Choose the Right Vegetable Varieties

Selecting the right variety is often an overlooked tool in successful vegetable gardening. Varieties selected for pest and disease resistance, heat and drought tolerance, and days to maturity are important considerations for any successful vegetable garden in the Austin area. (Download PDF Vegetable Varieties for Central Texas. Please note that due to size constraints, not all varieties listed on this website page occur on the pdf.)

Since microclimates and soils vary widely in Travis County, selecting varieties for your specific site may seem like a daunting task. We’re here to help. The varieties included here are recommendations from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and the Travis County Master Gardener Vegetable Specialists based on research and personal experience. Check the Vegetable Seed Sources list for availability.

Direct Seed or Transplants?

It’s more economical to grow plants from seed. Since most vegetables sprout easily enough, it’s often the preferred way to grow them because they never have to experience transplanting shock.

The term “direct seed” means that you can plant the seeds directly into the soil without having to transplant.

The term “transplant” means that the seeds are grown indoors until they have true leaves and roots to withstand transplanting (sometimes 3 to 4 weeks.) Many plants are transplanted more than once, and this term is called “bumping up.”

Our recommendations for “transplants” are for those vegetables that require special handling at germination, mostly because of the germination temperature requirements. Broccoli is an example of a plant that requires cooler temperatures to germinate. Tomatoes, on the other hand, require warm temperatures to germinate, and do better when started indoors during early spring here in Central Texas. The other reason to recommend transplants is the number of days it takes to harvest. Central Texas has two very short growing seasons. A crop like Brussels Sprouts just doesn’t have enough time in their ideal growing temperatures to amount to anything unless started as a transplant.

The term “crowns” are used for asparagus because they are usually planted as dormant crowns in the garden.

Sweet Potatoes are planted as “slips”, which are vine cuttings from sprouted tubers. They may or may not have rootlets attached.

Heirloom or Hybrid?

You’ll see a lot of emphasis placed on “heirloom” varieties, but what does that actually mean?

Heirloom varieties are those whose seeds have been saved and passed along over time. Some definitions stipulate that the variety must be at least 50 years old. Other definitions include any seed produced by a parent that breeds “true-to-type”, meaning that pollination occurs between the same or genetically similar parents. These are also called “Open Pollinated.” All heirloom varieties are open-pollinated, but depending on the definition, not all open-pollinated plants are considered heirlooms.

Hybrids are created from the pollen of two different plant varieties. The first generation seeds are called “F1” and in seed catalogs it should include that following it’s name or in the description. Plant breeders cross plants to create more desirable characteristics such a nematode resistance, faster growth, or seedless varieties. Subsequent generations of seed however, if saved, will not all grow “true-to-type” when replanted the following season. It takes a while to develop new varieties that start out as hybrids because it requires multiple generations of seed saving to breed out the variability.

So which is better? The answer really depends on whether you want to save seed and what plant characteristics you are looking for.

Vegetable Variety Selector

Choose the vegetable for the recommended varieties:

• All vegetables and varieties
• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Asian Greens
• Beans
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chard, Swiss
• Collards
• Corn
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Greens, Specialty
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Melons
• Mustard
• Okra
• Onion
• Peas, Garden
• Peas, Southern
• Pepper
• Potatoes
• Potatoes, Sweet
• Pumpkin
• Radish
• Spinach
• Squash
• Tomatoes
• Turnips

Additional Resources

• Download PDF Vegetable Varieties for Central Texas. Please note that due to size constraints, not all varieties listed on this website page occur on the pdf.
• More Vegetable Resources