Growing Spinach in Louisiana: When Will It Bolt?
Spinach in Louisiana bolts fast, and it bolts for two reasons at once. In spring, lengthening days and rising heat arrive together, pushing plants to…
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 Pumpkins in Louisiana: Will They Ripen in Time?
Yes, in most of Louisiana pumpkins can reach the table before frost shuts things down, but the math is tighter than gardeners expect.
When to Sow Carrots in Louisiana: Counting Back From the Last Frost
Louisiana gardeners sow carrots by counting back 70 to 100 days from the day they want to pull them, straight from the seeding date, since carrots go…
Will Carrots Fork in Louisiana Soil?
The Ruston series, the soil USDA lists as representative of Louisiana, is sandy and well drained: 65 percent sand, 11 percent clay, 24 percent silt.
Beet Soil in Louisiana: What the Root Will Meet
In Louisiana, a beet root drops into acidic, sandy, well-drained soil that fits the crop’s texture needs but comes up short on organic matter and pH.
Growing Parsnips in Louisiana: Will They Sweeten?
In most of Louisiana, parsnips will grow into full-sized roots without much trouble.
When to Start Pepper Seed in Louisiana
In most of Louisiana, start pepper seed indoors 8 to 10 weeks before you plan to set transplants outside, timed to soil that has warmed to 60°F and a…
Why Peppers Fail to Set Fruit in Louisiana
Peppers stall in Louisiana gardens for one of two reasons: the air gets too hot or the night gets too cool, and both push blossoms to drop before they…
Growing Carrots in Louisiana: Soil, Sowing and Forked Roots
Louisiana gardeners get a partial break from the classic carrot problem. The soil USDA treats as representative of the state runs sandy rather than…
Growing Beets in Louisiana: Soil, Sowing and Bolting
In Louisiana, the two threats to a beet crop are thirst in the first six weeks and heat during root fill, not frost.