Direct to consumer markets, including farmers market, composed about 12% of the total organic sales ($22 billion) in 2021. Market growers are looking for cultivars that will help them optimize the performance of their organic production system. The aim of this study was to evaluate commercially available hybrid, open-pollinated, and new breeding lines in terms of yield and quality for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), sweet corn (Zea mays var. saccharata), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata), bell and roasting peppers (Capsicum annuum), and winter squash (Cucurbita pepo) grown on certified organic land in Fort Collins, CO. The experimental lines were a product of breeding efforts through northern climate universities affiliated with the Northern Organic Vegetable Improvement Collaborative (NOVIC). All five vegetable species were planted in a randomized complete block design with three replicates during the 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons. Cabbage (19), sweet corn (19), winter squash (21), bell pepper (15), and sweet roasting pepper (14) cultivars were grown under field conditions. Tomato (12) cultivars were grown under an insect netting-covered high tunnel for hail protection. The ‘Lennox’ cabbage cultivar at 38,483 pounds/acre yielded significantly more than ‘Cantasa’ at 16,146 pounds/acre. The tomato cultivar, ‘Mountain Merit’, and the breeding line ‘S200-1-1’, at 47,280 and 44,880 pounds/acre, respectively yielded more than ‘Plum Perfect’ at 20,520 pounds/acre. Further, a sensory evaluation for overall flavor was carried out on a consumer sensory panel (66 participants) at the Larimer County farmers market in 2017, using a 5-point Hedonic scale for tomatoes and a 9-point Hedonic scale for bell peppers. The tomato entry ‘Mountain Merit’ at 3.8 had a significantly better flavor score compared to ‘Stellar’ at 2.9. In bell peppers, ‘Aristotle’ had a significantly higher flavor score than breeding line ‘CU
