News

It’s July, and that means it’s pumpkin planting time. Pumpkins are part of our American heritage. Both Native Americans and the first European settlers grew them and depended on them for food.

In the landscape, begonias are often thought of as annual plants you grow in shade areas, but most of today’s varieties grow well in full sun. This makes them very versatile.
A benefit of begonias grown in the sun is that they tend to develop more flowers than those in the shade. All begonias tend to bloom continuously throughout the summer and early fall.

The smells coming from the classroom at one Mississippi State University summer camp will make a person hungry, which makes sense as the camp teaches kitchen skills and introduces new foods. Culinary Arts Kids Camp is offered each year, with one week for older elementary age kids and another for junior high and high school students. The events focus on local foods, kitchen basics and easy recipes. Young people in grades 4-6 and 7-12 are introduced to food science, culinary arts and food preparation techniques.

Mississippi’s cotton crop was in the ground by the second week of June, although fewer acres were planted this year because of low prices and high production costs.
Brian Pieralisi, cotton specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said cotton planting was essentially complete by mid-June. Any unplanted fields intended for cotton were too wet to plant and will likely be switched to soybeans instead.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Harvest is in full swing for Mississippi watermelon producers as rains ramp up, increasing the likelihood of disease and ruined melons.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Agricultural professionals who have not learned how to use grain bin rescue equipment can do so while learning about emerging precision agriculture applications and seed-applied technologies.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station invite seed and agricultural industry professionals, stakeholders, producers, crop consultants and research professionals to attend the 2023 MSU Seed and Agricultural Technology Short Course Aug. 1-2.

BILOXI, Miss. -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality awarded Mississippi State University $800,000 to begin a three-year project to establish the Mississippi Sound Estuary Program and facilitate future conservation and restoration projects from Escatawpa to the Pearl River.

I think no matter where you display them, foliage hanging baskets can bring a sense of serenity and beauty to your indoor and outdoor spaces. To make your own foliage basket, select a single plant or a combination of plants with unique foliage. Consider the foliage color, texture and shape when making your choices.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- After a June 14 severe thunderstorm dropped some of the state’s largest recorded hail on Noxubee County, row-crop farmland there suffered up to 50% yield loss.

A 5-inch-diameter hailstone from the eastern Mississippi storm cell made media headlines, but reports of wind and hail damage to crops in the Mississippi Delta began rolling in as early as the previous weekend.

When the summer temperatures are sweltering, gardeners still have the option for bright landscape color. SunPatiens don’t just tolerate full sun and high temperatures; they thrive in it. They are the ideal plant for worry-free color spring through fall.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Anytime conditions allow soybean growers in Mississippi to begin planting in April, they have started on the right foot.

On the week ending June 4, 93% of the state’s crop was in the ground, and 87% was reported emerged; both percentages are just ahead of state five-year averages.

Junior high and high school students are invited to improve their kitchen skills at a culinary arts camp June 26-30 at Mississippi State University. Culinary Arts Kids Camp is focused on teaching young people about local foods, kitchen basics and easy recipes.

RAYMOND, Miss. -- Edward Jenkins manages his family’s small farm in Grace, Mississippi. It’s property that has been in his family since the 1940s.

Like other farms, Jenkins’ family-run operation is a delicate balancing act of making the right decisions and dealing with issues that are beyond a farmer’s control, including weather and markets. It’s a high-pressure business.

I believe one of the easiest ways to add curb appeal to your home is to add beautiful ferns to the landscape. Ferns can also be brought inside to add greenery to indoor spaces. One of the best ways to highlight ferns is to plant them in hanging baskets or pots.

Tomatoes are in almost everyone’s garden and would easily be voted the No. 1 vegetable. However, as much as we love to grow tomatoes, we must admit that it’s not always easy to do it successfully.

STONEVILLE, Miss. -- After taking a break from rice last year, Mississippi producers who typically grow the crop have returned to it this year. Hunter Bowman, Mississippi State University Extension Service rice specialist, said growers in the state have planted 119,000 acres of rice. That’s well over the 84,500 acres planted in 2022.

Mississippi corn producers got off to an early start and have enjoyed mild spring weather in 2023, advantages that gave this year’s crop a good start.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that as of May 21, 98% of Mississippi’s corn was planted. To date, 69% is in good or excellent condition, with another 27% listed as fair.

A cross section of Belzoni society turned out to celebrate the opening of a new downtown attraction, a StoryWalk park that’s aimed at children but also welcomes adult interaction. Centennial Park on West Jackson Street in downtown Belzoni now hosts bright-yellow word art that invites visitors to “share.” Within the park is the area’s first StoryWalk, a combination of literacy and physical activity.

One of my favorite flowering landscape plants is lantana, and Lucky lantana is no exception. The Lucky series of lantanas have brightly colored flower clusters that cover compact mounds of dark-green foliage.

I don’t think there is anything more inviting or beautiful than a colorful combination container prominently displayed on the deck, porch or patio. I recently visited Bud and Blooms Greenhouse and Gardens in Wesson, Mississippi, looking at some of their beautiful combination containers. These elaborate containers come in all shapes and sizes, and they might seem challenging for the home gardener to make.