conn96
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Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 9:47 pm
Location: Denham Springs, LA

What can I grow at this time of year in Louisiana?

I live in south east Louisiana. It is still fairly hot outside and wont get cold for a while. What can I grow here at this time of year? I was told that you can plant anything that grows underground right now, such as carrots, onions, etc. As long as when it gets cold, you cover them with hay or something to keep them safe. Is this true? What can I plant?

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engineeredgarden
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Joined: Thu May 13, 2010 11:51 am
Location: NW Alabama

Shoot...you can plant almost anything right now. I wouldn't worry about covering carrots or onions with anything where you live, most onions are good until temperatures reach well below zero, and carrots are good down to about 12 degrees...I know you won't have to worry about that happening where you live.

You can plant radishes, onions, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards, turnip salad, cauliflower, mustard, swiss chard, snow peas, carrots, or any warm season veggie that has a low "days to maturity" value. If you could find some tomato transplants in your area that have a cold climate origin, those would do well for ya too. (like ones from russia, the ukraine, czech republic)

EG

gumbo2176
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Location: New Orleans

Conn, I live in New Orleans and have just put into the ground tomato plants from transplants, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and soybeans for edamame. In a couple weeks I'll direct sow lettuce, kale, swiss chard, bitter salad greens, and spinach.

I will have a raised bed ready for beets and carrots and in the next couple days I will put in some sugar snap peas to replace the kentucky wonder pole beans that are lagging a bit. I planted them along with the japanese yard longs and I'm picking lots of them but no kentucky wonders yet.

Like RG said, we have a long growing season and even though you are across the lake on the north shore, it only gets a few degrees cooler at night than in the city.

Fall gardening is my favorite since weeds, pests, and weather conditions are much better for gardening down here.

garden5
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Location: ohio

You could also try some bush beans, they mature a little earlier then pole beans. How low do your temperatures get?

gumbo2176
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Location: New Orleans

garden5 wrote:You could also try some bush beans, they mature a little earlier then pole beans. How low do your temperatures get?

I do grow bush beans from time to time, in the spring, but my garden is getting full with what is already carrying over from spring/summer and what I've recently put in and plan to put in by mid Sept.

For beans, I have yard longs already established and 30 ft of edamame quality soybean plants that broke ground only 4 days after sowing the seeds. I had soy beans in the spring and they did really well with a great harvest so I planted more this time around.

We have very mild winters for the most part. In a previous post I mentioned it is not at all unusual for me to be frying turkeys at Thanksgiving in shorts, a T-shirt and sandals. Our coldest weather is usually reserved for Jan. and Feb. and that is when I usually get things started all over again for the spring/summer stuff with garden prep and soil amending.



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