Red Racer tomatoes planted last July 4th yielded fruit on Labor Day. Photo courtesy All-AmericaSelections.com
During this weekend of auto racing, let’s take a look at plants that claim a racy name.
First up is ‘Red Racer’ tomato, which I trialed last summer. I received the 6-inch tall plants in early July with the promise that I would have tomatoes by Labor Day. I did.
This year, it’s an All-America Selection, based on that kind of fast action. It produces tomatoes a week to 10 days before others. Considered a cocktail tomato, it is slightly larger than a cherry or grape tomato. That makes it a perfect size for slicing in half to roast with seasoning, broil with cheese, or serve raw. Poke in a toothpick and you’ve got a delicious amuse-bouche.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds (JohnnySeeds.com) offers ‘Racer’ pumpkin seed. Grown from seed, ‘Racer’ has short vines and produces two to three, strong-handled, blocky pumpkins weighing 12 to 16 pounds each.
Racer pumpkin from Johnnyseeds.com
Johnny’s also has ‘Racer Plus’, slightly longer-vined than ‘Racer’, this one has well-ribbed, blocky pumpkins, with strong handles. A vine also produces two to three pumpkins weighing 14 to 18 pounds each. The Racer pumpkins were developed in partnership with the University of Maine.
Of course, these pumpkins are perfectly named for The Pumpkin Race (pumpkinrace.com), an annual fundraiser in more than 250 cities and towns throughout the world. Since its founding in 1990, Pumpkin Race occurs in October during National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The goal is to raise awareness of students and others who live with autism and other neurological conditions.
On the floral end is another ‘Red Racer’, this time a Lenten rose or hellebore (Helleborus). Tolerant of heavy shade, this beauty struts its 3 ½-inch wide, velvety reddish-burgundy flowers, an unusual color in late winter and early spring.
Red Racer hellebore comes from Chris Hansen’s Winter Thrillers series. Photo courtesy Monrovia.com
‘Red Racer’ is one of the Winter Thriller series of hellebores (GreatGardenPlants.com, Monrovia.com) introduced by Chris Hansen of Michigan. Hellebore leaves are evergreen, but frequently damaged by winter and can be removed before the plants bloom, or not at all. Bonus: Hellebores are deer and rabbit resistant.