Vegetable Gardens
There are many good reasons for growing a vegetable garden in Mississippi.
- A garden offers the opportunity to enjoy vegetables at their freshest. Sometimes only minutes elapse between harvest, preparation, and eating. Most fresh vegetables available at the grocery store travel about 1,800 miles between producer and consumer, and this travel often occurs over a period of several days. There’s a lot to be said for “homegrown” freshness.
- In recent years, many people are growing vegetables to save money on their grocery bill.
- A garden can be a wonderful place for children. They provide opportunities for play, learning, and having fun.
Regardless of motive, gardening can be as simple or as complex a project as you make it. As the interest in all aspects of gardening has increased, so has the need for more information and education. Careful planning can make gardening easier, more productive, and more enjoyable. In planning your garden, it is important to consider a few basics.
The answers to most questions for the beginner can be found in our Extension publications listed below.
Publications
News
BELZONI, Miss. -- A team whose mission is to “Keep Belzoni Beautiful” has earned national recognition for its work.
Keep America Beautiful, a nonprofit organization committed to community improvement and beautification, presented the Mississippi State University Extension Service a Keep America Beautiful State Agency Partnership award for 2021. Only 13 such awards were presented nationwide. Keep Belzoni Beautiful -- KBB for short -- is a chapter of Keep Mississippi Beautiful.
What started out in 2012 as a small volunteer project to make two accessible gardens for use by residents of a Hattiesburg nursing home grew and multiplied until the group recently completed its 1,000th one. The Pine Belt Master Gardeners offer a service of making what are known as “salad tables” -- small, wooden-framed gardens raised about 3 feet off the ground. They make about 12-14 tables per month.
Turban squash is beautiful fall decor. It's also great to eat in savory dishes! (Photo by MSU Extension)
Pumpkins, gourds, and squash, oh my! With fall in full effect, I’m buying fall décor all the time. Do I already have several pumpkins on my porch? Yes. Will I be buying more? Also, yes.
Simply walking out the front door each day, we’re reminded that it is a blistering hot summer season. But believe it or not, now is the time to start planning and getting ready for the fall vegetable garden. We’re only 36 days from the meteorological start of the fall gardening season.
Blossom end rot is a calcium deficiency, but that deficiency is normally caused by uneven water availability to the plant. Eggshells will not help prevent this problem.
Most of us have heard that eggshells can help increase the calcium in our garden soil, and some of us may have even tried it in our own yards. The goal is to help prevent blossom end rot on tomatoes and other plants affected by calcium deficiency. As it turns out, using eggshells really doesn’t fix anything.
Success Stories
Mississippi fresh chef
4-H’er’s recipe appears in national cookbook
When Sydnee Thompson found out the National 4-H Council was putting together a cookbook, she decided to submit one of her family’s favorite recipes.
As Jimmy Henry’s health began to decline, his wife, Shirley, wanted him to remain comfortable, safe, and happy. When the time came for Jimmy to enter a nursing home, Shirley was determined to stay right by his side, so she went with him.
From the youngest to the oldest generations, thousands of people are visiting, shopping, and enjoying themselves at the Hernando Farmers’ Market, held Saturdays on the historic DeSoto County Courthouse lawn.
The market has more than just fresh produce. It connects the community by uniting the shoppers, producers, and artisans who come.
See what's new in Extension: a new monarch garden, a storytelling series will begin, the Garden Expo highlights Extension education, and Keep America Beautiful recognizes MSU Extension.
After a tragic car accident in 2017 led to the deaths of two Central Elementary School students, school leaders raised money to support their funerals. Their efforts inspired many South Mississippi residents in Lucedale and across George County.
