Best fruits and vegetables to grow in Louisiana

Satsumas and figs.

Mayhaw - jelly and vinaigrette
Muscadine - jelly, wine, vinaigrette
Chickasaw plums - jelly & wine
Speckled butter beans
Purplehull peas
Sweet potatoes
Satsuma
Loquat

Any kind of citrus trees will do well and so will fig trees. I've know people to grow persimmons in the N.O. area, along with Japanese Plums and cooking pears.


As far as vegetables, you can grow them year round in La. since we have some mild winters. The list of things you can grow is long and my best advice is to look on-line for "Growing Zone 9" to get a list of plants you can grow, times to plant them either by seed or transplant and estimated harvest date.

As an example, my summer garden usually contains the following:

Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Green Beans-----both bush and pole varieties
Eggplant-----both the round purple and the Japanese Ichiban variety
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Bell Peppers
Several varieties of hot peppers
Soy Beans for Edamame
Okra

My fall/winter garden contains:

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Several varieties of leaf lettuces
Kale
Swiss Chard
Brussel's Sprouts
Onions
Beets
Collard Greens
Pole Beans until the cold takes them

Satsuma for sure
Persimmon also fairly easy to grow
Mayhaw is good and native to LA
Plant multiple varieties of blueberries but make sure to use a soil acidifier
Plums, peaches, pear, they grow well but need maintenance
Consider planting a pecan tree as well

My most impressive veg producer has been okra. The red or burgundy varieties get the most shopper attention. It's easy to grow from seed and will set pods until nights fall below 70F for an extended period.

Main downside is the labor. You'll need to pick a large planting daily to get smaller tender pods.

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Main downside is the labor. You'll need to pick a large planting daily to get smaller tender pods.

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And don't forget about when it's time to pull the plants. Some of those buggers get to be small trees by the time they are pulled.

I generally have 60-75 Okra plants in my summer garden and harvest bushels of okra over the summer months.

I usually let 2-3 pods dry out and will have WAY more seed than I need for next seasons planting.

Some varieties of persimmon are self-pollinating, but if your tree hasn't produced fruit in 5 years it sure seems like it's not. You will have to plant another tree for pollination to produce fruit and it is recommended to plant one between 20-25 ft. from the one you already have.

I love persimmons but when I get the fruit from most stores it is nice and orange in color, but hard as an unripe avocado and will often take weeks to ripen at the house.