LADY BUG: SEED COMPANIES INTRODUCE NEW VEGETABLES FOR 1995

A complaint has been registered that much more space is given to flowers than vegetables this year. It is true that only flowers were chosen for the All-America Selection winners this year. Gardening magazines have carried articles on two petunias, Purple Wave, with unusual trailing qualities from Japan; Celebrity Chiffon Morn, an improved pastel multiflora type bred in the United States, and a gloriosa daisy, Indian Summer from Germany.

Vegetables haven't been slighted, even though passed by this season for the AAS. Just look into the many catalogs at how they have demanded space. It seems that most of the featured vegetables have one common characteristic, and that is earliness.

The Bible tells us that the exiled Israelites complained to Moses that they missed the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic that were a part of their Egyptian diet.

Today, good gardeners are usually good cooks. They can extend their harvest through successive plantings. Whether it is a gardening specialty or a ready supply of onions, the garden will probably reflect what goes into the kitchen.

Let's look at some of the new vegetables on the market for the first time from Peto Seed, the Hybrid Seed Co., suppliers of all seed companies.

There is Olga lettuce, a gourmet European Romaine type that is different from Romaine or Cos lettuce varieties we are used to. It has an unusual slick leaf texture, is less crunchy, blends better with other salad ingredients and is more appealing to eat than other Romaines. It has somewhat lighter green color with more cup-shaped leaves that make a loose head. It grows 8 inches tall, and is ready for harvest in 70 days.

Mini-Green is an unusual miniature Iceberg lettuce that produces heads about the size of a tennis ball, perfect for individual servings. it is not only wonderful for home gardening, but also is unique for special gourmet markets where miniature veggies are in demand. Heads are dark green and this variety takes a lot of hot weather with bolting. Maturity is in 75 days.

Crimson Fancy tomato is a bush variety that makes large fruit sizes without pruning. It is hard to abuse this plant as you can forget to water it, let it ramble on the ground and it will still love you. Fruits are large, luscious and sweet, averaging a half pound. It matures in 75 days.

Sausalito tomato was bred especially for processing. It was produced to make ketchup and diced and whole peeled canned tomatoes, but it is great for something people are beginning to love more than anything -- Picante Sauce. Combined with garden salsa hot peppers, jalapenos and onions, it is the best thing going. Resistant to disease, Sausalito's fruits are round, firm and have a great bright color. It matures in 72 days.

Twilight is a hybrid eggplant that bears oval fruit 8 inches long by 4 inches wide. It has a dark color, almost purple black. Yields are high. Plants should not be set out until the ground and days are warm. Maturity is in 62 days.

Decorate your burger with Red Burgermaster hybrid onion. A large-sized bright red, globe-shaped onion, it stores well. Transplanting is recommended. This onion is great to jazz up salads and casseroles. It matures in 110 days.

Stardust is a work waving cauliflower for home gardening. Heads are heavy, smooth and have an excellent dome shape. Plants are tall, vigorous and provide "self branching" wrappers to protect heads and keep them white much longer. Stardust is recommended for both spring and fall harvest. Heads can be very large and still remain tight.

Several varieties of boastful super male hybrid asparagus plants that are produced in laboratories and carry the "Jersey" designation will become more available this year. They include Jersey Knight, Jersey Gem, Jersey Giant, Jersey Titan and a cousin, Greenwich. These specially produced asparagus plants are hardy, disease resistant and about four times as prolific as the traditional varieties, such as Mary Washington.

Hallo-Queen offers thinner walls than most pumpkins, making jack-o'-lanterns easier to carve. Fruits weight 12 to 14 pounds. This pumpkin has a dark orange color when left to mature.

Three melons star in their category. The best early cantaloupe is said to be Fastbreak, a brand new one, reportedly the biggest breakthrough since Iroquois. Fastbreak is very early, luscious and weighs 3 pounds when it matures in 65 days.

Orange Blossom, an orange-fleshed honeydew, with vigorous and productive vines yields quite a number of medium-sized fruits. It has thin, cream-colored skin with delicate sweet and tender flesh. Maturity is in just 80 days.

St. Nick is bred from Spanish stock, and gets its name from the fact it will store up to three months and can be enjoyed during the Christmas season.

~Mary Blue is an avid gardener and a resident of Cape Girardeau.