Plan your spring garden now

Louisiana’s nearly year-round growing season means there’s no rest for backyard gardeners. According to the LSU AgCenter, January is a busy time for home growers who have the green light on planting first or second crops of turnips, radishes, potatoes, spinach, English peas, peppers and other vegetables. The AgCenter’s trustworthy Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide is available through the AgCenter website.

It’s too early, of course, to plant the mother of all backyard veggies, tomatoes, but it is the right time to seed them, especially if you’re into heirloom varieties, says AgCenter horticulturist Kiki Fontenot, who recommends ordering seeds now from reputable companies such as Johnny’s or Burpee, but cautions consumers that these companies run out of heirloom stock as the winter progresses. Moreover, be sure to order heirloom varieties that perform well in the Deep South, such as Cherokee Purple and Black Cherry. Heirlooms bring intense flavor and juicy deliciousness, but they do require more handholding when it comes to pests and bacteria since they’re not bred to be disease resistant. —Maggie Heyn Richardson