late	Very high	Good quality; red skin, white flesh; determinate
	German Butterball	Late	High	Yellow flesh; excellent taste; indeterminate
	Green Mountain	Late	High	Good quality; indeterminate
	French Fingerling	Midseason	High	Excellent roasting quality; nutty flavor; indeterminate
	Kennebec	Early	High	Tender skin; determinate
	Goldrush Russet	Late	High	Good quality for baking and storage.
	Rote Erstling	Early	Good	Red; tough skin; yellow flesh; good quality
	Sangre	Midseason	Good	Red skinned; excellent baked or boiled
	Swedish Peanut	Late	Good	Excellent flavor and roasting quality; indeterminate
	Yukon Gold	Early	High	Yellow flesh; good tasting; stores well; determinate


Vegetable	Variety	Maturity	Yields	Comments
Pumpkin*	Grow through clear or IRT plastic mulch (use transplants 4-5 weeks old)
	Connecticut Field	Midseason to late	High	Heirloom; large
	Dill's Atlantic Giant	Late	High	For giant vegetable growers; produces 200+ pound fruit; not good for eating
	Howden	Late	Good	Traditional Halloween pumpkin; 10 to 15 pounds
	Neon	Mid to early	Good	7 to 8 pounds; uniform
	New England Pie	Midseason	Good	Heirloom; small; good baking quality
	Racer	Midseason to late	High	Vigorous; short vine
	Sorcerer	Late	High	All-America selection; compact vine
	Wee-B-Little	Late	High	Very small; ornamental
	Windsor	Midseason	Good	Bright orange; good storage; compact, productive plant
	Lumina	Midseason to late	Good	Medium size; white skin
Radish	Burpee White	Midseason	High	Holds longest without bolting
	Bacchus	Very early	High	Deep purple color; uniformly round
	Cherry Belle	Early	Good	Very good keeping quality
	Cherriette	Early	Good	Good shape and color; F1
	Crunchy Royale	Early	Good	Smooth; red wine, mild flavor; F1
	D'Avingnon	Very early	Good	3 to 4 inches long; harvest promptly
	Alpine	Midseason to late	High	Daikon; long white root
	Easter Egg	Early	High	Mix of red, purple and white
	French Breakfast	Early	High	Carmine color; 3 to 4 inches; mild; crispy
	Mino Spring	Midseason	Good	Slow bolting; Daikon cross
	Miyashige	Midseason	Good	Daikon; long white root
	Scarlet Globe	Early	Good	Holds better than Cherry Belle
	Summer Cross #3	Midseason	Good	Japanese style; 16 inches; uniform white; F1
	White Icicle	Late	Fair	Long 5-inch, icicle-shaped root
Rhubarb	Perennial plant; rhubarb generally does well in Alaska.
	Canada Red	Early	High	High quality
	McDonald	Early	High	High quality
Rutabaga	Helenor	Midseason to late	High	Round bulb; light orange flesh; stores well
	Laurentian	Midseason	High	Heirloom; purple top; sweet, mild
	Joan	Midseason	High	Heirloom; sweet flavor
Spinach	Corvair	Early	Good	Smooth leaf; dark green; F1
	Bloomsdale Longstanding	Midseason	High	Good variety for Fairbanks; bolt resistant; longer days to maturity
	Escalade	Early to midseason	High	Smooth meaty leaf; one of the most bolt resistant varieties tested in Fairbanks
	Lizard	Early	High	Bolt resistant; sow early and late season due to shorter days to maturity
	Renegade	Early to midseason	High	Excellent quality; one of the most bolt-resistant varieties tested in Fairbanks
	Space	Early to midseason	High	Slower to bolt; smooth leaf; F1


Vegetable	Variety	Maturity	Yields	Comments
Squash*	Improve growth by growing through IRT (solar) plastic mulch
(summer)	Bush Baby	Early	Good	Ready at 4 to 6 inches; striped; glossy
	Costata Romanesco	Midseason	Low	Italian heirloom; nutty delicious flavor
	Desert	Midseason	High	Compact plant; long straight zucchini; good fruit set
	Early Prolific	Early	High	Yellow; straight neck
	Eight Ball	Midseason	High	Harvest at golf ball size
	Goldmine	Midseason	Good	Shiny yellow with stripes; F1
	Goldrush	Early	High	Striking yellow zucchini
	Magda	Early	High	Cousa type; sweet, nutty flavor
	One Ball	Early	High	Yellow ball shape; harvest at golf ball size
	Raven	Early	High	Dark-skinned zucchini
	Seneca Prolific	Midseason	Fair	Yellow; straight neck; Botrytis resistant
	Slick Pick	Early	Good	Attractive fruit; easy harvest; F1
	Spineless Perfection	Early	High	Medium green; disease resistant; F1
	Sunburst (pattypan)	Midseason	High	Bright yellow scallop; F1
	Tigress	Midseason	Good	Flecked; medium green; disease resistant; F1
	Yellow Crookneck	Midseason	High	Buttery flavor, firm texture; 5-6 inch fruit
(winter)	Autumn Delight	Midseason	Good	Semi-bush acorn type; dark green; F1
	Bon Bon	Late	High	Buttercup type; All-America selection; sweet; good storage variety
	Blue Hubbard	Late	Good	Large; blue-green; extra hard shell; yellow-orange flesh; excellent for storage
	Burgess Buttercup	Midseason - late	High	Dark green; excellent quality
	Bush Delicata	Midseason - late	OK	Small habit; excellent eating quality; C. pepo yields likely improved from dark periods
	Gete-Okosomin	Midseason - late	High	Excellent melon flavor and eating quality; very large fruit; Native American heirloom variety
	Gold Nugget	Midseason - late	High	Good quality; dependable; small
	Red Kuri	Midseason - late	High	Mini red hubbard type; excellent eating quality for pies and purees
	Spaghetti Squash	Midseason	High	Spaghetti-like flesh; avoid overwatering when fruit is set to avoid cracking; also consider Hasta la Pasta variety for attractive orange-color shell
	Sunshine	Late	High	Bright orange Kabocha type; sweet, smooth flesh; excellent eating and pie quality.
	Sweet Meat	Late	High	Heirloom; 10 to 15 pounds; good for pie
	Sweet Mama	Early	High	Green Kabocha type; good eating quality
	Tiptop PMR	Midseason - late	Good	Great storage; large size; black green acorn type; F1
	Wintersweet	Midseason - late	High	Attractive sage green shell; orange meat; Kabocha type; excellent storage life; F1
Swiss Chard	Bright Lights Chard	Midseason	Good	All-America selection; multicolored


Vegetable	Variety	Maturity	Yields	Comments
	Fordhook Giant	Midseason	Good	Standard green Swiss chard; white veins
	Neon Lights Chard	Midseason	High	Blend of five varieties; multicolored
	Rhubarb Chard	Midseason	Good	Very attractive; smaller than white
	Silverado Chard	Midseason	High	Compact plant; slow to bolt
Tomatillo	Toma Verde	Midseason - late	High	Great for salsa; 2-inch fruits
Tomato*	Best results when grown through IRT plastic mulch or using season extension techniques
(determinate)	Black Cherry	Early	High	Moderately salt tolerant; vigorous growth
	Bush Early Girl	Early	Excellent	Early; medium sized
	Cosmonaut Volkov	Midseason	Good	Heirloom; super tasty; 2 to 3 inches; sweet and tangy
	Red Robin	Early	High	Small ½-inch fruit; prolific
	Sweet n' Neat	Early to mid	Good	Ultra compact; ideal for containers; F1
	Taxi	Early	Good	Large yellow fruit
	Tumbler cherry	Early	Good	Excellent for hanging baskets and containers; F1
(indeterminate)	Big Beef	Midseason	High	Tasty slicer; good disease resistance; F1
	Black Plum	Early	Good	Small prolific purple fruit
	Buffalo	Midseason	Good	Heirloom; great sandwich tomato; pale rosy pink
	Caruso-Re	Early	High	Good quality; excellent for greenhouse
	Early Tanana¹	Early	Good	Ripens well when picked green
	Juliet	Early	Good	Sweet red cherry; crack resistant; All-America selection
	Lemon Boy	Early	Good	Large yellow fruit
	Stupice	Early	High	Very early; small, productive plants
	Sub Arctic 25	Early	Good	Productive; small fruits
	Sub Arctic Maxi	Very early	Good	Largest fruit for subarctic type
	Sungold	Early	Good	Apricot-orange-cherry; excellent fruity flavor; F1
	Sweet 100	Early	High	Good quality
Turnip	Best results when grown under low tunnels to avoid root maggot predation
	Golden Ball	Late	Good	3 to 4-inch roots; sweet and mellow flavor
	Hakurei	Midseason	High	Excellent eating quality, sweet-fruity taste; holds well
	Purple Top White Globe	Late	Heavy	Good for storage
	Scarlet Queen Red Stem	Midseason	Good	Everything is edible; best at 2 to 3-inch roots
	Tokyo Cross	Early	High	Nice small white turnip; excellent eating quality

Fruit Varieties

Some fruit crops and varieties may only survive when planted in the most favorable sites. Carefully selecting a planting site, connecting with successful fruit and berry growers, and planting several varieties on your property will increase fruit growing success. Your local nursery is a good source for recommending varieties for your area and growing conditions.


Fruit	Variety	Maturity	Yield	Comments
Apple	Note: Apples require a "pollenizer plant" of different variety to bear fruit.
	Alma Sweet	Late	Good	Hardy; 2-inch fruits; very sweet, good for sauce
	Nor series (10)	Late	Good	Marginally good hardiness
	Parkland	Late	Good	Marginally hard (zone 2a); tart; large fruit - 2.5 to 3.5-inch diameter
	Prairie series	Late	Good	(Prairie Sun, Sensation, Magic, etc.) developed in Saskatchewan, Canada; fast growing; good to very hardy
	Schafer	Late	High	Small tart fruit; very hardy to zone 2a (good for Tanana Valley)
	Trailman	Late	High	Hardiest variety for Tanana Valley; 1.75-inch fruit; stores well
	Westland	Late	Good	Marginally hardy
Apple, Crab	Rescue	Late	Fair	Marginally hardy
	Adam	Late	Fair	Marginally hardy
	Sylvia	Late	Good	Marginally hardy
	Jacques	Late	Good	Marginally hardy
	Columbia	Late	Fair	Marginally hardy
Sour Cherry	Evans	Mid - late	High	Tree-type cherry; produces slightly larger, sweeter fruit than other cultivars
	Nanking	Mid - late	OK	Fast growing; small 1/2-inch diameter tart, soft flesh fruit; bushes can get up to 15 feet tall
	Pin Cherries	Midseason	High	Very hard; small 1/2-inch diameter tart, soft flesh fruit
	Romance Series (5)	Mid - late	Good	Crimson Passion, Carmine Jewel, Romeo, Juliet, Valentine; fast-growing bush-type cherries; hardy to zone 2a
Currant	Many cultivars do well in Alaska
	Golden Currant	Midseason - late	High	Hardy in Tanana Valley; fruit is less tart than red and less medicinal than black cultivars
	Holland Longbunch (red)	Midseason - late	High	Hardy in higher elevations
	Melalathi (black)	Midseason - late	High	Vigorous growth; very aromatic leaves and strong, sweet flavored fruit
	Red Lake	Midseason - late	Good	Hardy
	Wilder (red)	Midseason - late	Good	Hardy; mildew resistant
Gooseberry	Pixwell	Late	Good	Hardiest for higher elevations
	Red Gooseberry	Late	High	Hardy to zone 2a


Fruit	Variety	Maturity	Yield	Comments
Haskaps (Honey Berries)	Note: Haskaps require a "pollinizer plant" of different variety to bear fruit
	Aurora	Midseason	High	Large, sweet berries; pollinizer for Berry Blue, Honey Bee, Tundra and Boreal Series
	Boreal Series (3)	Midseason	Good	Boreal Beast has a long flowering period, making it a good pollinizer for other varieties
	Berry Blue	Midseason	High	Very large, fast-growing bushes
	Honey Bee	Midseason	Good	Good pollinizer for Aurora, Berry Blue, Borealis and Tundra
	Kamchatka	Early - midseason	High	Very early and productive plants; large berries
	Tundra	Midseason	High
Pear	Note: Pears require a "pollinizer plant" of different variety to bear fruit
	Early Gold	Late	Good	Hardy to zone 2a; grows to about 20 feet tall; eating and preserving quality fruit
	Larynskaya	Late	Good	Produces tangy-sweet medium-sized fruit with white juicy flesh; hardy to zone 2b - 3a (above 800-1000 foot elevation in Fairbanks)
Plum	Note: Plums require a "pollinizer plant" of different variety to bear fruit
	Brook - Red & Gold	Late	OK	Not heavy producers, but nice quality fruit; good pollinizer for Lee and Vic
	Lee Red	Late	Good	Produces tangy-sweet 1-inch diameter fruit; fully hardy in hills (above 800-foot elevation) in Fairbanks
	Vic Red	Late	Good	Vigorous growing variety produces lots of fruit; fully hardy in hills (above 800-foot elevation) in Fairbanks
Raspberry	Latham	Late	Good	Good quality
	Boyne	Late	Good	Good quality
	Kiska¹	Early	Good	Most hardy
	Red Mammoth	Midseason to late	High	Short plant; large fruit; sweet taste
Saskatoon	Martin	Midseason	High	Large fruit; plant with Smoky for cross pollination
	Smoky	Midseason	High	Best flavor; plant with Martin for cross pollination
Strawberry	Alaska Pioneer¹	Early	High	Hardy; yield is high when well fertilized and watered
	Albion	Midseason	Good	Day neutral; does not produce as many runners
	Quinault	Midseason to frost	High	Grow as an annual through clear or IRT plastic mulch
	Seascape	Midseason	High	Hardy; day neutral; does well in ground or baskets
	Toklat¹	Midseason	High	Hardy; larger fruit than Alaska Pioneer

¹Developed at the Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, University of Alaska Fairbanks.

* Warm season crops will benefit by planting them through a clear, or wavelength selective (i.e. InfraRed Transmitting - IRT) plastic mulch. The plastic hastens soil warming by allowing the sun’s rays to penetrate the soil and preventing heat from being dissipated by the wind. Caution is required, however, since most seedlings sunburn if not released from beneath the plastic as soon as they emerge from the soil. Sweet corn may remain under the plastic until 4 to 6 inches tall before being released. Transplants may be planted directly in plastic by cutting a hole large enough to plant into. Plastic mulch also helps to retain soil moisture, and IRT plastic can reduce weed pressure.

SEED & NURSERY SOURCES

Alberta Nurseries & Seeds Ltd.*

Alaska Fruit Trees*

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds*

Burgess Seed and Plant Co.

W. Atlee Burpee & Co.

Denali Seed Co.*

Ester Alaska Seed Library*

Farmer Seed & Nursery Co.*

Ferry-Morse Seed Co.

Fedco Seeds

Found Root*

Irish Eyes Garden City Seeds*

Gourmet Seeds International

Gurney's Seed & Nursery

Harris Seeds Co.*

High Mowing Organic Seeds*

Horticultural Products & Services

Johnny’s Selected Seeds*

J.L. Hudson, Seedsman Seed Bank

Jung Seed

Kitchen Garden Seeds

O'Brien Garden and Trees*

Park Seed Co.

Pinetree Garden Seeds*

Reimer Seeds

R.H. Shumway's

Richter’s Herbs*

Stokes Seeds Inc*.

Territorial Seed Co.*

Totally Tomatoes

Otis S. Twilley Seed Co., Inc.

Vermont Bean Seed Co.*

Vesey's Seeds*

Victory Seed Co.*

Wild Rose Heritage Seed Co.*

* Indicates Alaska or northern region seed company

Celery varieties await evaluation post-harvest.

To simplify information, trade names of products have been used. No endorsement of named products by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products that are not mentioned.

Glenna Gannon, Agriculture and Food Systems Faculty. Originally prepared by Wayne Vandre, former Extension Horticulture Specialist.

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Revised September 2022