If 2010 gardening trends shape up to be anything like those of 2009, we're in for more vegetable gardens replacing front lawns. According to November's Edible Gardening Trends Research Report sponsored by the Garden Writers Association, food gardening will continue to be big, with 37 percent of the households surveyed planning to expand their food garden this year. Many seed companies are paying attention to how this translates to sales of new offerings for 2010.

Food trends such as pickling and home canning, and interest in Spanish and Latin American flavors, global street food and antioxidant-rich produce play a role in what home gardeners are growing. But do food trends follow seed trends or do seed trends follow food trends? It's a "which came first" question that seed pioneer Renee Shepherd of Felton (Santa Cruz County) is quite familiar with.

Shepard's online seed company, Renee's Garden, selects new vegetable seeds based on "customer feedback, what I like to eat, and what's successful in the garden." "Seeds are not that important to food trends and aren't driving them, yet gardeners are growing more vegetables than ever and are interested in color, flavor and increased nutritional content," she says. Invariably, there's bound to be overlap, as gardeners want to grow what they've eaten at restaurants, learned about through the media or sampled at the store or farmers' market.

It takes a lot of trial and error for breeders to produce a successful seed, and they take into account what's happening in the food world. "Breeders are looking at nutrition and color, and this is in direct response to consumer interest," Shepherd says. She meets with seed suppliers once a year and looks for seeds that are used in an emerging ethnic cuisine. She's running trials on a purple bok choy that has both nutritional and eye appeal.

Since last year, Josh Kirschenbaum, product development director for Oregon's Territorial Seed Co., has seen a jump in sales of vegetables for home preserving, including pickling cucumbers and saucing tomatoes. Compact plants for small spaces such as balconies are also popular.

"Our 'Bitonto' tomato is absolutely covered in fruit and was bred for the patio container. It also tastes great for a cherry tomato," says Kirschenbaum. In the 10 years he's been with the company, Kirschenbaum has seen gardeners focus on other trends, such as "becoming more aware of flavor profiles in plants such as heirloom tomatoes."

Territorial's own farm is its largest seed provider. Growing plants for seeds gives them the advantage of developing plants best suited for the maritime Northwest.

Shepherd's 2010 picks include the 'Spanish Padron' pepper, from a Calistoga farmer who sells to many top-tier restaurants in the Wine Country and New York, and grows a crop to save for seed for Shepherd.

" 'Padrons' are early producing, easy to grow as far as peppers are concerned, and have a long growing season. They're an absolute joy to grow and very prolific," says Shepherd. She dispels the myth that 1 in 4 peppers is fiery hot, and says that harvesting peppers when they are no more than 1 1/2 inches long will keep their heat in check.

Another 2010 pick that Shepherd is excited about is 'Amsterdam Seasoning' celery. "It's the essence of celery seeds and stalks, and looks like Italian parsley," she says. "When it flowers, it attracts an abundance of beneficial insects." Shepherd recommends treating it like an herb and using it sparingly fresh or drying it as you would other herbs.

Shepherd's vegetable seed sales in 2009 were up 30 percent from 2008, and she's had to reconfigure her store displays to reflect the demand.

"More people are doing it with great delight and pleasure," she says. "I'm happy to help gardeners be successful."