News From 2019

How to Build a Salad TableMost of my Southern Gardening columns share tips about great ornamental plants that should be grown in all landscapes and gardens in Mississippi and the entire Southeast. But every once in a while, I like to share ideas for being more successful in your home vegetable garden, because who doesn’t enjoy homegrown veggies?

South Mississippi Delta residents are in recovery mode after returning to homes that have been under water for nearly six months, but they need materials and assistance as they try to resume their normal lives.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Home gardeners and professional landscapers can tour display gardens and attend educational seminars during an upcoming horticultural show.

The Fall Flower & Garden Fest is set for Oct. 11 and 12 at the Mississippi State University Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station in Crystal Springs. The fest runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. Admission and parking are free. The station is located at 2024 Experiment Station Road.

A difficult planting season followed by heavy rains and drainage issues challenged corn producers, but growers are still expected to produce a good crop despite these tough conditions.

This weekend while driving in my hometown of Ocean Springs, I looked at the crape myrtles planted in the median all along Highway 90. I noticed that most of the trees had a dark cast to them, even on a bright, sunny morning.

The challenges Mississippi catfish farmers face in 2019 are many, but growth of one of the state’s eight processing facilities is one positive sign for the industry.

GULFPORT, Miss. -- Mississippi producers will have an opportunity to learn about the square-foot gardening method and tour an organic garden model on the Gulf Coast.

The Alliance of Sustainable Farms will host A Garden Tour and Square-Foot Gardening/Intensive Planting Demonstrations Sept. 20 at the 34th Street Wholistic Gardens and Education Center in Gulfport.

The president of the World Aquaculture Society is the latest in a long line of Mississippi State University connections to this organization.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service welcomed two new agricultural economists Aug. 16.

2019 has been an extraordinarily bad year for agriculture, and the extra mental stress it has placed on producers sends many of them looking for relief, not always in good ways.

About 10 years ago while attending a meeting in Miami, I had the opportunity to tour around south Florida, sightseeing and enjoying the horticulture.

Every approach to cleaning a house after a flood has its pitfalls.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A new group of 12 Mississippi agricultural professionals has been selected for the second class of the Thad Cochran Agricultural Leadership Program.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service, in partnership with the Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, established the two-year, nine-seminar program to help emerging leaders in the state’s agricultural industry develop leadership skills and policy knowledge while visiting agricultural systems in Mississippi and abroad. They will also visit legislators in Jackson and Washington, D.C.

 Incoming college freshman think of almost every possible new experience they could encounter in their new world; however, some neglect the dreaded “freshman 15.”

One of my favorite Mississippi native plants is just starting to show its true landscape value. Of course, I’m referring to our native Callicarpa americana, known commonly and affectionately as the American beautyberry.

The annual Alabama-Mississippi-Tennessee Rural Tourism Conference will be in Natchez Oct. 21-23.

From agricultural damage to financial challenges, the effects of a natural disaster can be physically and emotionally overwhelming for farmers and residents of an impacted region. As those in the Mississippi Delta and surrounding areas continue to cope and begin recovery from recent devastating floods, faculty and staff in Mississippi State’s Extension Service and Department of Psychology are extending reminders that can help.

In recent years, gardeners everywhere have seen quite a few plants that were once grown only in shady conditions come out into the sunshine. Sunpatiens were my first experience with these now sun lovers.

Mississippi’s 259 rice-producing farms rank the state No. 5 nationally in rice production, a fact highlighted in September when Mississippians are urged to “Think Rice.”

As fall and cooler weather are right around the corner, one of the most frequent questions I get from landowners related to protection of their property is, “Can I shoot a trespasser?”