How Do I Grow Vegetables in Baton Rouge?
- 1). Sketch out your vegetable garden in January and February. Measure your garden and multiply width times length in feet to determine its square footage. Read your seed-packet instructions and figure out how much of each vegetable to plant. Divide crops into spring and fall plantings. For example, spring planting might include tomatoes, peas, sweet corn, cucumbers and peppers. Fall planting could be broccoli, Brussels sprouts, turnips, mustard, shallots, bush beans, squash and lettuce.
- 2). Cultivate the planting area with a shovel or tilling machine to a depth of 8 inches in mid-March for spring plantings. If your soil contains clay, spread 2 inches of organic compost and peat over the area and till it under to provide better drainage and the nutrients your vegetable plants will need. Water thoroughly.
- 3). Plant spring vegetable seeds, marking the ends of rows with stakes to help you remember where they are. Follow the directions on your seed packets for spacing and depth of planting, as well as distance between rows. Watch tiny seeds like carrots and radishes as they sprout, then thin the seedlings to proper spacing.
- 4). Water only when necessary during Louisiana's long, hot, humid summer. When it hasn't rained for several days, water early in the morning or late in the day to conserve water and to avoid leaf scorch or cracking of vegetable skins, particularly with peppers, tomatoes and melons. Weed frequently around roots and between rows to reduce competition for nutrients in the soil.
- 5). Plant fall vegetables in August, turning soil, cultivating and starting over by repeating Steps 2 through 4 with a different set of vegetable seeds. Fall plantings can be harvested through December and early January.
- 6). Give the garden a resting period between December and March. Spread and mix a 2-inch layer of organic compost into the soil to replenish it for the next spring planting.
