It can be overwhelming as a beginner vegetable gardener. You want to get growing, but where do you even start? Here are 11 Louisiana-based resources that can help you on our gardening journey today!
The climate you live in has a major impact on your gardening strategy. It can be tempting to follow tips from gardeners who live in a another state or even another country, but those things may not work for you.
Take it from someone who learned the hard way. I would follow gardening YouTube channels based in Idaho and Washington and was wondering why they were having such successful harvests and I wasn’t?
This led me to looking for help from my local community.
Here is a list of 11 local gardening resources based in Louisiana. I’m sure there are others out there, but these have helped me in my gardening journey and I have been more successful for it. I hope some of these help you too! (Side note – These resources are mainly for learning purposes. They are not going to provide you with seeds, plants, or equipment, but they will give you the foundational knowledge you need to get started.)
Resources:
LSU Agcenter is my number 1 resource. They have so many different articles and videos on their website that you can find. Specifically, this free Planting Guide is a downloadable PDF file that tells you when to plant certain vegetables based on your area. It includes a USDA hardiness map which will tell you what gardening zone you are in. My favorite part is the list of recommended varieties that do well in our area. Print it out and keep it in your gardening binder.
Another one of my favorite LSU AgCenter resources is this Home Gardening Class. It is a 10 week course that you can take completely online and it is free (although I recommend making a donation to say thank you for such an incredible gift). It includes video modules, print-outs, and home labs teaching everything from soil, the basics of flowers and plants, seed starting, dealing with pests, different varieties, etc. I seriously cannot recommend this course enough! The link to the course is in yellow.
The “Louisiana Home Vegetable Gardening” book by LSU AgCenter takes a more in-depth look at each specific vegetable. For example, if you want to grow cantaloupe specifically, they explain how to grow cantaloupe from seed to harvest including when to fertilize and how to deal with certain pests or diseases along the way. The only downside, in my opinion, is they recommend using synthetic fertilizers. Being an organic gardener, I don’t follow that and use preferred organic fertilizers instead. But lots of great tips and information for each vegetable. The link to the book is in yellow!
The yearly Farmers’ Almanac is great for gardening by the phases of the moon. Old timers swear by this method and I have seen success firsthand. I would recommend grabbing one of these every year weather online or at a local nursery.
This book, ” The Louisiana Urban Gardener: A Beginner’s Guide to Growing Vegetables and Herbs” by Kathryn K. Fontenot is a great resource for beginner gardeners. It will show you how to make the most of your garden area big or small. Kathryn works for LSU AgCenter and has some helpful videos on their facebook page, as well.
If you are interested in Louisiana herbs, this book is for you. Corinne overviews 50 different herbs found in Louisiana. From identifying them to how to properly use them. Personally, this is a topic I would love to know more about. Lots of good stuff there!
Kellye is the founder of Wild Child Kitchen Gardens. She has created a membership club, teaches classes, coaches one-on-one, has a podcast, and so much more. If you like the idea of joining a gardening group and having other women to grow alongside, then this is the resource for you. I have listened to her podcast and taken her seed starting course before on Facebook and learned a lot! The class I most recently took is her Raised Bed Gardening Made Simple gardening course. Some of her classes are free while other options you can pay for. Go check her website out here!
10. Louisiana Gardeners Facebook Group
Check out the Louisiana Gardeners group on Facebook. Once you join, there are always people posting in that group sharing tips and answering questions. It’s a great free resource and an awesome way to connect with other gardeners in your area. And this group is not limited to vegetable growers. There are tons of flower and landscape lovers over there as well.
If you live in and around the Baton Rouge area, Louisiana Nursery is great for all of your plant needs. Not only can you go there in person and get help from an employee, but you can also sign up to be a part of there gardening club where you can earn rewards everytime you shop with them. My favorite part, however, is they send you a monthly newsletter to your email with tips on what you should be doing in your garden that month. Sign up to be a part of their free gardening club here.
Well, that’s all folks!
I hope this was helpful to you in some way, shape, or form. And I’ll see you next week!
God Bless
What great resources for the South Louisiana gardener like me! I’ll keep this handy as I strive to have the best summer garden ever! Thanks so much!!
You go girl!!