Participating in citizen science benefits gardeners across the state
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Which variety of vegetable, herb or flower will grow best in my garden? That is a tough question to answer in Tennessee given all the different regions and climates throughout the state.
To arrive at the best answer, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture researchers work with gardeners across Tennessee to test cultivars and varieties in their home gardens and report the results. In 2025, 177 participants representing 43 Tennessee counties planted 747 trials of bush beans, cucumbers, okra, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, lettuce, melons, herbs and flowers.
The results and recommendations are now available in the UT Extension publication, “Tennessee Home Garden Variety Trials 2025 Results,” by Natalie Bumgarner, professor and residential and consumer horticulture Extension specialist, and Virginia Sykes, associate professor of variety testing and agroecology.
“Our UT Extension vegetable garden publications can help you identify crops and cultivars that fit your site and needs, so you will be prepared to make great selections for your 2026 garden when those seed catalogs arrive. And, once the seeds arrive, our garden calendar can support you in proper timing for starting transplants or seeding into the garden,” Baumgarner said.
Gardeners participating in the trials collect data on variety performance, which is compiled to identify varieties with superior performance in Tennessee. The idea is that trying new varieties leads to more productive gardens and healthier diets.
Participants tested and compared two varieties of each vegetable, herb or flower. When evaluating trials, participants were asked to mark which of the two varieties performed better in terms of germination, plant health, first fruit, yield, appearance and flavor. They were also asked to give a performance rating on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 indicating poor performance and 10 indicating excellent performance. Participants were asked to select whether they would recommend either variety to other home gardeners.
Some of the top-performing cultivars across the years of trials and including 2025, were:
- ‘Obsession’ and ‘Winner’ Genovese basil
- ‘Firecracker’ compact sunflower
- ‘Super Hero Spry’ marigold
- ‘Desperado’ bush bean
- ‘Rattlesnake’ heritage pole bean
- ‘Red Noodle’ yard long bean
- ‘The General’ slicer cucumber
- ‘Cherokee’ red leaf lettuce
- ‘Gatsbi’ green leaf lettuce
- ‘Grandprize’ and ‘Tempest’ yellow squash
For information about when to plant, refer to the Tennessee Home Fruit and Vegetable Garden calendar for 2026.
For information about how to join the 2026 trials, visit mastergardener.tennessee.edu/home-garden-vegetable-trial.
The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is comprised of the Herbert College of Agriculture, UT College of Veterinary Medicine, UT AgResearch and UT Extension. Through its land-grant mission of teaching, research and outreach, the Institute touches lives and provides Real. Life. Solutions. to Tennesseans and beyond. utia.tennessee.edu.