Host Bill Calkins welcomes GrowerTalks’ editor in chief Chris Beytes and editor Jennifer Zurko to the podcast to share thoughts on California Spring Trials—the plants, the trends, the overall vibe—and the impact spring trials STILL has on the professional horticulture industry.

When Chris, Jen and Bill return from spring trials each year, folks in the industry always ask for overall thoughts, hot new varieties expected to be big sellers and what they consider to be industry breakthroughs. It was Bill’s bright idea to once again record a podcast answering some of these questions and of course his partners in crime for the annual trek had so much fin recording last year’s debrief that they agreed to humor him again.

Here are the questions the three tackled in this episode:

If the 2026 California Spring Trials was a new employee, how would he/she introduce themselves?
Name a few new introductions from CAST 2026 that stand out in our minds—and why.
Why do we keep going back every year (besides to make sponsored content)—how do we stay amped up about spring trials?
If we could have ONE OR TWO new introductions shipped to our houses for free, what would they be?
What are some new intros that we feel are perfect for social media click generation?
Are any of the new intros seen at CAST “more than just pretty”?
Some 2026 CAST varieties that got major promotion at the event (big displays) that we think will live up to the hype?
Were there any new intros that made us think, “what the heck is that” OR that surprised us?
What are some reasons folks in the industry should take the time and make the investment to attend California Spring Trials?

CHECK OUT BALL PUBLISHING’S INDUSTRY-LEADING COVERAGE OF THE 2026 CALIFORNIA SPRING TRIALS:

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2026 California Spring Trials Debrief ft. Chris Beytes & Jen Zurko