A recent edition of the LSU AgCenter e-newsletter was entitled, "You can plant vegetables in September in Louisiana." Well, thank goodness, because these little guys in their egg carton crib are growing strong. I say "little guys" because my husband, who planted these seeds a few weeks ago, neglected to write down their names when the planting was done and has no recollection of what might be growing. That's okay—the point is, something is green and growing. Plus, we really like surprises.
Like the one we had yesterday evening. My husband rushed in from the backyard and with all gravity said, "Anne, hurry. Come see." Was there an ivory-billed woodpecker in our yard? No. But there are several cayenne peppers growing beautifully from a plant we put in the ground months ago. I suddenly felt bad for recently cutting down two tomato plants that hadn't produced all summer. Patience is indeed a virtue, but these plants mocked us by growing incredibly tall without giving us even one tomato.
So back to that e-newsletter, full of tips from Professor Richard C. Bogren: "Plant bush snap beans and lima beans now so they’ll have time to produce a good crop before cold weather." Check—you've already met my lima beans.
"Vegetables to plant in September: transplants or seeds of beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, English and snow peas, Irish potatoes (plant small, whole potatoes saved from the spring crop), kale, kohlrabi, leek, lettuce, mustard, onion, radish, rutabagas, shallots (plant sets), snap beans, Swiss chard and turnips." Well, we sort of are on the right track with this list, though I've never heard of kohlrabi and wouldn't know a rutabaga if it was on my plate.
"Herbs to plant in September: transplants of basil, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, chives, lavender, Mexican tarragon and mints. Seeds or transplants of dill, parsley, fennel, cilantro, arugula, borage, chamomile and chervil." Will do ASAP. Our rosemary, basil, oregano and mint are still hanging in there after a rough summer. I imagine they're bored of eachother and will probably welcome some dill, cilantro and arugula. Fingers crossed for a fall garden!
