When Sweet Corn Is Ready in Louisiana, and How Fast It Fades
Sweet corn in south Louisiana is ready 60 to 90 days after planting, and the planting date depends on soil temperature, not on the last frost.
Louisiana
For homeowners and renters in Louisiana: the planting calendar, the maintenance schedule and the local programs worth knowing about.
Gardening in Louisiana
Everything we have worked out for Louisiana: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in New Orleans, the last spring freeze runs January 18 to February 8 and the first fall freeze runs December 17 to January 8, USDA zones 8a-10a, 7,275 growing degree days in the year.
Heat, not frost, is what shortens the season here: above 86 °F tomato pollen goes sterile, so growers run a spring crop and an autumn one rather than a single long season. Garlic is the awkward one: only 0 weeks below 40 °F, where it needs six to split into cloves. Chill the cloves before planting, or grow a softneck type.
Elsewhere on the property in Louisiana: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
Growing Roses in Louisiana: Planting Dates, Varieties and Local Pests
Roses do best in Louisiana when they go in the ground between late fall and late winter, not in spring.
Growing Hydrangeas in Louisiana: Types, Colour and Winter
In Louisiana, plant container-grown hydrangeas from late fall through winter, so the roots settle in before summer heat arrives.
When to Lift Onions in Louisiana, and How to Cure Them
Lift Louisiana onions once the tops fall over and the necks go soft, then cure them in dry, shaded, moving air until the necks are tight and the skins…
What Eats Asparagus in Louisiana, and When
The sources behind this guide don’t name a single insect, bird or mammal that eats asparagus, so there is no pest calendar here.
When to Start Seeds Indoors in Louisiana: A Crop-by-Crop Calendar
Start leeks and onions indoors between October 5 and November 2, broccoli, cabbage and head lettuce between November 2 and November 30, peppers and…
What Eats Beet in Louisiana, and When
The LSU AgCenter documents ten pests for Louisiana, and most of them have no interest in beets.
Hedge Plants for Louisiana: What Holds, and What Only Looks Hardy
Of the 12 hedge species documented on this site, only one survives across all of Louisiana, which runs from zone 8a to 10a on the USDA hardiness map…
When to Pull Carrots in Louisiana, and How to Keep Them
Pull carrots when the tops are full and thick and the shoulders show at the soil line.
Finishing a Basement in Louisiana: Permits, Ceiling Height, Egress and Waterproofing
Explains Louisiana’s permit process, ceiling height and egress rules for basements, plus how to tell a water leak from summer condensation before you insulate.