Feb 5, 2010

AAS Vegetable Winner Packs a PunchSource: All-America Selections

Capsicum annuum ‘Cajun Belle’, a small sweet-and-savory pepper, is this year’s All-America Selection in the vegetable category.

This pepper resembles a bell pepper, about 2×3-inches, with three or four lobes. It matures early, about 60 days after transplanting into the garden. These compact plants are two feet tall and wide, perfect for patio containers. When left on the plant, fruit will change color from green to scarlet and finish red, filled with vitamin C. ‘Cajun Belle’ plants produce a high yield of peppers and excellent fruit set. When grown at AAS Trial grounds, ‘Cajun Belle’ showed no disease problems. ‘Cajun Belle’ was bred by Grow Star L.L.C. and seed companies can purchase seed from PanAmerican Seed Company.

There are five other varieties that took home AAS honors this year: Watermelon F1 ‘Shiny Boy’, echinacea ‘PowWow Wild Berry’, marigold F1 ‘Moonsong Deep Orange’ and zinnia ‘Double Zahara Cherry’ and ‘Double Zahara Fire’. For more information, including culture data, on all the varieties, visit www.all-americaselections.org.