Planning My Gardens
It’s almost time to set up cool weather gardening, at least here in Louisiana. Planning my gardens from scratch will be a rather involved project. So, planning my gardens is what I’ll be doing for the month of September. Also, I may start setting up some garden infrastructure as well. It’s still extremely hot and we finally got some rain because of tropical storm Edouard earlier in the week. Until that happened, it’s been very dry.
Here, along the Gulf Coast, we usually have two growing seasons. First, we have a break in the middle of summer for about 2 months, we also have a break in the middle of winter. So these breaks define the two growing seasons. The book, Southern Fruit and Vegetable Gardening by Katie Elzer-Peters is my favorite gardening book. I like this book because she is one of the few authors that discuss the Gulf Coast and its split growing seasons.
Where to Plant and When?
I’ve been looking at setting up a fall vegetable garden. If I’m not able to do that, I will be setting up an early spring garden instead. Also, I will be locating where I would like to plant an orchard. We’ve cleared between 3-4 acres where we have a barn and mobile home located. I’m going to either locate the garden in the fenced back yard where there is lots of dog smell or else I will need to use a deer fence. Later, I would like to get a high tunnel so that I can extend growing into the hot or cold times of the year.
Another resource I’m using is the Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide by the LSU Ag Center. The publication has spreadsheets for vegetable varieties, planting times, and rotation times. When to Plant has a great, color-coded spreadsheet of planting times for each common vegetable. I recommend downloading these publications to keep on hand if you live along the Gulf Coast.
What Plants to Plant?
The Gulf Coast area in Louisiana has its own specific climate conditions. We live in a part of Louisiana where our climate planting zone id 8b. So, just below us is 9a which is very close to a tropical zone. Hence, zone 8b is a hot subtropical planting zone where we take a break from planting in the middle of summer. Some crops like okra and sweet potatoes will continue to grow and we care for those. Conversely, a lot of crops like tomatoes will either die or go dormant in the heat. Then they can be planted again in the fall for another crop, especially in a high tunnel.
Warm Season Plants
The warm season usually starts in February in southern Louisiana. A lot of these plants can also be planted in the fall for another crop. Generally, these plants need warmer temperatures to grow and yield a harvest. Sadly, most of them also don’t do well from July-August. These are plants that we normally eat. I’ll also add a few others to try them out.
| Name | Planting Times | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | Feb 1 – May 13 | Only one planting season. |
| Cucumber | Mar 1 – May 15, Jul 15 – Sep 15 | |
| Watermelon | Mar 1 – Jul 30 | Only one planting season, long growing time. |
| Pumpkin | Apr 1 – Jul 30 | Only one planting season, long growing time. |
| Sweet Potatoes | April – Jun 30 | Only one planting season, long growing time. |
| Cantalope | Mar 15 – Aug 15 | Only one planting season, long growing time. |
| Summer Squash | Mar 1 – May 15, Jul 15 – Sep 15 | |
| Winter Squash | Mar 1 – May 15, Jul 15 – Sep 15 | |
| Okra | Mar 1 – Aug 30 | Loves the heat. |
| Eggplant | Mar 15 – May 15, Aug 1 – Aug 30 | |
| Peppers | Mar 15 – May 15, Jul 1 – Aug 15 | |
| Green Beans | Feb 1 – May 15, Jul 15 – Sep 15 | |
| Beans (Butter, Lima, yardlong) | Mar 1 – Aug 15 | Loves the heat. |
Cool Season Plants
The cool season usually starts in August in southern Louisiana. So, most of the cool season veggies can be planted in the late winter or early spring. Therefore, they need cooler temperatures to grow as the heat of summer will cause bolting. Finally, as you can see, most vegetables prefer the cooler temperatures of the cool growing season here in zone 8b. The video below this table has a good discussion on how temperatures can affect your actual planting dates.
| Name | Planting Times | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet Corn | Feb 1 – Apr 30 | Only one growing season |
| Arugula | Sep 1 – Mar 30 | Can plant and grow all through the winter. |
| Beets | Jan 15 – Mar 15, Aug 1 – Nov 15 | |
| Broccoli | Jan 15 – Mar 15, Aug 1 – Oct 30 | |
| Cabbage | Jan 15 – Mar 15, Aug 15 – Nov 30 | |
| Carrots | Jan 15 – Mar 15, Aug 15 – Nov 15 | |
| Cauliflower | Jan 15 – Feb 15, Aug 15 – Nov 15 | |
| Celery | Sep 1 – Feb 28 | Long planting time. |
| Collards | Jan 15 – Apr 30, Jul 15 – Nov 15 | |
| Garlic | Oct 1 – Nov 30 | Short planting time. |
| Onions, Shallots (bulb) | Feb 1 – Feb 30, Sep 15 – Nov 15 | |
| Green Onions (transplants) | Aug 1 – Mar 30 | Long planting and growing season. |
| Leeks | Jan 1 – Jan 30, Sep 115 – Oct 30 | |
| Lettuce | Sep 1 – Feb 15 | Long planting and growing season. |
| Mustard | Feb 1 – Mar 15, Aug 1 – Oct 30 | |
| Spinach | Jan 15 – Mar 30, Sep 15 – Nov 15 | |
| Swiss Chard | Jan 15 – Apr 30, Aug 15 – Oct 30 | |
| Peas (English) | Nov 1 – Feb 30 | |
| Peas (Southern) | Mar 1 – Aug 30 | Loves the heat. |
| Potatoes | Jan 1 – Feb 28 | Short planting time. |
| Radish | Jan 15 – Mar 30, Sep 1 – Oct 30 | |
| Turnips | Aug 1 – Feb 28 | Loves the cold. |
| Strawberries | Oct 1 – Nov 30 | Short planting time. |
| Chinese Cabbage | Jan 15 – Mar 15, Aug 1 – Oct 30 |
Herbs
We have a fairly sandy and well-draining soil on our property. Generally, lots of herbs come from Mediterranean areas and will rot in rich soil with lots of rain. So, these plants should grow good here. Therefore, I plan to plant the following plants in my herb garden:
- Basil
- Cilantro / Coriander
- Thyme
- Lavender
- Rosemary
- Oregano
- Marjoram
- Dill
- Chives
- Parsley
- Peppermint / Mint
- Bay (as a potted plant)
- Sage
- Lemongrass
- Ginger
- Tarragon
Future Plans
For the orchard, I will need to determine the types of fruit trees, bushes, and canes that I want to plant. Then I will determine the best time of the year to plant them. This will usually be in either late fall or early spring. Trees usually prefer to be planted in late fall during the dormant season so their roots can grow into the soil. I will plant the others in early spring.