Spring seed starting season—whether in the house or outside—is upon us. If you are a new gardener and aren’t sure of where to find seeds of varieties that will do well in your garden, I have a recommendation for you. Start by visiting the All-America Selections website.

First, a little background about what the All-America Selections (AAS) organization does. Their mission is “to promote new garden varieties with superior garden performance judged in impartial trials in North America”. In essence, AAS judges test new varieties in trial gardens around the country before they go on the market. For example, they do this before they are sold to home gardeners. They test these new varieties against varieties that are already available. Any variety that is deemed as good or better than what is currently available is given an All-America Selections Winner designation. AAS has been trialing new flower and vegetable varieties since 1932. Over that time they have amassed a collection of 807. Impressive!

Any variety that has been declared an AAS Winner has “proven garden performance.” An AAS National Winner assures the home grower that the variety grows well throughout North America, as judged by its earliness, taste, disease resistance, vigor, uniqueness and other characteristics. An AAS Regional Winner exhibits exceptional performance in certain regions, such as the Heartland and the Southeast regions.

“Superior Garden Performance”

What exactly does “superior garden performance” mean? Essentially, a home gardener doesn’t need extensive experience to grow it. For example, the variety is resistant to many diseases and doesn’t need special treatment. It may have a growth habit that is manageable or produces a high yield of fruits that have a delicious taste and last long after harvest. Or, if it’s a flower variety, it’s just darn prettier with longer last flowers than its comparison varieties.

All of these characteristics make AAS Winners the varieties that work best for new gardeners. (Or gardeners who just want to worry and work less in the garden.) The AAS Winner database is a searchable index of all the winners. If you’re looking for a cherry tomato or a compact cucumber for small gardens, you’ll find it with minimal digging. There is even a source list for where you can find the AAS Winner varieties you would like to purchase.

I’m lucky enough to be friends with the executive director of AAS. She just sent me a bunch of sample packets of recent winners. Looks like I’m growing sweet corn and several kinds of cucumbers this year. I’ll keep you posted on what varieties I plant and how they grow. Meanwhile, head on over to the www.all-americaselection.org and choose the varieties that are right for your garden.