IN THE GARDEN

Alright y’all, get out there and plant! All our favorites can go into the vegetable garden this month. Transplants of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants can all be set out early this month. And, if you wait until next month for peppers and eggplants, don’t worry. They love heat anyway. When setting out tomato plants, two words are key: deep and wide. Make the planting hole wide so the root system will have plenty of room for expanding. Set plants deep so root initials will form along the buried stem. A big, healthy root system will mean a big, healthy tomato plant. A handful of finished compost placed down in each planting hole will give transplants a boost of nutrients, too, so don’t be greedy with the compost. If you’re going to stake tomato plants, place the stakes prior to planting to avoid potentially damaging root systems. Give transplants a good drink, too. I’m excited to grow an eggplant, again this year, that is a true heirloom! In 1899, Carlo and Frances Montelaro immigrated to southern Louisiana from Lucca Sicula, Sicily, and brought seeds of this beautiful eggplant with them. It’s been in the Montelaro Family ever since. Green with light stripes, this eggplant is gorgeous, productive, and has great flavor. Even large fruit aren’t bitter. And, a single fruit will provide all the seeds you could ever use. I can wait to grow the ‘Montelaro Family’ Eggplant planted back in the Louisiana Kitchen Garden Exhibit at the zoo and in a newly prepared area at the house.

Let’s not forget about attracting pollinators. Look no further than the most recent list of Louisiana Super Plant selections. On this 2023’s list is another member of the ‘Suncredible’ sunflower line, ‘Suncredible Saturn.’ ‘Saturn’ is just as vigorous and prolific as its cousin, ‘Suncredible Yellow,’ which was tapped as a Louisiana Super Plant two years ago. But, ‘Saturn’ has a reddish-orange ring on the ray flowers that will add something different to your sunflower patch. Pollinators can’t refuse sunflowers, and ‘Suncredible Saturn’ will be an otherworldly addition to your garden and landscape. Having any member of the hibiscus family close by will also attract any number of pollinating insects. One of my very favorite perennials is ‘Aphrodite’ Althea, a Louisiana Super Plant selection that will provide a splash of brilliant pink, single flowers all summer long. ‘Aphrodite’ will need some space, so situate it in a sunny location close to the vegetable garden, and both insects and hummingbirds will be frequent visitors. ‘Intenz Classic’ Celosia is another one of my favorites for attracting pollinators. Gosh, what’s not to say about this one. A 2018 selection, ‘Intenz Classic’ is a different variety of the old-timey Cock’s Combs your great-grandmother probably grew. It’s a beast, too! The heat and humidity of the ArkLaMiss are no match for ‘Intenz Classic;’ it produces spikes of deep magenta flowers that attract clouds of pollinating insects until frost finally takes it out in fall. Another one of my favorite perennial Louisiana Super Plants is ‘Flutterby Petite Tutti Frutti Pink’ Buddleia. How’s that for a name?

> When setting out tomato plants, two words are key: DEEP and WIDE. Make the planting hole wide so the root system will have plenty of room for expanding.

‘Tutti Frutti’ stays very compact, getting no more than two to three feet tall, if that. And, with deadheading spent flowers, she’ll keep producing into fall when other, larger Buddleias have already packed it in for the dormant season. ‘Tutti Frutti’ Buddleia will attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds without being overly demanding. Situate a ‘Tutti Frutti’ or two near your vegetable garden and see if you don’t notice an increase in insect pollinators on your squash and cucumbers.

Okay, now let’s talk compost…again! I know, I harp about it a lot. But folks, I say again and again, if you’re not composting at home, you depriving your plants the chance to perform at their maximum levels. There is no better soil amendment for your beds, and you can’t beat the price…free. Rather than burning or bagging those leaves in fall and winter, put them to work for your plants. Do the same with your plantbased kitchen scraps, unused cardboard, and just about anything else made out of the carbohydrate cellulose. Layer this material up like a lasagna, cover with a layer of carbon-rich “browns” like leaves, hay, dried grass clippings from the lawn, or straw, wet it down and let it rip. Contrary to popular belief, there is no foul odor associated with a properly constructed compost pile. When crawlies like pill bugs (aka rolypolies), crickets, and earthworms show up in your compost pile, you’re doing it right. Finished compost will smell earthy and is ready to use straight from the pile. Whether you put a handful or two in the bottoms of planting holes or work it into compacted areas to improve drainage and fertility, your plants will thank you by being healthy and productive. Fact: healthy plants need fewer pesticides. So you see, the benefits outweigh the costs when it comes to composting! Your garden has everything to gain and nothing to lose. Something else to keep in mind as we kick off the spring gardening season is the importance of getting out in the garden every day to check for pests, diseases, and other potential problems so they can be headed off at the pass. Practice an integrated pest management (IPM) that places emphasis on cultural practices. Grow disease and pest-resistant varieties. Grow varieties that are hardy in our USDA Zone (8b). Learn to recognize and identify the more common insect pests like the squash vine borer moth. This little thing has been causing big problems for home gardeners all other the southern U.S. in recent years and is causing many gardeners to give up on summer squash. Learning to identify this moth by sight and knowing it’s life cycle can help you start a management strategy before it becomes a problem. More aggressive pests like stinkbugs and leaf footed bugs may require the use of a pesticide like either liquid carbaryl or spinosad. Always read, understand, and follow the label directions on any pesticide container whether synthetic or organic.

Lawns kick into high gear this month as they resume growth after winter dormancy. Remember, our deep south turfgrasses (Bermudagrass, centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass, and zoysiagrass) are not adapted to deeply shaded areas so full sun is key for a lush, healthy lawn. Lawn mowers should be serviced and ready to rock and roll! Adjust the blade to the height appropriate for your turfgrass. Bermudagrass, centipedegrass, and zoysiagrass should all be mowed at 1 to 2 inches. St. Augustinegrass should be mowed to 2.5 to 3 inches. Frequent-enough rains render religious irrigation of established, residential lawns unnecessary. There’s always the question of how much fertilizer to use on your lawn. When our soil lab returns soil test results and makes a nitrogen recommendation, the rate should be split up into three applications throughout the growing season. Too much nitrogen at once is problematic. The LSU AgCenter generally recommends that no more than a pound or two of available nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn per single application. How much fertilizer is that? First, either measure out or estimate the square footage of your lawn. An estimate is fine. Let’s say your lawn is 5,000 square feet, and you selected ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) as your choice for nitrogen. And, you’re following the LSU AgCenter’s recommended rate of 1 pound/1,000 square feet. First, we know that ammonium nitrate is 21% available nitrogen per 100 pounds of fertilizer. Let’s keep the arithmetic simple and round 21% down to 20%, or 0.2, or one-fifth. This means for every 5 pounds of fertilizer, there is 1 lb. of nitrogen (5 lbs. of fertilizer = 1 lb. N). Your goal is to apply 1 lb. of N for every 1,000 square feet. And, since 1 lb. of N is equal to 5 lbs. of fertilizer, then 5 lbs. of fertilizer equals 1 lb. of N per 1,000 square feet. But, you’re fertilizing 5,000 square feet, so five times as much fertilizer is needed. Five pounds of fertilizer times five units of area = 25 lbs. of fertilizer. Let’s try this using Triple 13 (=13-13-13), since that’s a common fertilizer at local garden centers, and a lawn of the same area. The quickest way to determine how much Triple 13 is needed to apply 1 lb. of N per 1,000 square feet of lawn is to divide the amount of nitrogen desired by the amount of nitrogen in the bag as a decimal, or 1 ÷ 0.13, which is 7.7 lbs. of Triple 13 needed to apply 1 lb. of N to 1,000 square feet of lawn. For a 5,000 square foot lawn, multiply 7.7 times 5. So a 5,000 square foot lawn will need 38.5 lbs. of Triple 13 for 1 lb. of N per 1,000 square feet. Double that amount to apply 2 lbs. of N per 1,000 square feet. And yes, we could have done this shorter method for ammonium sulfate, but that wouldn’t have been any fun!