Winter is coming to an end here in South Louisiana. And you know what that means? It's seed starting time.
Don’t you just love the beginning of Spring? Where we live, the Bradford pear trees and loropetulum bushes are in full bloom. What a sight to see! Warmer weather is here to stay it seems which has me dreaming of the garden that is to come.
When I picture what the spring and summer garden will look like this year, I see lots of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, sunflowers, and zinnias. Preston and I have been working hard on our vegetable garden area to make it a more special place to be. We’ve added limestone rock and a beautiful French arch with a peggy martin rose climbing on it. There is still much more work to be done, but so it goes with home projects.
I’ve starting 2 trays of seeds indoors under grow lights hoping they will be ready in a few weeks to transplant out in the garden. Timing is important when planting from seed. Last year, I started my pepper and tomato seeds in JANUARY. I’m a bit behind this year – planted my first tray on 2/18/24 and the 2nd tray on 3/3/24. Some seeds will grow into plants faster than others. All a gardener can hope for is that this will be the year of success and plentiful harvests. I say it every year for my tomatoes and it has yet to happen for me. I’m trying a few new varieties and techniques I’ve learned from family and friends. Hopefully implementing these new ideas will reap a bounty.
Here is a list of vegetable, herb, and flower varieties sown from seed in February and March.
If you have any favorite varieties that grow well in zone 9b, please let me know!
Tomatoes
- Creole
- Super Sweet 100
- Sun Gold
- Parks Whopper
- German Johnson
- Cherokee Purple
Cucumbers
- Dasher II
- Marketmore
Peppers
- Banana
- Cayenne
- King Arthur (F1)
- Olympus
- Aristotle
Basil
- Italian Large Leaf
- Large Leaf
Borage
Dill
Feverfew
Lemon Balm
Texas Bluebonnets
Purple Coneflower
Lavender
Marigold
There are plenty more seeds to sow within the next few months. I may even snag some tomato plants from Cleggs.
It is not too late to start seeds so if you haven’t yet, all you need is some seed starting soil and a seed tray or solo cups. You can set them in greenhouse if you have, or indoors under grow lights. I buy my grow lights from lowes/home depot and use an old shoe rack. Get creative!! Also, pro tip, make sure you label your seeds that you start. You think you will remember what grew, but trust me, you won’t!
If there are any particular gardening topics you’d like me to talk about, please let me know in the comments section or send me a message!
Cheers to HOPE!
Till Next time, my gardening friends.