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Herb Container

By Chloe Evans

If you love the idea of adding beautiful landscape features to your yard but don’t know where to start, container gardening is an easy way to make a statement and limit costs! To make it even easier, we asked the host of Southern Gardening, Dr. Eddie Smith, to curate a variety of container gardening combos for you to choose from. 

When following the thriller, spiller, and filler combination rules, container gardening can be achieved by anyone. For clarity, a thriller grabs attention with color and/or height. A spiller adds length to the...


Mourning Dove on a branch.

Bird of the Month: Mourning Dove

June 6, 2023

“Coo-OO-oo-woo!” With their rather sorrowful call, the mourning dove sings one of the most recognizable songs.

A woman holds a bowl of corn and cucumber salad.

The Food Factor: Corn and Cucumber Salad

June 6, 2023

This delicious salad is naturally vegan, sugar-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free not to mention fresh and easy to assemble. It’s also budget-friendly, especially if you grow some of these vegetables yourself.

Pink and yellow lantana.

June Landscape Tasks

May 30, 2023

Summertime is officially here! Kids are out of school, and many people are gearing up for summer adventures with the family.

A diamondback rattlesnake

How to Control Snakes Around Your Home

May 26, 2023

Snakes, like other wildlife, need a suitable place to live and enough food to eat. If the area around your home checks these boxes, they may take up residence there. These tips can help reduce the chances of a surprise encounter with a snake around you house.

Tomatoes on a vine.

Tips for Growing Tasty Tomatoes

May 24, 2023

There’s nothing as divine as a homegrown tomato. I’m a sucker for a tomato sandwich or a BLT during summer.

Stink bug on a leaf.

Common Garden Pests

May 19, 2023

If you have a home garden, you know the pain of managing the pests that feast on your crops. Luckily, you won’t have to guess what bug is snacking on your plants! We’ve gathered information on common pests found in Mississippi gardens to help you identify and manage the bugs that are giving you problems!

A woman holds a bowl of chicken and fruit salad.

The Food Factor: Chicken and Fruit Salad

May 16, 2023

Chicken and Fruit Salad is an easy and refreshing summertime lunch or dinner.

A man sits with his chin proped on his hand

May: Mental Health Awareness Month

May 11, 2023

Life can be overwhelming sometimes, and stress is a normal part of life. Too much unchecked stress can lead to physical and mental health challenges that must be addressed. Know the signs to watch for and learn what to do when you or someone you know needs help.

Jars of spices lined up in a V formation.

Salt-Free Seasonings in 3 Steps

May 11, 2023

One of the first steps in controlling high blood pressure is to reduce the extra sodium in your diet. Many people think sodium and salt are the same thing, however, they are different. Sodium is a mineral that occurs naturally in foods and is sometimes added during manufacturing. Table salt is a combination of the minerals sodium and chloride.

A house sparrow.

Bird of the Month: House Sparrow

May 5, 2023

Have you ever noticed the small birds hopping around parking lots scrounging for food and wondered what kind they were? There’s a good chance they were house sparrows. 

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About Extension for Real Life

Extension for Real Life is a product of the MSU Extension Service’s Office of Agricultural Communications.

That’s a long way of saying we are professional communicators who get to talk about food, families, 4-H, flowers, and farming for a living.

Blog content is created by a core team of communicators, including Susan Collins-Smith, Ellen Graves, Natasha Haynes, Qula Madkin, Michaela Parker, and Jonathan Parrish. But we get by with a lot of help from our friends in Ag Comm and Extension!

You can reach us at 662-325-2262 or extreallife@msstate.edu