​This is a great time to add some seasoning to your garden. Cool-season herbs grow well in Louisiana’s fall season. Annual herbs to keep include coriander, cilantro, dill, fennel, chicory and parsley.

Perennial herbs keep well also during these colder months. Options include thyme, lavender, rosemary, mint, chives, oregano, catnip (for kitty), and pineapple sage. Chamomile is a perennial, but cannot survive the summer in Louisiana, so think of it as an annual if you choose to plant it.

You will want to plant your herbs as close to the kitchen as possible. The further away they are, the less likely they are to be used. If you do not have an area close to the kitchen, herbs do very well when grown in containers.

Only get herbs your regularly cook with and only a few plants of each. This will keep the space required for planting to a minimum and keep your herb gardening purchases cheap. 

Most herbs like well drained soil and to grow at a moderate pace. Do not apply a lot of fertilizer to your herbs. A nice mix of compost will do fine. If you do not have access to compost, and you must fertilize, use a half dose of the recommended amount. Herbs that grow too quickly do not have as much flavor.

You will still reap the benefits in spring and summer of an herb garden planted now. Herbs will have time to develop over the winter and will be better equipped to handle the heat of summer. I hope your herb garden leads to a lot of delicious meals shared with family and friends.

Essential Gardening Tips for Growing Gorgeous Louisiana Tomatoes
 
Tomatoes are right at the top of the list of plants that people living in Louisiana love to grow, though it can take a little extra TLC to get a good crop during the hot southern summer. And what's not to love? From bite-sized cherry and grape varieties to brilliant-colored heirlooms, no summer garden is complete without at least one or two of these gorgeous plants. Here are a few tips about when to plant, which varieties do well in our climate, how to fend off tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and how to prepare soil for planting.
 
Spring, Summer and Autumn Tomatoes
 
Thanks to a long growing season, gardeners in Louisiana have three planting windows to take advantage of: early spring, midsummer and late summer. Spring crops are planted just after the last frost of the season. In the southern region that's typically around March 15, while in north Louisiana it's usually closer to April 1. Spring gardening is cooler, making it the optimum time for heirloom tomatoes, hybrid varieties and non-heat-set types.
 
Summer and autumn tomatoes should be planted from mid-July to late August, and produce fruit until the first hard freeze. Gardeners looking for a fall harvest should look for heat-set varieties. Non-heat-set types sometimes suffer from poor pollen set or pollen sterilization due to high nighttime temperatures. Here are a few of the best varieties to grow in the Louisiana climate:

• Early Spring Planting: Early Girl, Sun Start, Fantastic and cherry types
• Midsummer Planting: Florida 91, Heatwave II, Sunchaser, Solar Set, Sunmaster and Sunleaper
• Autumn Planting: Solar Set, Phoenix, Spitfire, Talladega, Solar Fire, Sunleaper, Sunmaster or Heatwave II.

 
Especial care must be taken during the warmest weather to provide plenty of nitrogen fertilizer and water in the morning when needed.
 
Getting Your Soil Prepped
 
When it comes to growing amazing tomatoes, the soil mix makes all the difference. If you are planting in the ground, loosen the top 6 to 8 inches of soil and add a combination of aged manure, fertilizer or compost. Testing soil regularly can help you to determine fertilizer or soil pH adjustments that are needed. Tomatoes prefer a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Placing plants in mounded rows of soil is helpful for providing adequate drainage in packed clay soils.
 
Tomatoes are also an excellent choice for container gardening. As long as the container is gardening-safe and at least 5 gallons large and has plenty of drainage holes, a well-tended tomato plant should thrive. Because they have extensive root systems, these plants do not do well in small pots. Providing plenty of soil ensures that plants will need irrigation less frequently, preventing the leaching of calcium and other vital nutrients from the soil. Container plants that are over-watered are prone to blossom rot.
 
What to Know about TSWV
 
Gardening tomatoes in Louisiana means facing the risk of plants contracting tomato spotted wilt virus. Springtime brings with it a host of tiny insects known as thrips. These pests are carriers of the disease, and can pass it on to the host plant within 10 seconds of piercing it. Plants that contract TSWV before fruit setting will not produce. If fruit has already set, the skin of the tomatoes will form yellow or brown halos.
 
Once a plant has the virus, insecticides cannot stop it. You should make sure to control insect pests early with a recommended insecticide and plant TSW-resistant cultivars. Infected plants should be removed in order to prevent the spread of the disease.
 
Some Summary Notes
 
Remember, it's important to choose cultivars based on their disease and pest resistance. You should also make sure to plant non-heat set varieties in the early spring, and heat-set varieties from midsummer to late August. Finally, preempt disease-carrying pests with a targeted insecticide early in the season, and make sure that plants receive regular irrigation throughout the growing season.

Here are some vegetables you can plant for July in your vegetable garden in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and other parts of south Louisiana.

• cantaloupe
  
• collards
  
• cucumbers
  
• okra
  
• pumpkins
  
• southern peas
  
• shallots
  
• squashes
  
• watermelons
  

GreenSeasons can install and maintain your vegetable garden for you at your home. If you are interested in having a new garden installed or to let someone else take care of the work of vegetable gardening while you reap the benefits, please give us a call at 225-752-2333 or email us here.

Here are some vegetables you can plant for April in your vegetable garden in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and other parts of south Louisiana.

• cantaloupe
  
• collards
  
• corn
  
• cucumber
  
• honey dew
  
• lima beans
  
• okra
  
• pumpkin
  
• snap beans
  
• southern peas
  
• squash
  
• sweet potatoes
  
• Swiss chard
  
• tomato
  
• watermelon

GreenSeasons can install and maintain your vegetable garden for you at your home. If you are interested in having a new garden installed or to let someone else take care of the work of vegetable gardening while you reap the benefits, please give us a call at 225-752-2333 or email us here.

Here are some vegetables you can plant in February for your vegetable garden in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and the rest of south Louisiana.

• beets
  
• carrots
  
• collards
  
• lettuce
  
• mustard
  
• radish
  
• rutabagas
  
• shallots
  
• Swiss chard
  
• turnips

GreenSeasons can install and maintain your vegetable garden for you at your home. If you are interested in having a new garden installed or to let someone else take care of the work of vegetable gardening while you reap the benefits, please give us a call at 225-752-2333 or email us here.

If you are growing tomatoes, you are either already enjoying yours or waiting for them to ripen, depending on the variety. Unfortunately, some of you may have had some tomatoes that have been affected by blossom end rot and are no longer edible.

Blossom end rot starts at the blossom end of the tomato, hence the name. It starts out as a small, sunken spot. It continues to spread and cause the fruit to ripen early. So look out for a discolored, sunken, dark spot near the bloom end of the plant. Also keep an eye out for blossom end rot in melons, squash, eggplants and peppers. Identify blossom end rot with these pictures.

A foliar sprays containing calcium chloride or calcium nitrate applied directly to the tomato and the leaves around it work great. You may also correct soil calcium deficiencies by applying lime or gypsum if you do it prior to planting. This does take some planning and you will have to have a soil test to see what your soil needs also.

Plants need water to absorb calcium from the ground. Be sure to not let the soil stay excessively dry. An even moisture level in the soil will keep blossom end rot away as long as there is calcium to absorb. Also, a good layer of mulch will retain moisture longer.

GreenSeasons installs and maintains vegetable gardens, chicken coops and fruit trees in the greater Baton Rouge, greater New Orleans, Slidell, Prairieville, Walker, Denham Springs, Gonzales, Baker, Zachary, Hammond and Covington areas. If you want to eat what you grow, just click here for a free quote  and we will give you a call. 

If you would simply like some advice on homegrown food, please contact us and we will be more than happy to help.  

It seems more and more people are growing food at their homes. It is easy to understand why with both the price of food rising and the manipulation of food by large industries. Who doesn't want wholesome food for cheaper than you can pay at the store. 

What most people are finding out is it is pretty easy to grow food to supplement your regular grocery shopping. Growing your own food has the added benefit of getting your household excited about eating vegetables!

GreenSeasons installs and maintains vegetable gardens, chicken coops and fruit trees in the greater Baton Rouge, greater New Orleans, Slidell, Prairieville, Walker, Denham Springs, Gonzales, Baker, Zachary, Hammond and Covington areas. If you want to eat what you grow, just click here for a free quote  and we will give you a call. 

If you would simply like some advice on homegrown food, please contact us and we will be more than happy to help.