MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Fall is a good time to grow flowers and vegetables and plan for next spring, and it's also the time to visit the 25th annual Fall Flower and Garden Fest in Crystal Springs.

Held Oct. 17 and 18 at Mississippi State University's Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station, the event is free and open to the public. Doors are open Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the event is sponsored by the MSU Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.

"This is the place to come for anybody interested in horticulture or gardening," said Rick Snyder, Extension professor of horticulture, vegetable specialist and event coordinator. "There's something here for everybody from flowers, herbs, vegetables and ornamental grasses to the ethnic gardens."

Each year, more than 5,000 people attend the flower and garden fest for tours, displays, gardening seminars, exhibits and more. Snyder said there will be a special 25th anniversary garden this year displaying silver-colored foliage and flowers.

The Experiment Station is growing vegetables of Africa, Latin American and India in its ethnic gardens. Flowers cover half of the 3-acre area, with sections for annuals, perennials, ornamental grasses, climbing flowers and vegetables, butterflies, tropical plants and roses.

A new feature is a composting education center, and visitors can expect a large number of wholesale nurseries and garden centers on hand selling goods to the public. The corn maze typically offered has been replaced with a Sudan grass maze, which Snyder said will be thicker and better than before. A blood drive will be held Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Truck Crops Experiment Station is located on Highway 51 in Crystal Springs, 25 miles south of Jackson. Take exit 68 off Interstate 55 to get there. For more information, call (601) 892-3731 or your local county Extension office.