Home > Lawn & Garden > Home Gardening > Vegetables > Soil & Fertility > Get It Growing: Healthy Plants Start With Bed Preparation (For Release On Or After 10/05/07) Fall is a prime planting season in Louisiana. Cool-season flowering bedding plants and cool-season vegetables are planted from now through February, and November through February is the best time to plant hardy shrubs, ground covers and perennials in the landscape. How well you prepare the soil before planting has an enormous effect on the health and growth of your plants. Sidedress Fall Vegetable Crops for Better Yields [Image: dress] Nitrogen (N) is a very important plant nutrient for all fall vegetable crops. A sufficient and continuous amount must be supplied to all plants to achieve good yields. It also is the nutrient most often lacking in soils. Organic Mulch Good For Summer Vegetable Gardens Organic mulches can help keep your vegetables producing during Louisiana’s hot summer months. Although mulch is usually applied to control weeds and conserve moisture, it has several other useful functions. 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.  more articles... Site Preparation Important For Productive Spring Garden Getting the right start in the spring is especially important for a productive garden, says LSU AgCenter horticulturist Dr. Tom Koske. Jefferson, Orleans Soil Contamination May Not Be As Serious As Feared LSU AgCenter experts say soil contamination in Jefferson and Orleans parishes from flooding after this summer’s hurricanes may not be as serious as originally feared. Initial results of tests conducted in October indicate no need for special preparations to the soils prior to planting and that there should be no danger for individuals digging or planting in the soil. LSU AgCenter Faculty Checking New Orleans Soil, Plants [Image: LSU AgCenter faculty testing soil in Jefferson and Orleans parishes] Will the grass come back and how long will it be before vegetable gardens can be planted were questions on the minds of LSU AgCenter faculty members who recently toured the New Orleans area. Dealing With Salinity Soil salts affect turf mostly by withholding moisture from plant tissues. They may also compete for uptake of nutrient ions. Try these suggestions to manage a soil salinity situation. Composting and the Carbon Nitrogen Ratio [Image: composting] The carbon-to-nitrogen ratio tells us how well the compost will work. Acid Soil Problems [Image: pepper] Acidic soils (low pH) cause more gardening problems in Louisiana than any other soil factor. They affect so many other soil factors in both pest management and soil fertility.