Welcome to “Is it summer, fall, winter, or spring season?” Some days it’s all of them. Louisiana’s weather can be as bumpy as our roads. It may feel warm now, but we all know cold weather is surely right around the corner. However, that doesn’t mean we stop planting in our garden.
There are still plenty of vegetables and herbs we should be adding to the garden for fresh produce in winter and spring. If fact, aside from the occasionally bouts of extreme cold, now can be one of the most enjoyable times to garden. With typically milder weather days working in the garden, we also have fewer insect and disease problems to contend with when it comes to cool-season gardening. Let’s look at what we can add to the garden now through the New Year.
If you haven’t planted broccoli and cauliflower transplants yet, you can still set them out. Nurseries still have a few in stock, you may just have to dig around the Christmas trees. It can be a gamble with planting these this late. The plants are winter hardy, but developing heads will need to be protected with frost clothes or blankets in hard freeze events. Production can be more reliable when transplants are planted in January.
Broccoli and cauliflower planted earlier in September should be nearing harvest soon. Broccoli should be harvested when the largest flower buds in the head are the size of a kitchen match head. Plants will continue to produce side florets for several weeks after the main head has been removed. On the other hand, cauliflower plants should be removed once the mature head has been harvested. Harvest these before the curds of the head start to separate.
If you haven’t planted garlic, you can still get that in, but it needs to be planted this month. Garlic is a long season vegetable, with harvest typically occurring around the end of May. Other Allium crops you can plant now include sets of green or bunching onions, bulbing onions, and chives.
Winter is prime season for root crop vegetables. These should be direct seeded into the garden where they will grow and mature. Transplanting these crops is not advisable. Sow seeds heavier to ensure a good stand and thin seedlings to the proper spacing. Spacing for commonly planted root crops are beets, 3-4 inches; carrots, 2 inches, radishes, 2-3 inches, and turnips, 3 inches. If planting root crops in raised beds, the sides of the beds should be at least 12 inches deep so roots have room to fully develop.
If you didn’t plant lettuce this fall, wait now until January to set transplants or direct seeding. Loose-leaf lettuce varieties like Oakleaf, Red Salad Bowl, Salad Bowl, Grand Rapids, and Nevada can be direct sown into the garden. Do not plant lettuce seed too deep as some seeds need light to germinate. Head lettuce such as butterhead and romaine varieties do best when grown from transplants. Plant lettuce several times to extend the harvest.
English, sugar snap, and snow peas can be planted now through January. These cool season legumes do well during winter, providing fresh sweet peas when not much else is ready for harvest. Direct seed these along a trellis in well-drained soil for best production and ease of harvest.
Other vegetables we can still plant this month include cabbage, mustard, collards, and spinach. Now is a good time to start your transplants for broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, Swiss chard, and head lettuce to set out in mid-January. Hardy herds such as thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano, dill, parsley, French tarragon, mint, and cilantro can also be planted.
We still have plenty of time to plant fresh vegetables this winter. Don’t miss out on one of the more enjoyable times working in the vegetable garden. As we all know, winter is short-lived in south Louisiana and summer temperatures will be back around before long.
