By Tom Kalb, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension

The New Year is here. The days are starting to get longer, and spring is coming.

It’s time to begin thinking about our 2026 gardens. The first step in growing a great garden is to start with great seeds.

How can you find great seeds? When reading a seed catalog, it seems that every variety is great.  

That’s why we started the North Dakota Home Garden Variety Trials. The best way to identify the best varieties for gardeners in the Dakotas is to test the varieties in the gardens of the Dakotas.

Our program works with over 200 families every summer to test promising vegetable and flower varieties in their gardens. In 2025, 313 families tested 102 different varieties.

A few of these varieties were terrible. For example, we identified a new variety of sweet corn that was tasteless, and a watermelon variety whose melons would not ripen until Halloween. That won’t work in the Dakotas.

We also found some tremendous varieties that I would like to share with you today.

Last summer was warmer than usual. Many lettuce varieties struggled and went to seed early. We identified several varieties of lettuce that tolerated the heat and produced crisp, delicious lettuce all summer. Gardeners were especially impressed with Gatsbi bibb, Sunland romaine and Chrystal red lettuce.  

Gardeners had a fun time growing Gizmo gourds. Its gourds had unique, star shapes with winged edges. They were great for decorating. Best of all, Gizmo vines were compact and did not overrun the garden.  

A new butternut squash called Block Party had some of the highest ratings we’ve ever seen for a squash. The yields of Block Party were early and impressive. Its fruits were blocky and attractive with bright orange, flavorful flesh.

We discovered a group of pumpkin varieties that produced beautiful, bright orange fruits that weighed 20 pounds or more. Large Marge, Big Doris and Big Loretta ripened early and were easy to grow. These varieties differed in the sizes and shapes of their pumpkins, but the fruits of all three sisters were gorgeous in their own way. 

North Dakota is fortunate to be the home of Prairie Road Organic Seed Company. This company develops varieties that thrive in the Dakotas. In 2025, Sweet Dakota Rose proved once again that it is one of the best-tasting and most reliable watermelon varieties. Previous winners from Prairie Road have included Sweet Dakota Bliss beet as well as Uncle David’s Dakota Dessert buttercup squash, a most delicious squash.

Bengala carrot was a remarkable performer in 2025. Gardeners raved over its straight, long and  crunchy roots. Awaken is a new super sweet corn that produced delicious ears that ripened very early in the season, the most profitable time for commercial growers.

Summer Dance burpless cucumbers received the most positive ratings. Its slender, glossy fruits ripened early and abundantly.

Among cut flowers, the most popular variety was Lava Lamp zinnia, which features a bold mix of red, orange and yellow blooms.

Our gardeners continue to be impressed with the Dessert Menu mixes of zinnias. These flowers are easy to grow and extremely appealing to butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

The highest-rated of the Dessert Menu zinnia mixes in 2025 was Berry Tart, which features an eye-catching blend of cherry, scarlet and coral zinnias. Fruity Beauty (orange, lemon and cherry) and Blueberry Cheesecake (purple, lavender and white) received high ratings in previous trials.

Over the past 18 years, over 1,000 families have tested over 1,000 varieties. Our research reports and the list of recommended varieties for 2026 are available at the North Dakota Home Garden Variety Trials website: ndsu.ag/gardentrials.   

We will be conducting tests in 2026, and you are welcome to join our team. All gardeners, including beginners and commercial growers, are welcome to participate in these trials. The trials are fun and simple to conduct. After participating in our program, over 99% of gardeners say they would recommend it to other gardeners.

To receive our free online catalog, please visit our website and request it. Let’s work together to identify the best varieties for gardeners in the Dakotas.

For more information about gardening, contact your local NDSU Extension agent. Find the Extension office for your county at www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/county-extension-offices.

NDSU Agriculture Communication – Jan. 2, 2026

Source: Tom Kalb, 701-877-2585, tom.kalb@ndsu.edu

Editor: Elizabeth Cronin, 701-231-7006, elizabeth.cronin@ndsu.edu