Home > Lawn & Garden > Home Gardening > Vegetables > Home Garden Crops > Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide [Image: Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide] Use this guide to plant a successful vegetable garden. The information has been developed after considerable research and practical experience. Success with Summer Tomatoes Louisiana summers are a tough time for tomatoes to set and hold fruit. The heat causes irregular flower growth in most cultivars, and the result is poor fruit set, according to LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske. Newest Cultivars of Vegetable Crops [Image: catalog] These NEW cultivars were some of those added to last year’s 2008 LSU AgCenter Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide. Okra in the Garden [Image: okra pods] Okra is a warm-season crop that grows well in Louisiana gardens. A good start is important for successful okra production.  more articles... Vegetable Gardening Tips [Image: Logo] This series provides a variety of information for home vegetable gardeners. Topics include beans, cabbage, corn, cucumbers, eggplants, potatoes, squash, tomatoes, peppers, onions, shallots, garlic and many more of the favorites of home gardeners. Okra Cultivars [Image: Photo of okra pods] This collection of okra cultivar photographs is provided as a resource for illustrating and identifying different varieties of okra. Each photograph is individually labeled for identification purposes. Many Snap Beans Varieties Available For Spring Gardens Snap beans are adapted to a wide range of soils in Louisiana and make an excellent crop for the home garden. Their freshness is a real treat at the dinner table. Chard or Swiss Chard [Image: chard] Swiss chard, often just called chard, can be grown easily in most gardens. This cool-season green vegetable also has good heat resistance, so it’s really a year-round producer. Harvesting and Curing Hard-shell Gourds [Image: Laginaria gourds] Cucurbita and Lagenaria gourds, when mature, are ready to harvest and process into decorations or utensils. Southern peas & Yardlong or Asparagus bean [Image: Photo of Blackeye pea] The southern pea is also known as cowpea and field pea and various names like blackeyes, crowders, peas, etc. Sweet Corn Tests of Enhanced and SuperSweets [Image: corn] In the summers of 2002 and 2003, LSU AgCenter's Dr. James Boudreaux tested 14 sugar enhanced (se) and 11 supersweet (sh2) corn cultivars. They were evaluated for their large ears (about 8") and husk cover. Producing Shiitake: The Fancy Forest Mushroom [Image: Producing Shiitake: The Fancy Forest Mushroom] Farming of exotic mushrooms offers another opportunity to add to farm cash flow or supplemental income. It is also popular among home gardeners and organic farmers. Shiitake (pronounced she ta key) is the most popular of the exotics. This publication includes information on the fruiting, harvesting, pest problems, and cost and returns for shiitake mushrooms. Growing Vegetable Pears This publication has information on the varieties, pollination, soil preparation, planting and cultivation of vegetable pears. Garlic in the Garden [Image: garlic] Garlic is thought to have many uses from warding off cancer to protecting from evil. In Louisiana, we use it to flavor food and boil shellfish. Here are some tips on how to grow garlic in the home garden.