Use this guide to plant a successful vegetable garden. The information has been developed after considerable research and practical experience. (PDF Format Only)

Louisiana summers are a tough time for tomatoes to set and hold fruit. The heat causes irregular flower growth in most cultivars, and the result is poor fruit set, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske.

A short description on how and why to prune your home-grown tomatoes

Louisiana is blessed with long growing seasons that make year-round gardening possible. To be successful, however, you must have an insect management program. Learn how to tell if the insect is beneficial to your garden or if it is a pest, and determine what to use if controls are necessary. (PDF format only)

March is a critical month in our vegetable gardens - early for some things and late for others. Timely planting is one way of increasing potential yield and decreasing production problems, says LSU Agricultural Center horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske.

February starts the Louisiana vegetable gardening season. This is especially true for the southern parishes.

Louisiana gardeners are getting "itchy green thumbs" about now, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske. They want to jump-start their spring gardens.

Use this guide to plant a successful vegetable garden. The information has been developed after considerable research and practical experience. (PDF Format Only)

To our Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide, please add these new possibilities for 2009.

Easily grown, parsley should be planted in everyone’s cool-season herb garden.

LA BASE PROGRAM SITUATION: HOME VEGETABLE GARDENS; 2008.A statewide survey of over 500 Louisiana home vegetable gardeners was conducted in 2008. Results are presnted.

Nitrogen (N) is a very important plant nutrient for all fall vegetable crops. A sufficient and continuous amount must be supplied to all plants to achieve good yields. It also is the nutrient most often lacking in soils.

January in Louisiana is rather bleak, but LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske says we still can enjoy a fair amount of gardening.

This publication has information on the varieties, pollination, soil preparation, planting and cultivation of vegetable pears. (PDF Format Only)

There are dozens of different types that feed on the roots of vegetables, but the root-knot nematode is one of the most destructive types found throughout our state. Managing nematodes may involve using one or more techniques that have proven to reduce nematode populations.

These NEW cultivars were some of those added to the 2008 LSU AgCenter Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide.

A home garden tomato variety trial to determine the best tomato for growing in containers.

Fall and winter, the value of home gardens reaches $60.5 million.

When I was a child my family lived in Germany for a time. I remember attending the annual Oktoberfest in Munich, where thinly-sliced white radishes were served with salt as a nibbler to accompany the famed draft beer. Although I couldn’t appreciate the beer at that age, I loved the radishes. I also think of radishes in October for another reason, because this is a great time to plant them in your garden, and there are no vegetables easier to grow.

Soil salts affect turf mostly by withholding moisture from plant tissues. They may also compete for uptake of nutrient ions. Try these suggestions to manage a soil salinity situation.

Swiss chard, often just called chard, can be grown easily in most gardens. This cool-season green vegetable also has good heat resistance, so it’s really a year-round producer.

Holidays are often associated with gift giving. Buying for friends, family, and co-workers can become a financial burden. Who do I give to? How much do I spend? Consider giving a gift from the garden.

Garlic is thought to have many uses from warding off cancer to protecting from evil. In Louisiana, we use it to flavor food and boil shellfish. Here are some tips on how to grow garlic in the home garden.

Maturation processes occur in vegetables that permanently change their taste, appearance and quality if they are not harvested at the proper stage of maturity.

Kohlrabi is a delicious, old-European member of the cabbage family that grows well in Louisiana's cool seasons.

Gardeners are often unaware of a serious pest waiting for the spring vegetables to begin growing. These pests are small, microscopic animals called nematodes, and they attack the roots of many plants commonly grown in the garden. There are two major types of nematodes that cause the most problems for vegetables.

Sweet potatoes are not very sweet or moist when first dug. It takes six to eight weeks of proper curing and storage before they have the sweet, moist taste and texture desired when baked, says LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske.

Blossom-end rot can occur when sunny days follow a cloudy, wet period. It is a symptom of calcium deficiency in the plant.

Blossom-end rot can occur when sunny days follow a cloudy, wet period. It is a symptom of calcium deficiency in the plant.

PDF of home vegetable garden herbicides for 2009 and their usage.

Snap beans are adapted to a wide range of soils in Louisiana and make an excellent crop for the home garden. Their freshness is a real treat at the dinner table and some new varieties are available for 2010.

Organic mulches can help keep your vegetables producing during Louisiana’s hot summer months. Although mulch is usually applied to control weeds and conserve moisture, it has several other useful functions.

LSU AgCenter experts say soil contamination in Jefferson and Orleans parishes from flooding after this summer’s hurricanes may not be as serious as originally feared. Initial results of tests conducted in October indicate no need for special preparations to the soils prior to planting and that there should be no danger for individuals digging or planting in the soil.

Will the grass come back and how long will it be before vegetable gardens can be planted were questions on the minds of LSU AgCenter faculty members who recently toured the New Orleans area.

Early August marks the beginning of Louisiana’s fall gardening season. The adage that timing is everything applies to fall gardening in Louisiana, says LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske.

In the summers of 2002 and 2003, LSU AgCenter's Dr. James Boudreaux tested 14 sugar enhanced (se) and 11 supersweet (sh2) corn cultivars. They were evaluated for their large ears (about 8") and husk cover. The 2009 top cultivars are also mentioned.

Southern peas are an option for Louisiana summer gardens, because they can take the heat and prefer less fertile soils, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske.

A PowerPoint slide set of the basics for successful vegetable garden development in Louisiana. You must have a good start, then pest control is the next giant step to a successful harvest.

Expected yields from a good southern vegetable garden will vary, but estimates can help plan the planting scheme for the garden.

For more detailed information on composting, see these W.A. Callegari Environmental Center information articles.

A short slide show from a garden lecture on cucumbers. Also see our VEGETABLE GARDENING TIPS series for Cucumbers under related articles in the right-hand column.

Canavalias are large, climbing, trifoliate vines producing thick and long (1 foot or longer) pods. I first heard them described as "Texas butterbeans," but don't try to eat them.

Houma's LA Terre Louisiana Master Gardeners post some results of a spring vegetable demonstration.

Cucurbita and Lagenaria gourds, when mature, are ready to harvest and process into decorations or utensils.

June is either the tail of spring or the head of summer in Louisiana. It depends on whether you are near I-20 or near I-10 interstates, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske.

June is a pivotal time for Louisiana vegetable gardens. It’s the transition from spring to hot summer conditions. At this time many crops are fully in harvest or have been pulled out to make room for new crops.

Okra is a warm-season crop that grows well in Louisiana gardens. A good start is important for successful okra production.

It's easy to win if you follow the rules and pay attention to details.

Mirliton is mainly cultivated for its fruits, but its stems, young leaves and tuberous roots are also edible. Mirliton is a warm-season crop and grows well in well-drained soils high in organic matter. Mirlitons are susceptible to a common fungal disease called powdery mildew. Use this publication to identify and manage this disease. (PDF Format Only)

Gardeners often wonder whether plowing or tilling should be done in the spring or late fall, but LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Thomas Koske says working the soil in late fall has several advantages over the traditional spring plowing.

September is Louisiana’s last chance to plant a relatively diversified vegetable garden before next spring. During this month we can detect the first signs of cooler weather that accompanies the fall, says LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske.

A short description of commonly grown herbs for home gardens. Herbs included: anise, basil, borage, caraway, cherval, coriander, fennel, marjoram, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, sesame, tarragon, thyme.

Frequently Asked Questions related to home vegetable gardening.

Controlling weeds in small areas may be pretty simplistic.

Thumbing through colorful catalogs and dreaming of the next season's harvest is one way to make winter seem a little warmer and move a little faster.

The southern pea is also known as cowpea and field pea and various names like blackeyes, crowders, peas, etc.

In the 1970s, actor Bill Saluga used the line: “You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay. . .” When talking about Louisiana sweet potatoes or yams, there seems to be a similar confusion.

Why do people eat sweet potatoes? Because they are sweet! A new variety, Evangeline, just released by the LSU AgCenter, will satisfy those who want a really sweet sweet potato.

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is causing losses to many tomato growers. Symptoms of the disease typically include cupping and rolling of the upper leaves, which usually turn purple/brown along the veins.

Mini gardening is an intensive type of agriculture using a small space or containers to produce vegetables and plants. The main benefits derived from mini gardens are that they take much less space and require much less work. This publication includes information on constructing and maintaining a mini garden. (PDF Fomat Only)

Planting gets to be more critical with the fall garden because we start out hot and run into more of an end point with the frost.

This publication is intended to introduce home vegetable gardeners to the various methods used to manage the many diseases that affect these crops. (PDF Format Only)

(Distributed 11/01/01) November in Louisiana means cooler weather, but LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske says it doesn't mean you have to hang up your garden tools for the year. "Some garden plants withstand cold weather, so you can keep your garden filled and growing until spring," the horticulturist explains.

Surface damage is obvious, but other damage occurs internally.

Storage onions and other allium crops are good candidates for Louisiana winter gardens, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske. These plants require minimal care and can be stored for long periods of time after the late spring harvest.

(Distributed 04/18/03) The cucumber family, or Cucurbitaceae, provides a wide variety of vegetables popular in the home garden. Members of that family, which can be planted now, include summer squash, winter squash, mirliton, pumpkin, gourd, cucuzzi, watermelon, cantaloupe, cushaw, luffa and, of course, cucumber.

(Distributed 08/15/03) While cool-season planting begins in earnest next month, some of the more heat tolerant cool-season vegetables, such as the cole crops, can be planted into the garden now.

(Distributed 06/01/01) As summer heat sets in, tomatoes may show many disorders. One common fruit problem is blossom-end rot, or BER, according to an LSU AgCenter horticulturist.