Selecting proper varieties for your garden is important. By careful selection you can grow vegetables that are disease-resistant and good yielders of high-quality, nutritious produce. Use the varieties recommended below and that are known to do well in your area. It is a good idea to try one or two new varieties each year. Plant them next to your old favorites to see which ones are best.
Table 2 - Seed and Plant Buying ChartCrop | Amount for 100 ft of row |
Variety recommended for use in Illinois | Days to harvest | Resistant to |
Asparagus (plants) | 75-100 | Mary Washington | Rust | |
Waltham Washington | Rust | |||
Jersey Knight | ||||
Jersey Prince | ||||
Snap beans (seed) | ¾ pound | Bush, green | ||
Blue Lake 274 | 58 | Mosaic | ||
Contender | 53 | Mosaic | ||
Derby | 57 | |||
Provider | 52 | Mosaic | ||
Tendercrop | 54 | Mosaic | ||
Tendergreen | 57 | Mosaic, rust, bacteria, blight and wilt | ||
Topcrop | 51 | |||
Bush, yellow | ||||
Cherokee Wax | 52 | Rust, mosaic | ||
Gold Crop | 54 | Rust, mosaic | ||
Slender Wax | 56 | |||
Lima beans (seed) | ½ pound | Burpee Improved Bush | 75 | Mosaic |
Fordhook 242 | 75 | Mosaic | ||
Baby Fordhook | 80 | |||
Henderson | 70 | |||
Beets (seed) | 1 ounce | Detroit Dark Red | 58 | Boron deficiency |
Early Wonder | 52 | |||
Lutz Green Leaf | 70 | |||
Ruby Queen | 60 | |||
Sweetheart | 58 | |||
Crop | Amount for 100 ft of row |
Variety recommended for use in Illinois | Days to harvest | Resistant to |
Broccoli | 50-75 plants or 1 packet seed | Cruiser | 58 | |
Green Comet | 60 | |||
Green Goliath | 60 | |||
Premium Crop | 60 | Downy mildew | ||
Packman | 55 | |||
Brussels sprouts | 1 packet 75-100 plants or 1 packet seed |
Bubbles | 82 | Rust |
Jade Cross | 83 | |||
Cabbage | 75-100 plants | Early Jersey Wakefield | 63 | |
Green Cup | 73 | |||
King Cole | 78 | Yellows | ||
Savoy Ace | 74 | |||
Savoy King | 85 | Yellows | ||
Ruby Ball | 70 | Yellows | ||
Ruby Perfection | 80 | Yellows | ||
Carrots (seed) | ¼ ounce | Danvers Half-Long | 75 | |
Danvers | 65 | |||
Bolero | 70 | |||
Nantes Coreless | 72 | |||
Scarlet Nantes | 70 | |||
Crop | Amount for 100 ft of row |
Variety recommended for use in Illinois | Days to harvest | Resistant to |
Cauliflower | 50-75 plants or 1 packet seed | Snow Crown | 60 | |
Snow Grace | 65 | |||
Snow King | ||||
Swiss chard (seed) | 1 ounce | Burgundy | 60 | |
Rhubarb | 60 | |||
Fordhook Giant | 57 | |||
Lucullus | 50 | |||
Rainbow | 55 | |||
Corn, Sweet (seed) | 1-2 ounces | Standard | ||
Iochief | 86 | |||
Jubilee | 82 | |||
Platinum Lady | 86 | |||
Silver Queen | 92 | |||
Bi Queen | 92 | |||
Honey and Cream | 80 | |||
Sugary Enhancer Hybrids | ||||
Bodacious | 72 | |||
Kandy Korn | 89 | |||
Maple Sweet | 70 | |||
Spring Treat | 67 | |||
Cotton Candy | 72 | |||
Snowbelle | 79 | |||
Spring Snow | 65 | |||
Sugar Snow | 71 | |||
Supersweet Hybrids | ||||
Challenger | 76 | |||
Early Xtra Sweet | 70 | |||
Illini Gold | 79 | |||
Illini Xtra Sweet | 85 | |||
Honey 'N Pearl | 78 | |||
Cucumbers (seed) | ½ ounce | Slicing | ||
Bush Crop | 55 | |||
Fanfare | 63 | |||
Salad Bush | 57 | Mosaic, Powdery mildew, Downy mildew | ||
Spacemaster | 56 | |||
Straight Eight | 65 | |||
Sweet Slice | 63 | |||
Pickling | ||||
Calypso | 50 | |||
Lucky Strike | 52 | |||
National Pickling | 55 | |||
SMR-58 | 53 | Moasic, Scab | ||
Crop | Amount for 100 ft of row |
Variety recommended for use in Illinois | Days to harvest | Resistant to |
Eggplant (plants) | 50-75 | Dusky | 56 | |
Black Magic | 80 | |||
Classic | 76 | |||
Black Beauty | 80 | |||
Burpee Hybrid | 70 | |||
Kohlrabi (seed) | ¼ ounce | Early White Vienna | 55 | |
Grand Duke | 48 | |||
Triumph | 55 | |||
Purple Vienna | 62 | |||
Lettuce (seed) | 1 packet | Green Leaf | ||
Grand Rapids | 45 | Multiple resistence | ||
Green Ice | 45 | |||
Oak Leaf | 50 | |||
Salad Bowl | 45 | Multiple resistence | ||
Simpson | 45 | |||
Butterhead | ||||
Bibb | 70 | Tipburn | ||
Buttercrunch | 70 | |||
Summer Bibb | 62 | |||
Muskmelons (seed) | ½ ounce | Ambrosia | 86 | |
Burpee Hybrid | 85 | |||
Gold Star | 87 | Fusarium wilt | ||
Harvest Queen | 90 | Fusarium wilt | ||
Supermarket | 88 | Fusarium wilt, powdery mildew | ||
Superstar | 86 | Fusarium wilt | ||
Crop | Amount for 100 ft of row |
Variety recommended for use in Illinois | Days to harvest | Resistant to |
Okra | 1 packet | Annie Oakley | 50 | |
Dwarf Green Long Pod | 52 | |||
Emerald | 55 | |||
Clemson Spineless | 56 | |||
Burgundy | 53 | |||
Onions | 2-3lb | Sets | ||
Ebenezer | 90 | |||
Golden Globe | 90 | |||
¼ ounce | Seed | |||
Early Yellow Globe | 90 | Fusarium rot | ||
Yellow Sweet Spanish | 110 | |||
Walla Walla Sweet | 100 | |||
Southport Red Globe | 110 | Fusarium rot | ||
Benny's Red | 105 | |||
Southport White Globe | 110 | |||
White Sweet Spanish | 110 | |||
Peas | 1 pound | Early | ||
Daybreak | 54 | |||
Alaska | 55 | |||
Spring | 57 | |||
Main Season | ||||
Sparkle | 70 | Fusarium wilt, mosaic | ||
Maestro | 60 | Powdery mildew | ||
Knight | 61 | |||
Little Marvel | 63 | Fusarium wilt, mosaic | ||
Wando | 71 | Fusarium wilt, root rot | ||
Green Arrow | 68 | Downy mildew, powdery mildew | ||
Early Snap | 70 | |||
Sugar Ann | 70 | |||
Sugar Daddy | 80 | |||
Sugar Snap | 70 | |||
Sugar | ||||
Snowbird | 58 | |||
Little Sweetie | 60 | |||
Dwarf Grey Sugar | 65 | |||
Oregon Sugar Pod II | 65 | Fusarium wilt, powdery mildew | ||
Mammoth Melting Sugar | 70 | |||
Peppers | 50-75 plants or 1 packet seed | Sweet | ||
Bell Boy | 70 | |||
Camelot | 67 | |||
Cardinal | 70 | |||
Lady Bell | 72 | |||
Sweet Banana | 70 | |||
Sunnybrook | 73 | Bacterial Spot | ||
Hot | ||||
Anaheim | 78 | |||
Ancho | 88 | |||
Cayenne | 70 | |||
Hungarian Wax | 70 | |||
Jalapeno | 80 | |||
Mexibell Hybrid | 70 | |||
Super Chili Hybrid | 75 | |||
Crop | Amount for 100 ft of row |
Variety recommended for use in Illinois | Days to harvest | Resistant to |
Potatoes (seed) | 10-12 lb | Early | ||
Irish Cobbler | 100 | |||
Norgold Russet | 100 | |||
Norland | 105 | Scab | ||
Superior | 105 | |||
Midseason | ||||
Red Lasoda | 110 | |||
Red Pontiac | 110 | |||
Late | ||||
Katahdin | 120 | Verticillium wilt | ||
Kennebec | 120 | Late blight | ||
Pumpkins (seed) | 1 ounce | Small - 2-5 pounds 100 to 110 days to harvest | ||
Baby Bear | ||||
Small Sugar | ||||
Spooktacular | ||||
Intermediate - 8 to 15 pounds | ||||
Autumn Gold | ||||
Jack-O-Lantern | ||||
Spirit | ||||
Large - 15 to 15 pounds | ||||
Big Autumn | ||||
Big Tom | ||||
Connecticut Field | ||||
Howden Field | ||||
Jackpot | ||||
Jumpin' Jack | ||||
Pankow's Field | ||||
Radishes (seed) | 1 ounce | Burpee White | 23 | |
Champion | 28 | |||
Cherry Belle | 22 | |||
Early Scarlet Globe | 23 | |||
Easter Egg | 25 | |||
Rhubarb (plants) | 30-50 | Canada Red | ||
Cherry Red | ||||
Crimson Red | ||||
MacDonald | ||||
Ruby | ||||
Valentine | ||||
Crop | Amount for 100 ft of row |
Variety recommended for use in Illinois | Days to harvest | Resistant to |
Spinach (seed) | 1 ounce | Bloomsdale Long-Standing | 45 | |
Winter Bloomsdale | 45 | |||
America | 45 | |||
Summer | ||||
New Zealand | 65 | |||
Squash (seed) | 1 ounce | Summer | ||
Aristocrat | 53 | |||
Chefini | 48 | |||
President | 50 | |||
Spineless Beauty | 45 | |||
Sun Drops | 55 | |||
Early Crookneck | 53 | |||
Early Prolific Straightneck | 50 | |||
Seneca Butterbar | 50 | |||
Pattypan | 55 | |||
Fall Squash | ||||
Ebony | 100 | |||
Table Ace | 85 | |||
Table Gold | 90 | |||
Table King | 80 | |||
Table Queen | 90 | Bacterial wilt | ||
Butternut | 100 | Bacterial wilt | ||
Buttercup | 90 | |||
Sweet potatoes (plants) | 100 | Beauregard | 100 | |
Centennial | Internal cork, wilt | |||
Bush Porto Rico | 110 | |||
Georgia Jet | 100 | |||
Jewell | 100 | |||
Tomatoes | 35-75 plants or 1 packet seed | Early | ||
Early Girl | 60 | VFNTA | ||
Champion | 65 | VFNT | ||
Main Crop | ||||
Celebrity | 70 | VFNT | ||
Better Boy | 72 | VFN | ||
Mountain Pride | 74 | VF | ||
Burpee's Big Girl | 78 | VF | ||
Supersonic | 79 | VF | ||
Beefmaster | 81 | VFN | ||
Brandywine | 80 | |||
Paste | ||||
Veeroma | 72 | VF | ||
Roma | 75 | VF | ||
San Marzano | 80 | |||
Viva Italia | 80 | |||
Small Fruit | ||||
Super Sweet 100 | 70 | |||
Sweet Million | 65 | |||
Yellow Pear | 70 | |||
Large Red Cherry | 70 | |||
Dwarf Container | ||||
Tiny Tim | 45 | |||
Patio Hybrid | 65 | |||
Small Fry | 72 | |||
Husky Gold | 70 | |||
Crop | Amount for 100 ft of row |
Variety recommended for use in Illinois | Days to harvest | Resistant to |
Turnips | ¼ ounce | Just Right | 60 | |
Purple Top White Globe | 55 | |||
Golden Ball | 60 | |||
Royal Crown | 52 | |||
Tokyo Cross | 35 | |||
Watermelons (seeded) | ½ ounce | Early - 70-75 days to harvest | ||
Sugar Baby | ||||
Yellow Baby | ||||
Yellow Doll | ||||
Main Season - 80-85 days to harvest | ||||
Charleston Gray | ||||
Crimson Sweet | ||||
Sangria | ||||
Sunny's Pride | ||||
Sweet Favorite | ||||
Watermelons (seedless) | Honey Heart | 85 | ||
Jack of Hearts | 85 | |||
Queen of Hearts | 85 | |||
King of Hearts | 85 | |||
Nova | 85 | |||
Tiffany | 85 |