Saturday, July 17, 2010

Container Vegetables in South Louisiana



My hoop house container garden (47% shade cloth) new variety experiments. I do real good with sweet corn, Dixie lee field peas, snap beans, carrots, melons, green unions, parsley, and excellent with cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, mustard greens (no grit). Close attention must be paid to pests, especially aphids and white flies. Catch them early. Also, keep foliage elevated 18 inches off ground cover or floor keeping plants adequately spaced to allow for good ventilation, makes it hard for pests to survive where runoff dries quickly. Vegetables like moist roots but dry stems and foliage so use drip emitters or spray stakes that don't create a mist, or water by hand.