Planning the Garden

One of the first things I do in planning out the Fall/Winter garden is determining which things we like to eat.  No sense in growing something if no one is going to eat it.  fortunately we love fresh grown produce and look forward each growing season to the new crop.  We look forward to each mealtime and truly enjoy food, enjoy growing it, preserving it, cooking it and of course, eating it!  It is important, of course, to determine which vegetables will grow well in your area.  Now a really helpful resource I've found is the Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide that is put out by the LSU AgCenter.  Click here to see it: LSU Vegetable Planting Guide

This helpful publication tells you the crops that will grow favorably in the tropical South, the Planting Dates for Spring and Fall, the depth to plant, inches between plants, and the number of days to harvest.  It also gives you recommended varieties for Louisiana.  This is where I venture off a little bit, though.

I like to plant Open pollinated, heirloom seeds only, if at all possible. Non-Hybrid or Open-Pollinated seeds allow the gardener to collect seeds from a crop for future planting.  I like to be able to save my seeds from year to year and stay away from hybridization and genetically modified foods.  I save seeds each year and we are getting to the point where we have a pretty good inventory of our favorite vegetables.  This is a money saver and ensures that you'll have seed you need to grow the crops you like year after year.

I generally buy from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  Here is their link: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds  You can order seeds directly from their website.  There are many other seed catalogs from which to buy from, though.  You should get on Baker Creek's mailing list.  Their Seed Catalog is like coffee table book with beautiful pictures of different types of heirloom vegetables.  I could look through it again and again.  The seeds are relatively inexpensive and range from $1.75 - $3.00 for a pack of seeds.  If you save seeds, however, that is your final investment because you can save the seeds and never purchase seeds again!

Here are just a few samples of seeds I'll be planting this year:


Packets of open pollinated, heirloom seeds


Record keeping is a must with gardening.  You need to record when you planted so that you know when to harvest.  You need to know where you planted each variety, so that you know which specific plant you are growing.  I also like to plant contrasting colors to accent the garden.  For example, I plant the Bull's Blood Beets, which produce a deep red leaf, right next to the Simpson Black Seeded Lettuce, which produces a light green leaf.  This is no doubt strange, but produces a visual feast, as well.

I really like the Winter garden better than the Spring garden.  First, it is cooler and more comfortable to maintain.  Then the weeds don't grow as quickly and finally, the pest and disease pressure is definitely lighter than in the warmer months.  I try to plant everything from seed.  However, if there are ever germination problems, weather disasters or other catastrophes, I will go ahead and buy hybrid plants from the store.  Last year, our cats knocked over and ruined an entire flat of broccoli seedlings and ruined them.  Better to have some hybrid plant grown vegetables than none at all. 


Example of the Planting Guide

 This Fall/Winter, I will be planting the following:

• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Snowball Cauliflower
• Kale
• Rainbow Swiss Chard
• Mustard Greens
• Italian Parsley
• Oak Leaf Lettuce
• Radishes
• Shanghai (Pak Choi) Greens (Chinese Cabbage)
• Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce
• Bull's Blood Beets
• Detroit Dark Red Beets
• Spinach
• Turnips
• Cabbage
• Berlicum Carrots
• Cosmic Purple Carrots
• Mammoth Red Mangel Beets
• Atomic Red Carrots
• Parisienne Carrots
• Rocky Top Lettuce Mix
• Mesclun Salad Mix
• Garlic
• Green onions
• Shallots
• Sugar Snap Peas

I'll plan how I want to lay out the rows and what seed I'll plant in a which location, keeping in mind which seeds, like sugar snap peas, that need a trellis to grow on.  Once you've got all that together and organized, and your seedbed is prepared and ready, it's time to plant.  Get your hoe and gloves, we'll do that tomorrow!