News Release Distributed 09/07/10
By LSU AgCenter Horticulturists Dan Gill, Kyle Huffstickler and Allen Owings
Seed companies around the country report an uptick in the sales of vegetable seeds this year. An increased interest in home vegetable gardening generally occurs whenever we experience economic downturns. If you planted a spring/summer vegetable garden, don’t forget to keep your garden productive with fall/winter plants. Some of the most popular and delicious vegetables are grown in Louisiana during the cool season from October to May.
Novice gardeners have a steep learning curve as they first get started. Common mistakes include inadequate bed preparation, planting at the wrong time, crowding plants too close together and improper harvesting. It’s important to understand that a vegetable garden needs frequent, regular care to be successful. Even when the gardener does everything right, pest problems can damage or destroy a crop after all the effort. Fortunately, successes generally outweigh disappointments, and learning how to grow vegetables successfully is within everyone’s ability.
As we move into the cool season, root crops such as carrot, radish and turnip are an important part of the garden. Root crops are always directly seeded into the soil – never transplanted. The tiny root first produced by the seed eventually develops into the edible root. It is easily damaged when the seedling is young, and this damage will cause a deformed, poor quality final product. When thinning root crops, don’t be tempted to transplant extra seedlings to other spots – you’ll be disappointed with the results.
Plant bush snap beans and lima beans now so they’ll have time to produce a good crop before cold weather. Bush varieties produce faster and concentrate their harvest in a shorter period of time than pole beans, making them preferred for fall planting.
Plant seeds of bulbing onions, bunching onions and leeks this month. Sets – or small bulbs –of bunching onions and shallots may also be planted this month, but don’t plant sets of bulbing onions until early December. Select short-day varieties when choosing seeds or sets for bulbing onions. Onion seeds are slow to germinate and need a constant supply of water during the process. The seedlings grow slowly at first, so be patient. Onions, shallots, leeks and garlic, which should be planted in October, are long-term residents in the cool-season vegetable garden. Bulbing onions, shallot bulbs, leeks and garlic will not be ready to harvest until late May or early June next year.
Work also needs to be done in the herb garden. Regularly remove the flower spikes of basil to encourage plants to continue to produce leaves. Ultimately, the plants will begin to wind down. Basil transplants could still be planted into the garden now for a late crop.
If herbs such as sage, lavender, thyme and catnip managed to make it through the summer, they should begin to revive as the weather gets cooler. Remove any dead parts and fertilize them lightly to encourage new growth. Many herbs will have grown vigorously during the summer, particularly if not regularly harvested. Cut them back about half way to get them in to shape. Dry or freeze the extra harvest or share it with friends.
This month can be hot and dry, and with new plantings going in you should pay careful attention to the water needs of the garden. Newly planted transplants and seed beds are especially vulnerable to drought conditions and may need frequent – even daily – irrigation. As seeds come up and transplants become established, water deeply and less frequently to encourage a deep root system.
High populations of insects are around now, so be vigilant and treat problems promptly. If a crop is about to finish up, such as okra is now, you generally should not be as concerned about controlling pests on it as on a vegetable crop that has been planted more recently.
Caterpillars can be particularly troublesome in the fall garden. Regular applications of Bt, Spinosad or Sevin insecticides will keep their damage to a minimum. Spinosad will also control leaf miners. Control white flies and aphids with a light horticultural oil.
The LSU AgCenter has excellent free and for-sale publications on home vegetable gardening available at our website – www.lsuagcenter.com.
Vegetables to plant in September
Transplants or seeds of beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, English and snow peas, Irish potatoes (plant small, whole potatoes saved from the spring crop), kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, onion, radish, rutabagas, shallots (plant sets), snap beans, Swiss chard and turnips.
Herbs to plant in September
Transplants of basil, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, lavender, Mexican tarragon and mints. Seeds or transplants of dill, parsley, fennel, cilantro, arugula, borage, chamomile and chervil.
Visit LaHouse in Baton Rouge to see sustainable landscape practices in action. The home and landscape resource center is near the intersection of Burbank Drive and Nicholson Drive (Louisiana Highway 30) in Baton Rouge, across the street from the LSU baseball stadium. For more information, go to www.louisianahouse.org and www.lsuagcenter.com/lyn.
Rick Bogren