In the Yard column for Sept. 28, 2012

The Master Gardeners have a table at Saturday’s Farmers’ Market downtown. The market’s just east of St. Joseph Cathedral on Main Street.

One market day this summer, I loaded up on handouts for growing vegetables in containers and very small gardens, the Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide and a brochure on growing cucumbers in the fall.

These information sheets take me back to my early gardening days when I tried to follow the guidelines to the letter.

Over the years, I learned there’s a wide range of planting dates afforded by our semi-tropical South Louisiana climate.

When I got home that Saturday, I found saved cucumber seeds and planted them. A month later, I had vines, yellow flowers and the first tiny cuke.

It’s probably not too late to plant cucumber seed. You won’t have as long a growing season, but you should get cucumbers. At the very least, you’ll get the lovely yellow flowers spaced along the hairy vine.

This fall, plant what you like to eat as seed or transplants. If you don’t have a child to share the wonder of growing what you eat, borrow one.

Ed Cullen

Advocate staff writer