2023 CAST preview: Prudac

Before this year's Spring Trials, preview notable new varieties from Prudac. 

Prudac’s newest allium variety, Autumn Bee Attraction F1, performs differently compared to most other Allium varieties. It is a great garden performer in the fall. Usable as a container, patio or garden plant and as a cut flower. It is both a beautiful and a delicious patio or garden perennial.

Baby F1 Cauliflower presents a compact curd and plant habit for high density planting and as a pot plant. The indoor shelf-life of the plant is at least 10 days when watered like a pot-plant. Crop time from young plant to sale-able product is 40 days. The curd and leaves are both edible and delicious in a stir fry. Peppers from Heaven is a vibrant and productive hanging basket variety. This variety is suitable for a 6-7 inch pot. It starts out green and turns into a glossy orange, with lots of large, tasty fruit. Plant three plants in one pot for a fuller look. This variety has a continuous fruit set under the right conditions.

Halloween Sweet Gold F1 pumpkin pepper is a fun pot/container pepper that has sweet pumpkin-shaped fruits. The fruits start out as a glossy purple-black color that mature to a bright gold color. The plant is upright in growth and does not require staking or pruning. It presents its first ripened fruits centrally but will build a large branching plant during the full season. Halloween Gold would make a great pot plant for late-season markets, just in time for Halloween!

Rocket Peppers Sweet Mamba Orange F1 is an excellent upright-growing pepper plant producing sweet peppers. The glossy, fleshy fruit turns from a dark black to a bright orange when ripening. The plant itself has an upright growth habit with a strong central stem and is drought tolerant.

Rainbow Candy Crush F1 is a pink edible ornamental kale. It has an upright growth habit and forms a nice, rounded bush when mature. Suitable for both pots, containers, small space gardening and open-field production. This kale has a vibrant pink and purple center with bright green edges. The pink color will be more intense during cooler nighttime temperatures. Flavor is mildly sweet and has a good eating quality. Excellent for kale chips, salads and smoothies.

Sunny Drops Baby Orange F1 tomato has a tear-drop fruit shape and a vibrant orange color. The plant height is only 12 inches tall yet loaded with fruit! Fruits are a pale green color at immaturity and set on the outside of the plant making it highly visible and easy to harvest. Pruning and the use of growth retardants are discouraged. This variety does well in low light conditions and will work great for small-space gardening, indoor use or vertical farming.

Stop location: Suncrest Nurseries, 400 Casserly Road, Watsonville, California, 95076

Dates: Wednesday, March 29 - Sunday, April 2 | 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.