I can't believe nobody has responded to your request for help. I don't know enough about gardening in the deep south to advise you but the local office of the cooperative extension in the area you're moving to should have a wealth of information. I've included a link to the state page and you can locate the local office from there.

Good luck in your "transplant" from AK to LA. It should be an interesting experience learning the new climate and gardening techniques.

Sandy

Here is a link that might be useful: LA cooperative extension offices

Hi Greenjuice, and welcome to the South. Don Hastings has some good books on both flower and vegetable gardening in the South. I don't know much about Alaska, but I suspect one big difference you are in for is controlling insects........I try to be as organic as I can, but this is a big challenge in the South's heat and humidity. Nawlins (a city I love with all my heart) is probably the warmest, most humid city in the southeastern usa, with the possible exception of Savannah GA........so y'all will have to adjust. One nice aspect is you are gonna have an almost year round growing season! The lady's post about going to the co-op is great advice.......you could also search on Amazon.com for books. When you finish your morning gardening chores make sure you go down to Cafe Du Monde across from Jackson Square and have a cafe au lait with beignets.........good luck in all your gardening endeavors

First go to Louisiana Gardening on this site, next check out a few books from the library and third check with your local extention agent. Here in Texas we grow, tomaoes, eggplants, peppers, winter squash [summer squash have a problem because of a worm that kills them as well as a virus], melons of all kinds, Okra, plus many more depending on what you like. In the fall-winter-spring garden, any cole plant, carrots, herbs, onions, turnips, greens, lettuce plus most root veggies. Fruit trees are also of a wide range that you should best find out from your new neighbors and friends and extention agent. You should be able to go to a website even before arriving and download a lot of information now.

Welcome to Louisiana. I'm from New Orleans and now in Thibodaux. When I started organic gardening, the county agents were not very helpful..."too many pests and diseases to grow organically in Louisiana." Well, as a novice gardener, my 1st garden was a success and has been ever since. I mean, my squash plants are nearly as tall as I am! So there! :)

An interesting side note: that first comment was 3 yrs ago. Now, the local county agent has contacted me about using the organic garden as a teaching tool to young students. The mind set has really changed in a short time.

Since you are past the beginner stage, then Bob Randall's book for sure!! He wrote "Year Round Veggies, Fruits and Flowers for Metro Houston". Very in-depth about southern gardens from varieties to crop rotations (he does it for you) to soil to timing.... Contact the Urban Harvest Community Gardens in Houston. I figured Houston was on about the same latitude as New Orleans so his info applies. Really, really in-depth. Good luck. I know of a good source for some good soil made from coffee in New Orleans. Try EcoUrban.

Moving south is going to open up a whole new world of gardening for you...You will be able to grow year round...what a blast you are going to have if you are an avid gardener.

Okay greenjuice, if your gonna move to New Orleans there are a few things you need to know.

1. Memorize the phrase "Laissez le Bon Ton Roulez" in french. It means "let the good times roll". You will be hearing and using the phrase a lot. If you use the phrase correctly, everyone will think you are a native.

2. Don't expect to be invited anywhere on Sundays. In Louisiana, "Family" is everything. It will take a while to meet people and eventually be adopted into some families.

3. "Mothers" near downtown New Orleans has the best cajun Gumbo and shrimp poboy sandwiches. Red Beans and Rice is good also. When you eat boiled crawfish, always suck the heads. It's the best part.

4. Always root for the Dallas Cowboys over the New Orleans Saints, but don't tell anyone.

5. If anyone offers you some tasso or crawfish boudan, get on your knees and thank them profusely. You don't need to know what it is, just know that both are addictive.

6. Now about gardening. The first thing to know is forget everything you have ever learned about gardening. It is a whole new world. Think about planting some crops in February when your friends back in Alaska still have two feet of snow on the ground. Think about high humidity year round. People have their roofs cleaned because they mildew from the humidity. The high humidity causes a lot of fungal problems on some crops. Try to select varieties that are fungus resistant. Think about heat similar to your oven that only relents when a brief rain shower passes. My tomato plants were usually dead and halfway to being compost by the middle of July. It didn't matter because they started growing in February and I usually got a lot of tomatoes. Peppers, cucumbers, and flowers do great. You will learn to love the beautiful hibiscus and azalea that grow everywhere.

I'm a Texan back in Texas now, but my fifteen years near New Orleans were a very good part of my life.

Laissez le Bon Ton Roulez!

Ted

greenjuice,

I thought of a couple of other things you need to know about New Orleans and Louisiana in general.

The best thing about New Orleans and Louisiana is the people. The second best thing is the food. In New Orleans, most of the high end (expensive) restaurants are in or near the french quarter. Restaurants like Commander's Palace, Brennans, Emerils, and Nola serve great food, but with the exception of "Bananas Foster", most dishes at little, local, family owned, restaurants are just as good. Some of my favorites are the following.

1. Smilie's on Jefferson Highway in Harahan. They have a very nice "haute cuisine" restaurant on one end of the building which serves outstanding dishes. On the other end of the building, they have a cafeteria which is only open for lunch. I would drive a hundred miles for their ham hock in beans with cornbread in the cafeteria. They also give you a basket of croutons which are eaten with herbal seasoned olive oil.

2. There is a "Ralph & Kacoo's" in New Orleans, but drive a few miles over to Baton Rouge and eat there. It is worth the drive. Try their soft shell crab or turtle soup with sherry. Do not order their Bananas Foster. They don't have a clue about how to prepare it.

3. The worlds best Italian restaurant is across veterans memorial blvd. from the Holiday Inn in Kenner. It is only about 1/4 mile from the New Orleans airport. It is a tiny, family owned restaurant that I can't remember the name of.

Since this is a gardening forum, I guess I should mention the fact that you can grow something almost year round in New Orleans.

Ted

I live between Baton Rouge and New Orleans and have all of my life. My family as far back as I can remember have all had kitchen gardens. My best advise to you is get to know your neighbors (especially the older generation) because they can tell you from tried and true experience what will grow best in your area. Besides getting great advise you will make some wonderful new friends along the way. Gardeners as we all know tend to be very kind and nurturing people by nature. Also take a walk around your neighborhood and take a look at your neighbor's gardens. That will tell you what grows well where you are. Southern gardening is great but each season does give you new challenges until you get used to it.