By: Brooke Shirley

Get your gloves ready because it’s time to plant those flowers and vegetables for the fall season! The new Louisiana Super Plant for fall is the Supertunia Vista Bubblegum petunia. It is one of the most talked-about petunias over the past few years and it has been proven that this bright pink beauty is one of Louisiana’s most durable petunia varieties.

Cool-season bedding plants such as pansies, dianthus, snapdragons, stock and calendulas, usually do best in the cold to mild temperatures of October through early May and generally tolerate typical winter freezes without extensive protection. Color always seems to be the dominate factor when selecting these plants, and providing color to the landscape really is the plants’ primary function. Many of these plants are also fragrant and it is such a delight to walk out and catch the fragrance of sweet alyssum drifting in the breeze.

Vegetables to plant in October and November include beets, broccoli (transplants), Brussels sprouts (transplants), cabbage, carrots, cauliflower (transplants), celery, collards, green peas, garlic, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onions (seed or sets), rutabaga, shallots (sets), parsley, radishes, spinach, turnips and kale.

Additionally, herbs that should be planted during this time include cilantro, dill, fennel, parsley, chives, mints, oregano, rosemary, sage, marjoram, thyme, lavender and chamomile.

Here are a few helpful tips: 

October weather can be dry, so water plantings as needed. Pay special attention to any newly planted areas.
This is the beginning of the prime planting season for hardy trees, shrubs, vines and ground covers.

Finish planting most spring-flowering bulbs in November. Buy tulips and hyacinths by the middle of the month and refrigerate them for at least six weeks before planting them in late December or early January.

As leaves fall from trees, collect them, put them in your compost pile or use them as mulch.

Water in newly planted cool-season bedding plants with a half-strength fertilizer solution to get them off to a good start.