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

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.

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.

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.

There are not a whole lot of heat-loving vegetable crops, laments LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske. In late spring, you can plant collards, vine crops such as squash, cucumber and pumpkins, or crops like okra, malabar vine spinach and southern peas.

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.

This collection of okra cultivar photographs is provided as a resource for illustrating and identifying different varieties of okra. Each photograph is individually labeled for identification purposes.

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.

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.

These NEW cultivars were some of those added to last year’s 2008 LSU AgCenter Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide.

Sweet potatoes are regarded as one of the most nutritious vegetable crops. They are known to be an excellent source of vitamin A (orange-flesh types) and dietary fiber and contain significant amounts of vitamin C, vitamin E, vitaminB9 (folate) and various minerals.

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.

Change is going on in the sweet potato industry. The variety Beauregard, released by the AgCenter in 1987 and hailed as one of the best and most popularsweet potatoes, is being replaced in part by two new varieties – Evangeline, released by the LSU AgCenter in 2007, and Covington, a 2005 release from North Carolina.

Finding new uses for sweet potato components, such as starch, would increasethe demand for sweet potatoes and save processors money by finding a use for the waste produced during cutting and canning.

Sweet potatoes, like many commodities, are marketedin a variety of ways, and not all sweet potatoes are identical.

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.

Organic gardening is popular in the United States, and interest is increasing in Louisiana. In organic gardening, particular garden practices are encouraged that use natural biological cycles, enhance diversity and are ecologically sound.

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

This publication has information on the varieties, pollination, soil preparation, planting and cultivation of vegetable pears.

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

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

Eighteen varieties of watermelon were planted at three locations in Louisiana in the summer of 2008. The varieties were evaluated for yield , shape, weight of melons, foliage degree of sunburning, rind color, rind thickness, flesh clor, seed color, seed size, size of seed cavity and soluble solids.

This series provides a variety of information for home vegetable gardeners. Topics include beans, cabbage, corn, cucumbers, eggplants, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, peppers, onions, shallots, garlic and many more of the favorites of home gardeners.

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

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.

Farming of exotic mushrooms offers another opportunity to add to farm cash flow or supplemental income. It is also popular among home gardeners and organic farmers. Shiitake (pronounced she ta key) is the most popular of the exotics. This publication includes information on the fruiting, harvesting, pest problems, and cost and returns for shiitake mushrooms.