All-America Selections (AAS) announced four more regional winners for 2014 that proved to be superior garden performers. With the addition of the winners, plus four new national winners, there is a total of 19 winners for the 2014 gardening season. It is the most AAS winners announced in one year since the first winners were announced in the 1930s.
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Radish 'Rivoli'
'Rivoli' earned the judges' favor by producing a large, uniform root with a bright red exterior and a smooth, clear white interior. 'Rivoli' holds well and does not get pithy or woody, even under stress. This makes for a tasty, sweet, crisp radish that matures earlier than its comparisons.
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Pepper 'Giant Ristra'
'Giant Ristra' looks like a red Marconi pepper, but has the heat of a cayenne. The texture and the heat make it an excellent eating variety, but it can also be dried and used in dishes for up to one year. In the mountain and southern trial gardens, Ristra produced a high yield of uniformly shaped peppers on attractive plants which the judges reported were easy to grow.
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Eggplant 'Patio Baby'
Judges said 'Patio Baby' is an attractive eggplant that can be used as both an ornamental and an edible. It is the perfect plant for container gardens. It is compact, at less than 24 inches in height when mature, yet it produces a large number of small teardrop shaped purple-black fruits. Judges agreed the taste was less bitter than comparison varieties. Several northern judges were extremely pleased that 'Patio Baby' grew so well in their conditions and was earlier to harvest by about a week.
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Cucumber 'Saladmore'
'Saladmore' cucumber boasts a bush-type growth habit, making it perfect for container gardens. It is a good slicing cucumber with dark green skin and long straight fruits, with superior taste and texture. 'Saladmore' is disease resistant, which proved to be valuable in warmer climates where comparison varieties easily succumbed to late season diseases.